Top 10 Most Unhinged The People's Court Moments
#10: Justice for the Lilies
A bed of rare lilies are mercilessly hacked down by landscapers hired by a homeowners association, and plaintiff Theresia Harpster wants justice. By any means necessary, apparently. She glosses over the parts where she was yelling and throwing flowers at the landscaper’s employee, but we get the whole story eventually. Harpster gasped and stood open-mouthed as the judge read statements from the employee she verbally harangued. As the woman is confronted with her own outrageous behavior and comments, it becomes clear she’s barely containing her anger even with the judge. Who knew one could be so passionate about flora?
#9: Rotten Roommate
Ex-roommates sometimes have the messiest cases, but this one is way messier than you’d think. The plaintiff was unhoused when she met and moved in with the defendant. The defendant took her in as an assistant who would help her in getting to doctor’s appointments and do chores she was physically unable to do. However, allegations of verbal and physical abuse, flimsy, hand-written letters in place of receipts, and an unfortunate accident on a rug leave more questions than answers. Each new piece of jaw-dropping information was enough to make us question how it even got to this point.
#8: It Wasn’t Rain
A squabble over the upstairs neighbor letting their dogs use the bathroom on the balcony above turned litigious. Things got so bad that elevated blood pressure landed the plaintiff in the emergency room. Although she had questions about the story, the judge was not too fond of the two defendants’ behavior. They spent the case mean-mugging the plaintiff, feigning outrage, and demonstrating the very behavior they were being accused of, all while trying to smile in the judge’s face. She didn’t buy it, and neither did anyone watching. This one gets points for the hilarious demonstration of “bucking.”
#7: Funeral Home Spat
Plaintiff Alicia Smith shows up to the courtroom with casts and wraps on both wrists, and it just gets crazier from there. A disagreement about funeral expenses for a relative led to a physical altercation between an aunt and her niece. The description of the fight itself is pretty intense, but the niece’s assertion that her dead grandmother (and the plaintiff’s mom) is now haunting her house as a result is just the cherry on top. Honestly, given the way their family looks right now, it’s not surprising she wouldn’t be able to rest. Death is hard. Family strife makes it harder. Throwing hands at the funeral parlor, though? Well, we suppose everyone processes grief differently.
#6: Not Enough Donations
This is a particularly interesting case about a couple who wanted to get pregnant at the same time by the same sperm donor… who they found on Craigslist. When external circumstances and just… normal biology played a role in the donor not being able to commit to as many daily donations as they wanted, the couple took legal action. The case is wild from start to finish. Judge Milian even has to school the room on anatomy and the arduous process of getting pregnant. Between the euphemisms and blatant misunderstandings, there’s so much to unpack. While it seems like the contract was entered into with the best of intentions from both parties, it just wasn’t detailed enough and ultimately resulted in hurt all around.
#5: Kicking the Door
Picture it: Devin Johns hires Joseph Moretti and his team to replace his pipes with copper ones. On the day of the job, it turns out the pipes are already copper, so Moretti thought he’d just charge for labor and save Johns some money. Johns, on the other hand, felt he’d paid too much in his deposit for just the labor and was seeking the entirety of it back. When the judge awarded him only $200 of the $1500 he wanted, Johns showed his true colors. He kicked the door open on his way out, and in a split second, lost even the small amount he had won. If there’s one thing Judge Milian has no patience for, it’s property damage, especially when it’s her property.
#4: Like Father, Like Daughter
While babysitting overnight, the plaintiff awoke to a fire the defendant’s daughter started, putting her and her own children in danger. The defendant didn’t tell the babysitter that his daughter had already done something similar twice before, nor did he think he was responsible for the damage. Judge Milian knows the score quickly. Despite the fact that so much worse could have happened, the defendant tries every way he can to slip out of his responsibility. Clearly, there’s no accountability here, and that’s made even more obvious when the young girl mirrors her father’s impatience. Needless to say, the judge is not happy.
#3: Just the Website Developer
It wasn’t him, he was just following orders. A website developer was sued over defamatory and disgusting allegations his site made against the plaintiff, who was an advocate for internet safety. The defendant’s story about being hired by lawyers who wanted him to post the accusations didn’t sit well with anyone, let alone the judge. Whether he was playing dumb or truly didn’t realize he was culpable, the defendant’s sulking did nothing to get him out of trouble. In fact, it just upset the judge even more. He seemed to have no moral qualms about knowingly posting defamatory statements, and saw it as just another job. This one hit close to home for another reason. Apparently, the plaintiff had a previous case that was heard by Judge Milian’s husband, Judge Schlesinger.
#2: Hubris
In this case, two parents alleged their teenage daughter was smuggled to Daytona by the 21-year-old defendant without their knowledge. And he was the one suing the parents! The defendant apparently met their daughter while he was still in high school and she was in middle school. The nature of their relationship was argued but, ultimately, it’s hard to believe it was innocent or platonic. Allegations flew, but it was pretty clear the plaintiff thought he had the right to take a minor away from her parents. He seemed completely unfazed by the whole thing. Never mind how any of it looks from a moral standpoint, the judge absolutely laid into him for his hubris in thinking he had the right to do any of that.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Uninhabitable Conditions
This Landlord Is Almost Too Calm as She Tries to Explain Why She Scammed a Tenant
Keep These Dogs Off My Cows
A Farmer Shoots His Neighbor’s Dogs When They Attack His Cows
Accordion to the Law
Clearly, It’s Rhetorical When the Judge Asks if Anyone Can Play the Instrument
Shady Statement
The Plaintiff Gets in One Last Dig at the Defendant
#1: Harboring a Missing Teen
After six days of being missing, authorities found the plaintiffs’ troubled 14-year-old daughter under her teenage boyfriend’s bed. The kicker was that the boyfriend’s mother knew she was there, and didn’t tell the police or the parents. Judge Milian’s wrath rained down over the courtroom. She couldn’t believe that two parents would obstruct justice and not work in the children’s best interest. Although at first the co-defendants seemed to understand the gravity of what they’d done, the husband later acted completely unrepentant, and even got thrown out of the room. Each new detail unfolded a new and more disturbing layer to the story and, by the end, it was clear there was more to this than the standard case.
Did we get this one right or are we out of order? Render your verdict in the comments.
