Top 10 Times Karens Got Owned in Court
#10: Dating Disaster
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We’ve all been on terrible dates that didn’t pan out the way we wanted. But not many of us have taken the other person to court to sue them for $10,000 citing “emotional distress.” But then, not everyone is QaShontae Short. In 2022, she attended a virtual session with a judge against Richard Jordan. Short claimed Jordan stood her up on a date in 2020 that also fell on her late mother’s birthday. Short, who appeared to be attending the hearing at an airport, got into a yelling match with the judge as she attempted to teach him about the crime of perjury. Eventually, the judge transferred the case to circuit court.
#9: Increasing Contempt
Everything seemed to be pretty standard during an arraignment in Ohio in 2013. With defendant Ebony Burks appearing virtually, the judge ran through her plea against her charges of domestic violence and assault. But when he confirmed that Burks couldn’t contact the alleged victims, the hearing went off the rails. You see, one of the victims was Burks’s grandfather, who lived with her, meaning she couldn't go home. And she couldn’t control her anger as she argued with the judge. Straight away, she’s sentenced to 30 days in jail for contempt of court. Most people would've stopped then, but not Burks. She continued arguing, increasing the sentence along the way. By the end, she received a massive 300 days for contempt!
#8: Cursing Judge
When Milton Watts arrived at court in Ohio, he didn't get off to a good start. After all, he turned himself in after failing to turn up on a domestic violence charge. But it got worse when Watts stated that he didn’t need an attorney, a big no-no. So, when the judge asked him about the bond, which Watts didn't seem to grasp, he instead responded with some cursing. For that, Watts got a 30-day sentence for contempt. Not learning his lesson, he continued to swear, getting more and more worked up, which increased his sentence to almost a year! Watts’s family tried to calm him down, but it was too late. The damage was done. In the end, the contempt sentence was reduced to 90 days.
#7: Instant Regret
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All Brian Noval had to do at the hearing was accept the charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and domestic violence. But no, he couldn’t manage that. After Noval heard he would be held without bail, he didn’t react well. Luckily for him, the judge was lenient on the initial sweary reaction and let it slide after Noval apologized. As he tried to move to the next case, Novall decided this was the perfect time to insult the judge. Uh-oh. He ordered him back, and Novall -- idiotically -- repeated what he said. Multiple times, the judge tried to give him an out. But each time, he ruined it. By the end, Novall was sentenced to 120 days for contempt.
#6: Taped Up
In 2018, Franklyn Williams was in an Ohio court to hear his sentence on charges of robbery, kidnapping, and several others. Instead of being quiet and hoping that good behavior would score him a lenient term, he did the opposite. Williams wouldn’t stop talking. He constantly spoke over others in the courtroom, making it a nightmare for court reporters. Time and time again, the judge asked him to stop talking and threatened him with being gagged. Still, Williams continued chatting. Eventually, the judge followed through on his threat. A group of deputies arrived and put red tape over Willaims’s mouth. In 2019, he was sentenced to 33 years in jail.
#5: Contempt Attack
Melissa Hardwick was already in a bad position when she attended court in Kentucky in 2011. After all, she was facing charges of domestic assault against her estranged husband. But when Hardwick was handed a 10-day stretch in jail for contempt of court for disrupting the legal process, she made it so, so much worse for herself. Once the judge uttered the sentence, Hardwick lunged at her, seemingly attempting to grab her. But before she could get over the bench and do anything, Hardwick was restrained by court officers as the confused and disappointed judge watched. For her outburst of aggression, Hardwick’s contempt sentence increased massively to 120 days.
#4: Inebriated Testimony?
In December 2020, after Donald Trump lost his reelection for the US Presidency, his legal team went on an ill-fated trip to the Michigan House panel to discuss their beliefs on election fraud. And what didn’t help their case was bringing “star witness” Mellissa Carone with them. Hired by a voting machine company as an IT contract worker during the election, she constantly spoke over people with conspiracy theories and a lack of evidence, leading to her being admonished several times. Carone’s behavior and how she spoke led many to accuse her of having several drinks before her testimony. Even Rudy Giuliani tried to reign her in - unsuccessfully, though. Carone’s claims had even previously been discredited by a Michigan judge. Her bizarre appearance also sparked many parodies to add to her embarrassment.
#3: No Laughing Matter
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In 2017, Amanda Kosal was in court for her sentencing over the crash she caused while under the influence. Sadly, her actions caused Jerome Zirker to perish, and his fiancée Brittany Johnson was badly injured. As the court heard statements from Zirker’s family, Donna Kosal, Amanda’s mother, began talking and laughing with her boyfriend. Angry, the judge ordered them out. Kosal decided yelling at the judge was a swell idea. Surprisingly, it was not. She was brought back in, arrested and sentenced to 93 days in jail for her grim attitude. The following day, Kosal was brought to the judge and apologized for her behavior. The judge showed leniency by changing the sentence to the night Kosal had already spent in jail.
#2: Waving The Bird
In 2013, 18-year-old Penelope Soto, charged with drug possession, specifically “Xanax bars”, just needed to get through her bond court hearing without any shenanigans. But apparently, that wasn’t possible. When discussing the value of her jewelry, Soto started laughing, not taking the situation seriously. As she’s dismissed, she utters “adios,” seemingly mocking the Cuban-born judge. For that, he doubled her bail to $10,000. And that’s when Soto lost it. She yelled an expletive at the judge and flipped him the bird. Soto was then sentenced to 30 days in jail for contempt. A few days later, she appeared in front of the judge to apologize for her disrespectful behavior. In response, he dropped the contempt charge and the $10,000 bond.
#1: Not Having It Her Way
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Marlena Pavlos-Hackney ignored Michaigan’s food rules during the pandemic when it came to her restaurant. As such, she received several fines and found herself in court in March 2021. After her non-licensed counsel was sentenced for contempt, Pavlos-Hackney didn’t react well and interrupted the judge as she was being sworn in…big mistake. The judge laid into her, slamming her for trying to control the room. She then told Pavlos-Hackney that until the court changes to Burger King, she can then have it her way. Yikes. After refusing to take the oath again, Pavlos-Hackney’s new attorney intervened and asked to speak to her privately before proceeding. Afterward, Pavlos-Hackney was fined $15,000 and spent several nights in prison.
