SEASON 13: 2008-2009 11-10-2008 THE EARTHQUAKE EPISODE It started out like any other case. Melanie brought her ex, Joseph, to court over money she claims she lent him for a plane ticket. As Judge Judy questioned them, the room began to shake. A earthquake was striking California. Cameras kept rolling as the audience got up and ran out of the courtroom. Judge Judy also ran from the bench. After the break, the case reconvened. Judge Judy said, "that was an interesting exercise." She joked that the show had planned it to keep everyone on their toes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SEASON 12: 2007-2008 11-8-2007 PLAINTIFF ALMOST PASSES OUT Arianna was suing her ex, Drew, for $5,000 over a loan. Drew said it was a gift and he never was told to pay the money back. As Arianna told her story, she told Judge Judy that she felt like she was going to pass out. Byrd helped her sit and down and got her a glass of water before bringing her backstage to calm down. After a break, Arianna was back and feeling much better. Now, it was time for the defendant to cause some drama. Drew told Judge Judy that he didn't want to be there. She told him that she'd dismiss the case without prejudice so she could sue him later. He agreed to continue. When Drew's attitude didn't change, Judge Judy dismissed the case without prejudice, saying she had had it with his smart mouth. Arianna started crying and was once again comforted by Byrd. CRAZY MOTHER HAS A FIT Jacqueline brought her ex, Pierre and his mother, Barbara, to Judge Judy over a loan. Jacqueline said she lent him money after he got in trouble with the law, but he never paid it back. Pierre claimed Jacqueline still had his stuff, so Judge Judy told Jacqueline to sell it so they'd be even. That angered Pierre's crazy mother who swore under her breath. Judge Judy suggested that Barbara was crazy, which angered her more and she stormed off swearing. As she walked off the show, she screamed and yelled at Jacqueline. Judge Judy told Pierre to have a serious discussion with his mother because she has a "hot temper." After Barbara's outburst, Judge Judy ruled in favor of Jacqueline and told Pierre to pick up his stuff at her house without his mother. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SEASON 11: 2006-2007 3-9-2007 SANTA'S TIP JAR Karina hired Michael to entertain kids as Santa Claus at her restaurant. Michael was quickly fired and brought Karina to court for more than $400, claiming she illegally fired him. Karina told Judge Judy that Michael did not approach any of the kids and just sat there drinking coke. What's worse, Michael brought a tip cup so parents could tip Santa. Michael brought the tip cup to show Judge Judy. It came complete with a sign that read: "Santa's Eggnog Fund." Judge Judy couldn't believe Michael was asking for tips while dressed as Santa. Judge Judy told him Karina had every right to fire him since she was dissatisifed with his services and dismissed his case. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SEASON TEN: 2005-2006 CRACKHEAD MOTHER Jenny was suing her blue-haired former roommate, Sheena, for owed rent, security deposit and slander. Jenny says the house was a maggot-filled mess, PLUS Sheena would always bring her "crackhead mother" over who has no teeth. Jenny said she caught mom doing crack with another woman. Sheena admitted that her mom is an ex-con with mental issues. The straw that broke the camel's back: a blog posting where Sheena accused Jenny of some nasty sex acts. After seeing the posting, Judge Judy called Sheena "a demented, sick girl." Sheena asked if she could speak and Judge Judy told her to speak outside and ruled in favor of Jenny. Sheena just waved and said, "toodles." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SEASON NINE: 2004-2005 9-21-2004 CLUELESS DEFENDANT RUNS FROM COURT Sharyn brought her friend's ex to court claiming he damaged her car. After Sharyn and her friend told thier side, Judge Judy called on George to explain his point of view. A very anxious George had trouble with Judge Judy's simple questions, so the plaintiffs and the audience laughed at him. Feeling like he was the butt of the joke, George told them to laugh at someone else and stormed off the set! Judge Judy was left with no choice but to rule for Sharyn. Sharyn and her friend were afraid of George's irrational behavior and asked for security to escort them out of the building. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SEASON EIGHT: 2003-2004 2-23-2004 HOMECOMING DISS Brigette, 16, said football player Ethan, 15, promised to go to the homecoming dance with her but never showed up. She spent $900 on a dress and other stuff for homecoming and brought Ethan and his dad to court for the money. During the case, Judge Judy thought Ethan was lying and told him, "If you're lying. I'll wipe up the floor with you worse than anybody who's ever tackled you." Judge Judy couldn't grant Brigette the money because Ethan's dad wasn't responsible for his son's nasty actions. But Judge Judy told him she hoped he'd get his heart broken one day. 11-3-2003 DADDY HELPS WITH A SPEEDING TICKET Brett brought Anissa to court because she filed a false claim against him after he gave her a speeding ticket. She countersued over the emotional distress. Her dad, James, was a former cop and she called him to try to get him to bail her out. Anissa was angry that Brett did not want to talk to daddy, so she wrote a slanderous letter to his superiors. Judge Judge told her that she was out of line for writing the letter and said Brett acted professionally. Judge Judy granted Brett $5,000, which he said he would donate to charity. 9-16-2003 CAUGHT IN A LIE Gabriel claimed his sister, Erlinda, stole money from his wife, Patricia, years ago. When Erlinda and their dad, Edmundo, showed up at Gabriel's house, Erlinda claimed her brother was so angry that he pushed her. Gabriel brought Erlinda to court claiming he never touched her and that she had him falsely arrested. Edmundo told Judge Judy that the assault did not occur, but she called him a liar and said Patricia was a troublemaker. Gabriel got offended and told the judge not to call his wife a troublemaker. Gabriel got so worked up defending his wife in court that he finally admitted to pushing Erlinda! To make matters worse for the plaintiff, Patricia kept speaking out and the judge had Byrd remove her from the court. Judge Judy told Erlinda to forget about Gabriel and dismissed his case. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SEASON SEVEN: 2003-2004 11-18-2002 TOUGH MEDICINE FOR A YOUNG BULLY Kayla and Chelcie, both 12, were only schoolgirls, but came to court with an adult problem. Kayla and her mom, Shelly, alleged that Chelcie beat Kayla up and broke her glasses. Kayla showed Judge Judy the glasses, which had a large crack in them. Kayla also had to switch schools and move because of Chelcie. It turned out that Chelcie's mom, Janell, had served time in jail, so the apple did not fall far from the tree. Janell defended her daughter, but Judge Judy called the girl a "liar and a bully." Judge Judy told Janell that she would be visiting her daughter in jail if she did not change her attitude. The judge granted Shelly and Kayla $1,000. 9-9-2002 <SEASON PREMIERE> TEENS DAMAGE A FRIEND'S CAR Brooke brought her former friends, Jennifer and Nickie, to court because she said they stole her keys to her car and took it on a joyride, crashing the car into a house. Judge Judy did not like Jennifer from the start because she wore a shirt that exposed her stomach to court. Judge Judy made her pull her shirt down because it was not appropriate. The judge then spoke to Jennifer's mom who said her daughter was responsible. Judge Judy then scolded Brooke for allowing the underaged teens to drive the car, but awarded her $1,000. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SEASON SIX: 2001-2002 1-28-2002 THE BOMB THREAT Countessa had problems with Cindy at her store before, but decided to work for her anyways. Of course, the issues continued whne they became co-workers. Countessa said that one time Cindy would not allow her to use the bathroom, so she wet her pants! Countessa finally quit, but was brought back when a bomb threat was called in to Cindy's place of business. Cindy thought it was Countessa and reported her to the police. A lie detector test proved it was NOT Countessa, so she brought Cindy to court for defamation. JJ dismissed Countessa's case because Cindy has the right to pint fingers in the time of an emergency. 12-26-2001 GET OFF MY PROPERTY! Maria was a census taker who went to Michael's house to get him to fill out a survey for the government. Maria said Michael screamed at her and told her to get off his property. (She said he called her a "bitch.") Maria claimed that before she left his property, he came out with a garden hose and sprayed her! Maria told JJ she was suing him for assault and claimed the incident made her depression even worse. Michael admitted to what happened and lost the case, so Maria won $1,000. 11-26-2001 A DRUNK EXPOSES HIMSELF IN THE WRONG APARTMENT William was drunk and wandered into the wrong apartment...naked from the waist down! Richard found him hanging out in his place after his daughter, Jamie, also saw him. Richard lost it and beat William's drunk ass! (William showed ?JJ black-and-blue pics of himself after the beating.) William was hauled to jail and brought the complex owner to court because she towed his car away. JJ dismissed the case and told William he was lucky that he was not sued by Richard. JJ also said he was lucky to be alive after William scared Richard's daughter. 11-9-2001 THE OVERLY DRAMATIC TUPPERWARE LADY Karina got upset because her landlord, Nicole, would not give her back her Tupperware. After confronting her several times, Karina alleged that Nicole threw her plasticware at her and scared her. Karina dramatically recalled the events by yelling and making all kinds of crazy gestures in court. The audience laughed at her and JJ told her to calm down several times. Karina moved as a resuly and wanted Nicole to pay her moving costs and give her some rent money back. Nicole claimed she could not move anyone else into Karina's old place because she left items behind: a lamp, a cup and a teddy bear. JJ thought they were both nuts, but granted Karina $200 since she moved out early. 11-5-2001 and 11-6-2001 TWO PARTER: ALLEGED SEXUAL ASSAULT ON A JET SKI Andee claimed that her husband's friend, S. Lyle, stuck his fingers into her private area while they were riding a jet ski. The defendant's friend, Harold, showed JJ a tape of Andee acting happy at a party after the alleged incident took place, but Andee said the footage was before the alleged assault. JJ asked Andee if she was taking any medicine before the incident and she said she was taking it because of what happened. JJ dismissed the case because Andee did not go to the doctor right away and since the police department decided not to prosecute S. Lyle. Andee cried after the verdict and hugged her husband. 10-30-2001 A BEATING WITH A BELT Chris was enraged after he discovered his money stolen and thought Justin stole it from his gym locker. Justin confronted Chris in a church parking lot and gave him a beating with his belt! Chris showed JJ pics of his back after he was beaten and JJ told Justin he was lucky he did not get sent to jail. Justin then turned the tables and clamied that Chris stole HIS money that he wanted to use to buy his mom a gift. JJ rubbed her eyes like she was crying because she did not feel bad for him. She then called Justin and his witness "a bunch of morons" and granted Chris the $5,000 he requested. 10-16-2001 THE WISE DEFENDANT Lynzee foolishly let her ex, Tim, use her credit card because he had bad credit. Tim claimed her paid her back with his paycheck, but could not prove it. Tim started to get cocky with the judge and told JJ that she did not know what she was talking about! JJ sent Byrd to chat with Tim and soon ruled in favor of Lynzee. JJ said, "Either you are drunk, high or stupid. PICK ONE!" 9-10-2001 SEASON PREMIERE ATTACKED BY AN EX Monesa's ex, Albert, was angry at her, so he tried to burn her with a lighter. He even followed her to her house where he threatened her and tried to rape her. Albert denied all of the allegations, but Judge Judy did not believe him. She ordered him to stay away from Monesa and granted her $5,000 in damages. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SEASON FIVE: 2000-2001 9-25-2000 SANTA'S DAY IN COURT Melvin, complete with white beard and hair, was a mall Santa who sued Don because he stiffed him on his last paycheck. Melvin said that Don promised him $12/hr but only paid him $8. Melvin quit after the job was no longer fun, so Don stiffed him with a $5.15/hr. rate on his final paycheck and paid him for less hours than he worked. The audience gasped at the allegations and ruled for Melvin. THE CD COLLECTION A 16-year-old alleged a woman burned 31 of her CDs after the teen disrespected her. The teen brought some of the CDs into court as evidence and Judge Judy read off some of the title, which included "Booty Mix 4" and "Bootleg Booty." The audience chuckled as the kindly judge read the names of the albums. The teen did win her case. ON A TIGHT LEASH An 18-year-old woman who was living with her grandmother was suing a 21-year-old man who wrecked grandma's car. The interesting part of the case came when grandma showed Judge Judy a list of things that her granddaughter agreed to do. The signed statement showed that the granddaughter agreed not to drink, smoke or allow anyone under 21 to drive the car. Judge Judy was impressed with the statement and granted $4,000 to grandma and granddaughter. THE EVIL DAYCARE PROVIDER Stephanie brought a former client to court alleging she did not pay her after she turned in the defendant because her child had bruises on him. Stephanie (looked like Cruella Deville) talked back to Judge Judy and even said she didn't care that Judge Judy was talking! The case ended with Judge Judy saying, "I'm talking," and Stephanie responding, "SO?" With that the judge yelled, "case dismissed!" OLD LADY FLIPS OFF THE COURT Roberta, 74, was upset because the defendant, Barbara, hit her car and ran. She said that when she confronted Barbara, she flipped her off! (Roberta raised her middle finger in the air in front of Judge Judy!) Roberta was able to identify the defendant in police picture. Barbara claimed she took off because she was afraid of the little old plaintiff. Roberta won her case because the judge knew that such a sweet woman would not make up any stories. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PAST SEASONS: 1996-2000 ANGRY OLD MAN SWEARS AT HIS DAUGHTER The plaintiff was a bitter old man who had to sit in a chair because she was so old, but that did not stop him from calling his daughter a "bitch" several times during the case. Judge Judy allowed him to swear because he was old and did not know any better. SUPERMARKET MAYHEM A woman gave a man the wrong change at the grocery store, but later corrected her mistake. She was brought to court by the guy because he wanted to teach her a lesson. Judge Judy thought the lawsuit was a fraud and a waste of court time and granted the cashier more money than she asked for. She and her friend cheered at the decision. JOHNNY ROTTEN IS SUED The former member of the Sex Pistols was sued and won, although Judge Judy yelled at him for interupting. |
| Judith Sheindlin began her career in law in 1972 as a prosecutor for juvenile delinquency cases in New York. Ten years later, Mayor Ed Koch appointed her as a judge to the New York Family Court. There, she earned a reputation as one of the toughest judges in the country. Judge Judy began her syndicated television court show in 1996, spawning over a dozen other daytime court shows. Depsite the competition, Judge Judy has been the number one court show for nearly 500 weeks straight! Judge Judy has written several books including, "Don't Pee On My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining," "Beauty Fades, Dumb Is Forever," and "Keep it Simple, Stupid." Judge Judy is married to Jerry Sheindlin, a former Justice of New York's Supreme Court and former host of TV's The People's Court. It is the second marriage for both and they share five children. Judge Judy's bailiff, Petri Hawkins-Byrd, has been with the show since its start. In fall 2006, Judge Judy began her eleventh year on television. |
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