us. i am shepard smith in washington. your local news in many cases is next. and i will see you you're not a lawyer, right? >> correct, your honor. >> judge judy: you need a lawyer. >> announcer: ...after getting a bad vibe from this buyer. >> judge judy: there's a smugness about you that i'm finding irritating, sir. >> i believe it. [ clears throat ] >> judge judy: if you know that you're smug, then a normal person tries to change it and not bring it in front of 10 million people looking like a schlemiel. >> announcer: "judge judy." you are about to enter the courtroom you are about to enter the courtroom of judge judith sheindlin. captions paid for by cbs television distribution donald watson is suing his former tenants, ray and becky smith, for unpaid rent, stolen property, and damages. >> byrd: order! all rise! your honor, it's case number 360 of the calendar in the matter of watson vs. smith. >> judge judy: thank you. >> byrd: you're welcome, judge.

parties have been sworn in. you may be seated. gentlemen, have a seat. >> judge judy: mr. watson, you rented the defendants an apartment that you own -- >> correct. >> judge judy: that was above a pizzeria. it had four bedrooms. when did you move in, mrs. smith? >> we moved in on may 1, 2015. >> judge judy: and when did you move out? >> we were out october 1, 2016. >> judge judy: and there came a time that, during your tenancy, your husband lost his job and you fell behind in your rent. >> yes, ma'am. >> judge judy: how much rent, when you moved out, had not been paid to mr. watson? do you know the exact figure? >> i'm not sure of the exact figure. >> judge judy: approximately. >> it was gonna be roughly, like, $4,000. >> judge judy: well, even he doesn't say it was $4,000. you say it was $2,000. >> five. >> judge judy: no. that's not what you say, actually. you said that they still owed back rent in the amount of $2,200. and they moved out. you're confused a little, mr. watson. you're suing for $5,000. but you say that part of that was property that they took, back rent, damage to the apartment. but according to your complaint,

they owed you $2,200 in back rent. that's what it says here. i'll show you what you signed. >> no, it was $2,200 that they owed during the month that they, uh... i can't read it. so -- >> judge judy: well, they acknowledge that they owe you that much. okay. >> uh, i -- >> so, what's your -- what is your defense for the money that you owe your landlord for back rent? he was forgiving. >> yes. yes, ma'am. >> judge judy: okay. >> he -- so, when brandon asked us to leave on august 9th, i have text messages from him that he sent to my husband, ben, that stated he had covered all of our back rent. >> judge judy: who had covered all of your back rent? >> brandon 'cause he -- >> judge judy: who's brandon? >> he was buying the building. >> judge judy: that would be -- be you. >> yes, your honor. >> judge judy: how are you related to him? >> i'm not. >> judge judy: did you give him money for their back rent? >> i gave him -- >> judge judy: up! stand up. i -- there's a smugness about you that i'm finding irritating, sir.

>> i believe it. [ clears throat ] >> judge judy: well, then, that means that you're an idiot. if you know that you're smug and if you know that there's something unlikable about your demeanor, then a normal person tries to change it and not bring it in front of 10 million people, looking like a schlemiel. now, my question to you was a very simple one. did you give mr. watson money to cover their back rent? >> $800, yes. >> judge judy: $800. did this gentleman, who purchased your building... he purchased your building? >> in the process. >> judge judy: he's in the process of doing it now? >> correct. >> judge judy: he says that he gave you $800. do you have a lawyer in that purchase? >> no. >> judge judy: you're doing it yourself? you're doing it -- >> so far. >> judge judy: don't. >> don't? okay. >> judge judy: listen to me. how old are you? you can tell me. >> 79. >> judge judy: so, you're a little older than i am. but i'm a lawyer. you're not a lawyer, right? >> correct, your honor. >> judge judy: get a lawyer. you need a lawyer when you deal with him. >> i'll do that. >> judge judy: i want you to trust me.

okay? >> gotcha. >> judge judy: sit. you, sit. so far, you owe him $2,200 in back rent. now, he's buying the building from you, correct? >> yes. >> judge judy: good. so, we don't have to worry about any damage. what is he gonna do with the building that he's buying from you? what's he gonna do with it, do you know? >> he's gonna live in it. >> judge judy: himself? >> correct. >> judge judy: with whom? >> his daughter. >> judge judy: he was your maintenance man? >> correct. >> judge judy: do you own more than one building? >> no. >> judge judy: just this building? >> just the one building. >> judge judy: how much is he paying you for the building? >> $265,000. >> judge judy: are you taking back any paper from him? or is he giving you all cash? >> um -- >> judge judy: i'm not talking about him getting a mortgage. i'm asking you whether he asked you, you know, "i'll pay you out, not a bank." is he giving you cash or is there -- >> well, he was gonna get a loan. >> judge judy: from a bank? >> from a bank, right. >> judge judy: has he gotten that yet? >> not yet. >> judge judy: and how long's he been looking for this bank loan? >> i -- i can't answer that. >> judge judy: how many months? >> i'd say maybe two months.

>> judge judy: and you understood that you had tenants there when you started negotiations with him, is that right? did he -- did he give you a deposit, sir? >> no. >> judge judy: he didn't? did you sign a contract with him? >> no, not yet. >> judge judy: you need a lawyer. >> need a lawyer. >> judge judy: who do you live with, mr. watson? >> i'm widowed. >> judge judy: so, you live alone? >> correct. >> judge judy: what kind of work did you do? >> uh, i was in sales, different companies, different products. and i coached volleyball. >> judge judy: do you live i your own apartment now? >> i have my own house. >> judge judy: so, aside from your home, this is your only other building, your commercial -- this commercial building. >> correct. >> judge judy: okay. was there an active pizzeria in the bottom of the -- >> yes, ma'am -- yes, your honor. >> judge judy: is it still there? >> the actual pizza place was destroyed by, uh, water damage where the water pipes in the upstairs froze and kinda destroyed the downstairs. but the main reason that they closed the pizza was because my son, who was actually running the pizza, collapsed of a heart attack.

>> judge judy: i see. so, the pizza parlor went out of business. >> right. i closed it the day that i got the news that he had, uh, collapsed. he was on a scout outing with the boy scouts. and on the way to breakfast, he collapsed and died. and i closed the pizza and never did reopen it. >> judge judy: what year was that, sir? >> he died 2011. >> judge judy: so, the downstairs place has been vacant since then. >> correct. >> judge judy: and was it this gentleman's plan to refurbish that? is -- had he discussed that with you in order to -- >> no -- no, ma'am. no, i had a, um, cleaning service that came in and aerated and cleaned the carpets downstairs and upstairs, the -- the apartment upstairs. and i paid about $22,000 to have all that work done. what they did, they cleaned the upstairs, put it back into working order where i could rent it. the downstairs is still -- >> judge judy: okay. who lived upstairs above the pizza parlor? did your son live upstairs? >> no, the smiths. >> judge judy: i know. but before the smiths moved in.

>> just my son. >> judge judy: so, your son did live upstairs. >> correct. >> judge judy: there was nobody living there between this time your son passed away and the time they moved in in 2015? >> yes. yes, your honor. >> judge judy: there were or not? >> there was one other tenant before us. >> judge judy: okay. >> and they actually had the pizza restaurant opened at one point. >> judge judy: for a short time. >> yes. >> judge judy: okay, fine. very good. all right. so, so far, you owe him $2,200 a month rent. mr. watson, i'm not interested in the furniture that was there when they first moved in. you haven't lived there in a long time, is that right? >> correct. >> judge judy: great. i don't care about that. now, you're talking about damage. you're talking about damage that was caused by their ferrets. >> yes, ma'am. >> judge judy: what kind of damage do you allege was caused by the ferrets? >> the urine in the carpet and ferret [bleep] in the kitchen and also in the attic. my underst-- >> judge judy: did they give you a security deposit when they moved in? >> no, ma'am. when i rented the property to 'em, we sat down and went over what the agreements would be. and i told 'em when they made a payment, put it into my checking account at the local bank, which they did when they paid.

>> judge judy: okay. do you have photographs of the damage, sir? >> no, ma'am. >> judge judy: photographs of the damage. >> yes, he's -- may i? >> judge judy: who are you? >> i'm his son. thank you. >> judge judy: do you have photographs of the damage is my question. >> yes, your honor. >> judge judy: may i see them? >> he has photos of the damage. >> oh. oh, yeah. >> i also have pictures of my ferrets if you'd like to see them. >> judge judy: i don't care to see the pictures. i know what ferrets look like. >> and brandon here is the one that took the pictures. >> judge judy: listen, i don't care about him. >> okay. >> judge judy: now, we've got a counterclaim for harassment. unfortunately, you sued the wrong person because you're not claiming he harassed you. this gentleman didn't harass -- >> he -- oh, yeah, he did, too. i have a police report. >> judge judy: i'd like to see that. >> sure. >> judge judy: what's this a picture of? >> that's a footprint just to show -- >> judge judy: you can return these to the plaintiff.

why didn't you answer the door when he came? >> 'cause i was home by myself. and -- >> judge judy: and? >> my husband was out of town. >> judge judy: just listen. that's not my question to you. why didn't you answer the door? he was a man who was very good to you. >> mm-hmm. >> judge judy: he let you skate on the rent when your husband was unemployed. he came to the door. he knocked at the door. you were home. and you refused to answer the door. so, my question is, why wouldn't you answer the door to this man who was nothing but nice to you? >> because, as we got towards the end, when he -- by the time he came, we had already talked with mr. hettle. he had asked us to l-- >> judge judy: i'm not talking about brandon, the smug one. >> right. i understand. i'm -- >> judge judy: i'm talking about this gentleman, who had been nothing but nice to you. >> because he didn't come just knocking on the door, your honor. he came banging on the windows. >> judge judy: no, no, no, no, no. he didn't. not the first time he came. first time he came, he -- >> but that was all the same time. >> judge judy: no, no! he came and he knocked at the door. you were home. you didn't answer the door. >> this was all the same time when i called the cops. >> judge judy: i understand exactly what you're saying to me. no. i don't believe that. you had no -- absolutely no reason... my problem, mr. watson,

actually, is this. you both told the police, and she said, that they owed almost $4,000 in back rent. in here, it says 2,200. >> the 2,200, your honor, they paid the $800 for the first three months. then he was disabled, was on workman's comp. and he said that, as soon as they get his workman's comp, he's gonna pay me for the rent. they didn't pay anything for two months. >> judge judy: and what was their rent a month? >> $800. >> judge judy: $800. >> well, they didn't -- they paid the $800 the first three months. >> judge judy: okay, but then after that, they did not? >> between that time and the time that they paid me $800 again was the period of 22-- of, um -- >> judge judy: $2,200. >> $2,200 is what they paid me. they owed me seventy... where's my sheet here? >> judge judy: do you have rent receipts? >> i do. >> judge judy: i'd like to see all your rent receipts. that's easy. you moved in may 2015. you were there until october of 2016.

so, you there for a year and several months. >> between august 19, '15 and, um -- >> judge judy: it looks as if you were there for 16 months. is that correct? >> right. and the -- >> judge judy: just a second. you were there for... am i correct? >> yes. >> judge judy: how many -- how long were they there? >> seventeen months. >> from -- >> i have a -- >> may of '15 through -- >> i have a sheet here with the -- >> october 1st. >> judge judy: october 1st? >> for -- on october 1st, we were out on that day because that was the move-in day for our new place. >> judge judy: let's say 16 months. >> okay. >> judge judy: knock it off. for 16 months. >> yeah. >> judge judy: should have paid $12,800. >> announcer: "judge judy" continues in a moment. and later today... >> judge judy: show me pictures of how you left the house. >> i don't have any pictures. but -- >> judge judy: well, that's too bad. >> mr. zepeda came by and collected the keys before i was out. >> judge judy: no, no, no. i read your answer. you said he collected the keys, so you left the door open. so, your suggestion is that somebody moved into the house and made this mess for two days? what, are you kidding me?

game night is our daughter allie's favorite night. and knowing that her favorite general mills big g cereals are gluten-free, like honey nut cheerios, rice chex and lucky charms, she can enjoy it her way. try new very berry cheerios. the taste of real fruit in every bite. so berry good.

>> announcer: closed captioning is provided by... my advice for looking younger, longer? get your beauty sleep. and use aveeno® absolutely ageless® night cream with active naturals® blackberry complex. younger looking skin can start today. absolutely ageless® from aveeno®. ♪ ♪ ♪ can you say i love it? ♪ oh love it? ♪ can you say hey? ♪ hey! ♪ that's the spirit! oooooh.♪ ♪ ooh ooh ♪ wooh ooh ♪ wooh ooh ♪ sing sing, baby baby i love you. oh yes.♪ ♪ ooooh oooh. ♪ every little thing. >> announcer: real cases. real people. "judge judy." donald watson says former tenants ray and becky smith owe for rent, stolen property, and damages. the defendants are countersuing for harassment. >> judge judy: now, i want you to take all of these...

that's easy. one, two -- >> with all the receipts and stuff, there -- it was, like, 42 was the total that we were behind. >> judge judy: forty-two? >> yes, ma'am. >> judge judy: okay, well, that -- that'd be right. forty-two. >> and -- and -- and when my husband got employed again in march, i spoke with mr. watson every single day, uh, or every single month, i'm sorry, and told him, you know, if we were behind or not and what we were planning on doing so he knew ahead of all of time. >> judge judy: i don't care what he knew. don't tell me what he knows. you owe him $4,200. judgment for the plaintiff. we are done. thank you. >> byrd: parties are excused. you may step out. >> i'd been out of town. they hadn't paid the rent, the last month's rent. >> legitimately, i was not ready to get into whatever they were gonna get into. >> i wanted to find out if she'd made a deposit that i didn't know of. >> and between him and brandon, i'm not sure -- >> i assumed she was home because the car was there. >> what was going on. so, i just, ultimately, felt that it was better -- >> knocked on the door. maybe knocked on a sl-- slide -- sliding door. >> i was -- i was home by myself. and i don't like to be home by myself. so, i just locked myself in my room. >> i never got a response.

so, i left. >> get a lawyer. cover your butt. >> oh, yeah. i have a lawyer to draw up all the paperwork and everything. >> but it -- it's done. i'm over it. i'm -- i'm ready to move on. >> announcer: and now the next case. >> byrd: all parties in the matter of zepeda vs. kimbell, step forward. >> announcer: marco zepeda is suing his former tenant, sonya kimbell, for damage to his rental property. >> judge judy: mr. zepeda, the defendant was your tenant. and she was a good tenant of yours for several years. >> yes, your honor. >> judge judy: three and a half. >> three and a half to be exact, yes. >> judge judy: and in the last part of the tenancy, it was a month-to-month tenancy? >> yes. >> judge judy: and it is your claim that, when she moved out, either she or other people who lived with her trashed the house... >> that is correct, yes. >> judge judy: ...causing a substantial amount of damage. you want her to be responsible. >> yes. >> judge judy: she said whatever damage there was was normal wear and tear on the house. >> correct. >> judge judy: okay. did you give mr. zepeda notice that you were moving out? >> yes. >> judge judy: you did. when did you tell him -- >> it was a verbal agree-- a verbal -- >> judge judy: notice. >> notice.

>> judge judy: when did you tell him you were moving? >> when he came to collect september's rent, i told him that i was gonna be moved out by october 1st. >> judge judy: okay. were you out on october 1st? >> i was not out on october 1st. >> judge judy: did you pay october's rent? >> no, i did not. >> judge judy: what was your rent? >> $1,200 a month. >> judge judy: on what date did you move? >> the 7th. >> judge judy: so you owe him october's rent. >> for the first week. >> judge judy: no. you owe him october's rent. if you're supposed to be out, if you're a month-to-month tenant, you have to be out the first of the month. otherwise, you owe the month's rent. not a week. >> announcer: "judge judy" continues in a moment. >> judge judy: is this what you consider normal wear and tear? >> sure. >> judge judy: it is? >> sure. >> judge judy: don't leave a place like a pig. pigs don't live in houses. from the first moment you met it was love at first touch and all you wanted to do was surround them in comfort and

protection that's why only pampers swaddlers is the #1 choice of hospitals to wrap your baby in blanket-like softness and premium protection mom: "oh hi baby" so all they feel is love wishing you love, sleep and play. pampers

at clorox 2 we've turned removing stains into a science. now pre-treat with clorox 2! watch stains disappear right before your eyes. remove 4 times more stains than detergent alone.

>> announce: real cases. real people. "judge judy." marco zepeda says his former tenant, sonya kimbell, trashed his rental property. >> judge judy: now, when you moved out, did mr. zepeda do a walk-through with you? >> no. >> judge judy: did you ever tell him you would not be out on october 1st? >> no. >> judge judy: mr. zepeda, do you have photographs of what you found when you went to the house? and when did you, in fact, go to the house? >> exactly, your honor. i got all the pictures, you know, from before and after. >> judge judy: on what date did you go to the house -- >> i went on the 9th. >> judge judy: on the 9th. >> yes. >> judge judy: why did you wait until the 9th to go? >> no, i -- i -- i text, you know, this lady saying, you know, i --

that i need my money on the 3rd. and she goes, "i'm moving out on friday." okay, i'm gonna be, you know, friday. i say, "okay, but i need my money." so, a friend of mine pass by and he goes, like, "hey, marco. somebody's moving out of the house." and i said, -- >> judge judy: but you didn't go for two days? >> no, your honor. >> judge judy: all right. now, i'd like to see what you found when you went to the house. >> oh, i -- i got some pictures right here, yes. >> judge judy: good. >> just -- just from before and after. >> judge judy: good. would you show this picture, please, to ms. kimbell? this one as well, byrd. thank you. >> byrd: mm-hmm. >> what is that? hmm? >> your mess. >> judge judy: shh, shh, shh! >> no! we did not leave -- i did not leave the house like that, your honor! no, i did not! >> judge judy: well, let me ask you this question.

these are living items. these aren't trash that somebody brought in. this is stuff that somebody didn't want. >> but i did not leave the house like that. >> judge judy: well, show me pictures of how you left the house. >> i don't have any pictures. >> judge judy: well, that's too bad. >> but mr. zepeda came by and collected the keys before i was out. >> judge judy: no, no, no. this is not somebody... i read your answer. you said he collected the keys, so you left the door open. so, your suggestion is that somebody moved into the house and made this mess for two days? what, are you kidding me? >> i didn't say that. >> judge judy: good. i'm glad you didn't try to tell me that. >> announcer: "judge judy" continues in a moment. closed captioning sponsored by... this is me living with back pain. and this is me treating back pain with icy hot® smartrelief™. starts blocking pain immediately at the nerve level. icy hot® smartrelief™.

>> announcer: real cases. real people. "judge judy." it's time for some straighttalk. the big wireless companies lure you in with great coverage. but then charge you a really high price to use their cell towers... ...not cool. straight talk wireless uses the same towers, but only charges half. you get the same 4g lte networks... ...so your phone works in more places... ...for a lot less. it's time to ask yourself... ...why haven't i switched? get a samsung galaxy s7, or bring your own phone. unlimited talk, text and data just forty-five dollars a month. no contract. straighttalk wireless. only at walmart. more "doing chores for dad" per roll more "earning something you love" per roll bounty is more absorbent, so the roll can last 50% longer than the leading ordinary brand.

so you get more "life" per roll. bounty, the quicker picker upper

i am totally blind. i lost my sight in afghanistan.

if you're totally blind, you may also be struggling with non-24. calling 844-844-2424. or visit my24info.com. >> judge judy: did she have any security deposit with you? >> yes, your honor, $1,100. >> judge judy: did you keep it? >> yes, i did. >> judge judy: so, that's her... we can eliminate that from the last month's rent that she owed you. >> yes, your honor. >> judge judy: is this what you consider normal wear and tear?

would you show that to ms. kimbell, please? >> [ sighs ] >> sure. >> judge judy: it is. >> sure. >> judge judy: that's what you consider normal wear and tear? that right? >> but, your honor -- >> judge judy: i'm not even showing you the pictures of the broken doors and the holes in the walls -- >> but, your honor -- >> judge judy: and this trash. >> here's the thing, though. my brother-in-law was gonna fix the things that was damaged. and he talked to mr. zepeda about it. >> judge judy: judgment for the plaintiff in the amount of $5,000. don't leave a place like a pigi. pigs don't live in houses. that's all. >> thank you, your honor. >> byrd: parties are excused. you may step out. >> announcer: "judge judy" continues in a moment. and on the next "judge judy"...

>> well, i love it, you know? i'm glad it's all over, now that i got some of the money back -- >> i didn't agree with it -- >> 'cause i spent almost $17,000 at my house -- >> because he wasn't telling the truth. >> you know, to put it back together again. >> because if he would've let my brother-in-law fix the repairs, then we wouldn't be here. he wanted money, and that's all he wanted. >> and he goes like, "hey, my name is anthony. and, you know, i can fix your -- your house." >> because if somebody come in and say that they gonna repair -- repair what's -- needs to be repaired -- >> i said, "who are you?" "well, i'm the cousin of kimbell." >> for no cost to you, you should take up the offer, not try to sue somebody for something they don't have. >> i said, "i don't know you. i got my guys who can fix the house." >> the heater wasn't working. >> well, basically because they destroyed the electrical system. they bypassed, you know, the heater system. >> you know, he didn't repair the sockets that was in the kitchen. so, we had to use extension cords -- >> put up nails or something like that, a -- a screwdriver. and they -- they messed up, you know, the air conditioning. >> you know, and stuff like that. he didn't do right by us living there almost four years. >> okay? so, yeah, basically, that's why.

i went back and fixed it. they did it again. >> because he want money. he's all -- all -- all about money. >> i mean, she was lying all the time. >> because he came in periodically. he never said nothing about anything. it wasn't that we was just living there and we never seen him. >> and the way, you know, you know, she broke my house and destroyed the whole thing of my house. it's not right. >> so, when you come in and you never mention nothing, then all of a sudden, you wanna sue me, and you know i don't have nothing. >> i'm glad they're gone. >> i'm glad they're gone. and thank you, judge judy! -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com ♪ >> preserve, protect and defend. >> the constitution of the united states. >> of the constitution of the united states. >> so help me god. >> so help me god. >> donald j. trump president of the united states of america. >> ♪

his message to -- to all americans, in every city near and far, small and large, you will never be ignored again. >> ♪ >> your voice, your hopes and your dreams will define our american destiny. >> yes, today the tied changes. this will be a presidency unlike any other. ♪ live from sent city in philadelphia this is fox 29 news at 5:00. and here's live look right now at washington, d.c. at the inaugural parade just part of the celebrations of inauguration day. president trump just a short timing a made his way back to the white house and presidential limousine, cadillac one or the beast before taking his seat in the reviewing stand. >> i donald john trump do solemn