Top 10 Most Outrageous Defendant Excuses on The People's Court
#10: Big Heart, No License
Top 10 Strangest People on The People's Court
Sharon Stevens is probably one of the most lovable defendants to come through “The People’s Court”. Stevens’ sister-in-law sues her for getting into a car accident with her car and unlawfully filing a claim. Stevens, on the other hand, claims she’s been paying insurance every month so she shouldn’t have to cover the cost. In response to the judge asking her whether she’s ever been in an accident, Stevens drops this fun little tidbit. She did pay for the tickets she got as a result, though. We don’t know that this part of her defense helped her win the case but the judge did rule in her favor in the end… Not that she realized right away.
#9: “I Don’t Care”
Top 10 Most Unhinged The People's Court Moments
Two former friends end up in court over an unpaid phone bill. Defendant Brandon Bohorquez-Gonzalez’s reasons for not paying up made him sound more like a middle schooler than a grown man. Every defense sounds more and more petulant. According to him, the plaintiff was jealous of his new friends, and he couldn’t get in touch with her because she shut his phone off… Eventually it starts to sound more and more like he’s lying, and he can’t even really be bothered to lie well. The worst part is probably the end when he tries to act smart with Doug Llewelyn.
#8: Bad Memory
Top 10 Most Dramatic Moments on The People's Court
Defendant Dorothy Henze is the last person who should be all that stands between a pitbull and the innocent public. Her dog has attacked enough people that she actually thought the lawsuit was a man from another case, which made her defense that the plaintiff grabbed her butt fall apart immediately. Moving from one airheaded excuse to another, Henze finally settles on “I forgot” as an excuse. Her demeanor suggests that she either won’t or can’t understand just how bad this could have been. That doesn’t cut it for the judge. If anything, it makes it worse that she can’t keep the dog attacks straight.
#7: Lazy Framing
Plaintiff Richard Paul Sparks, II was involved in a hit-and-run with defendant Tamara Lynn Gall, whose defense is pretty damning. She claims Sparks was driving under the influence, and tossed a bottle of alcohol from his car after the accident. Judge Milian has trouble believing that the bottle, which Gall has brought into the courtroom, is genuine. She figured Gall was probably uninsured, and tried framing Sparks to get out of paying. This becomes even more reprehensible when we learn she tried to use the plaintiff’s previous DUIs against him, despite his eight years of sobriety, and doesn’t even remember saying this in her answer to the complaint. It was all a lot of effort for nothing.
#6: Just a Helpless Old Woman
Top 10 Times Judge Milian Owned People on The People's Court
The plaintiff bought a car from the defendant, who later repossessed the car when he couldn’t keep up with payments. However, for that to happen, defendant Sandra De More would’ve had to forge his signature on a title. De More tries to portray herself as a weak, vulnerable old woman who’s afraid of the plaintiff, and even tries to gain sympathy for having deceased children. But none of this changes the fact that there’s no way she could have repossessed the car without forging the plaintiff’s signature. De More also admits to going to the plaintiff’s property herself a few times with the aim of repossessing the car herself, so the ‘helpless’ card isn’t really working for the judge.
#5: No Warranty
Top 10 Quickest Cases on The People's Court
Reynoso is exactly the kind of used car salesman that keeps court shows on the air. He’s smug and self-assured, but once the evidence piles up against him, he’s speechless. He insists that the warranty the plaintiff tried to use had been purchased, but the only record of the warranty doesn’t have the customer’s signature on it. He has an elaborate story about the way the company does business and Judge Milian lets him spin his wheels for a bit before ultimately dropping the bomb on him. There is no warranty filed with the company he’s been telling her about. She already checked. Watching the defendant silently crumble as she finds out he just pocketed the man’s money is exactly why we watch these shows.
#4: Sorry Not Sorry
Top 10 Craziest Cases on The People's Court
We’ve seen our fair share of remorseless litigants, but this defendant is in a league of her own. Defendant Stephanie’s audacity is almost impressive. She’s upfront about why she accepted all his gifts and pretty much admits to taking this guy for a ride. And she can’t even stop herself from smiling the whole time because she knows how it sounds but just doesn’t care. This guy didn’t get anything in writing, so there’s really no proof that the gifts and money he gave her were really supposed to be loans she’d have to return. While her excuses might be bad, there’s not a lot the judge can do without proof so she ends up ruling for the defendant.
#3: Deny, Deny, Deny
It’s not clear whether her flat affect is a sign of exhaustion or just apathy, but the landlord in this case has a pretty novel excuse for not paying the plaintiff. The apartment the plaintiff is suing her over was never rented to him, but to someone else. She says the pictures he brought of the disgusting basement apartment are not even from her unit. Of course, none of this holds up once the judge sees evidence that she accepted payment from him. Even after she loses, Roberta still denies being at fault.
#2: Keeping Her Safe
Top 10 Hilarious Keeping Up with the Kardashians Memes
When the plaintiffs’ troubled daughter came to the defendant and told her she was being abused, the defendant’s motherly instincts kicked in. Melinda McManus hid the teenager, who was her son’s girlfriend, in her house for six days all the while police scoured the surrounding areas. During this time, the plaintiffs had no idea whether their missing daughter was even still alive. There is clearly some messy family drama involved on both sides, but that is neither here nor there when it comes to defendant McManus’ weak reasoning that she thought she was keeping the girl safe. It doesn’t hold much water when you consider there were SWAT teams searching for her at the time. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Texting & Bike-Riding A Defendant Lies About How an Accident Happened “I Am Doing Everything I Can” A Landlord Lets Her Tenants Sit in 19-Degree Weather Without Heat Something Borrowed, Something Stolen The Defendant Tries to Dismiss That the Plaintiff Made a Pass at Him by Confessing to an Illegal Drug Deal
#1: “I Just Build the Website”
Top 10 Times Judge Judy Owned People in Court
The plaintiff, whose advocacy against child abuse has apparently made him many enemies, finds himself the target of a vicious and disgusting online smear campaign and he’s suing for defamation. Enter the defendant: the man responsible for building the websites that hosted edited pictures of the plaintiff and allegations of sexual abuse against him. The defendant’s pathetic excuse, that he was just doing what he was being paid for and therefore isn’t responsible, makes the judge as irate as ever. Here’s an expensive lesson about having a good moral compass, folks. Which of these excuses made you roll your eyes the hardest? Tell us in the comments.
