Top 10 Strangest People on The People's Court
#10: Horse People
In this case, this defendant stole back from the plaintiffs a horse she believed was being abused. What starts as a case about horse theft keeps getting sidetracked by the weirdest non sequiturs and allegations. Somehow tangents about the defendant’s implants and aspersions on the male plaintiff’s anatomy threaten to completely derail the proceedings. These people can’t stay on topic to save their lives. Meanwhile, the divorcing plaintiffs actually get into a dustup outside the courtroom, and find out the hard way that Judge Milian doesn’t take kindly to domestic abuse in her court. By the end, she looks like she’s ready to retire.
#9: A Mother’s Demands
Top 10 Strangest People to Appear on Judge Judy
An estranged daughter and mother end up in court over a loan. While the mother, the defendant, is humiliated to be in court, what she should be humiliated about is her coldness toward her daughter and granddaughter. Animosity over the daughter not baptizing the granddaughter led to the mother freezing her out. It’s amazing to see the woman defend her ridiculous stance. What’s worse is how she seems completely unfazed by her daughter’s pain. It’s a sad case, and no one really wins. Even when Judge Milian appeals to her belief in God, the woman can’t see past what she wants. Apparently, she’s willing to lose her daughter over it.
#8: Just Following Orders
Top 10 Times Judge Milian Owned People on The People's Court
The plaintiff, a children’s Internet safety activist, became the victim of an online harassment campaign accusing him of heinous crimes. Although the defendant, known only as Eve, admits the lies he’s spread, he seems completely unwilling to take any accountability. Yes, he built the website. Yes, he edited photos with defamatory statements. Yes, he uploaded those photos to the websites. But it’s really the fault of the people who paid him to do this. His flat affect and lack of remorse is chilling and frustrating. Even after the judge explains and rules against him, he’s still unwilling to accept the truth.
#7: “My Baby Dresses”
Top 10 Most Outrageous Defendant Excuses on The People's Court
Some people really love their dogs as if they were their own children, but Judge Milian has her limits. Let’s just say the plaintiff in this case is a bit of an eccentric. Suing over a pitbull attack, she lists all the things now wrong with her dog, including PTSD, and the lengths she has gone to remedy this, all of which she wants the defendant to pay for. The dog looks more like an accessory than a pet, and she even dresses it for court. This, the judge jokes, might account for her stress. The plaintiff doesn’t seem to appreciate this.
#6: Unrepentant Defendant
The defendants in this case harbored a missing teenager for days as her parents and the police searched for her. The wife insisted she hid their son’s girlfriend because they believed she was being abused and was somehow safer there. Though his wife was the one mostly responsible for the whole mess, the husband’s behavior is truly repugnant. Despite his assertion that he is a certified youth therapist, he doesn’t seem all that receptive to the idea that his son and the plaintiffs’ daughter are not good for each other. His insults, snorting laughter, and smug demeanor aren’t entertaining, they’re just infuriating.
#5: Making a Pass
Top 10 Details Making a Murderer Left Out
Lots of tenant-landlord cases get petty and tense, but this one just got weird. The plaintiff alleged he wasn’t allowed to use the common spaces in the apartment, and things went south when he refused to sleep with his landlord, who was also his roommate. However, video evidence shows that it seemed like he might have been just as keen to pursue a special relationship. He’s seen in the video with his shirt off, asking if he should go further. And it’s played for all the court to see. None of it was above board, and neither one could really give a straightforward answer about the situation because, frankly, it was kind of embarrassing.
#4: No Laughing Matter
Top 10 Most Unhinged The People's Court Moments
Given that plaintiff Antonio Alessandro spends most of his case against his ex-girlfriend smirking, you’d think this case was a laugh riot. He claims she owes him money she promised him, but the story he tells leaves out a lot of the details that her testimony and his own evidence fills in. Not even when his ex describes suffering under his abuse does his smile fade. If anything, when the judge confronts him, his smile only gets bigger. Whether he knows just how sinister it makes him look is unclear. What is clear is that the judge has no patience for abusers using her courtroom to reconnect with victims.
#3: “Now I Remember You”
Top 10 Quickest Cases on The People's Court
What does it say when your dog has attacked so many people that you don’t even know which case is being heard when you enter the court? Defendant Dorothy Henze is a little confused when she enters and sees a woman on the other side. That totally ruins her defense, that the man her dog attacked was trying to grab her behind. Worse, Henze seems completely oblivious to the judge’s concern that she clearly can’t control her dog. Her husband seems just as dazed by the whole thing. Even the show’s court reporter can’t help but ask what their deal is.
#2: Roommate Squabble
And you thought you’d had a bad roommate situation. Chances are it doesn’t even compare to some of the choice bits from this case. The plaintiff needed a place to live, and the defendant took her on as a roommate and caretaker. However, a series of bizarre and sad circumstances, including some details best heard about on an empty stomach, led to what might be one of the more memorable cases in the show’s history. While the plaintiff clearly wasn’t the best roommate, the defendant’s attitude with the judge just showed how clueless she was. Seriously, this one has to be seen to be believed.
#1: Inappropriate Relationship
Top 10 Inappropriate Messages in Kids Shows
Plaintiff Anthony Geno Martinson clearly didn’t have the awareness to realize just how wrong his behavior was. He’s suing the parents of a 16-year-old girl for a false restraining order. However, Martinson took it upon himself to rescue the girl from an alleged abusive situation, transporting her hundreds of miles away from her home without notifying her parents. He denies that their relationship is romantic, but the optics are incredibly disturbing. His much older witness doesn’t help his case much. Martinson clearly fancies himself as some kind of heroic figure. There’s no remorse on his part. His unhinged threats toward the defendants were the last straw for the judge. Which of these litigants left you scratching your head the hardest? Render your judgment in the comments.
