Unsettled Business

Added: 2026-05-15

[00:00:00]Planet Elizabeth Greg says for the past several years her life has been boring and routine until she met a man online and she moved to Egypt to be with him.

[00:00:10]Before Elizabeth left, she agreed to sell her car to the defendant. But while she was overseas, the defendant never made the monthly car payments.

[00:00:18]Defendants Gary Lamar and Deborah Hullman Thompson insist they never agreed to pay Elizabeth for the car and now she's desperate for money because she thought she was moving to Egypt to live like a princess only to find out that her prince charming was dirt poor.

[00:00:34]They're counter suing for harassment and lost wages.

[00:00:37]>> Start with you ma'am.

[00:00:38]>> Well for the p past years my life has been a daily routine day in and day out the same old thing. And I met a guy online and fortunately he lived in Egypt, but it he was very sincere and honest to me. So in December of 2005, I decided to move to Egypt.

[00:01:01]>> That certainly broke up that same routine.

[00:01:04]>> Yes, it did. It really did. But it was worth it. And I have no regrets.

[00:01:09]>> Okay, good.

[00:01:09]>> None.

[00:01:10]>> So you're back. Why? Because the Lamars were playing me for a fool.

[00:01:17]>> This couple.

[00:01:18]>> Yes. That's not >> So you left the time of your life to come back here just for three grand.

[00:01:25]The man wasn't as exciting as three grand.

[00:01:28]>> Cost that much to come back.

[00:01:29]>> I needed >> I needed the money to live over there. I knew he wasn't po wasn't rich and I wasn't rich and they also knew I needed that money. So you came back because you ran out of money.

[00:01:44]>> I came back because I had some unsettled business here to take care of.

[00:01:48]>> So the unsettled business was this three grand?

[00:01:50]>> Yes.

[00:01:51]>> All right. And so the guy you were living with and you ran off to be with wasn't worth three grand.

[00:01:57]>> We didn't leave each other.

[00:01:59]>> You left him. Is he here?

[00:02:00]>> No, he's not here.

[00:02:03]>> But I >> Well, you left him. Yes.

[00:02:05]>> Let's get on with the case, man. Good enough. Let's move ahead. In 2005, I left for Egypt and Mr. Lamar, prior to that, wanted to buy my car. I left the signed title with my brother and Mr. Lamar was supposed to come over before I left to give me a down payment.

[00:02:28]He did not do that either.

[00:02:29]>> Okay. What was the agreement on the sale to Mr. Lamar? The agreement on the sale was as much money as he could before I left and then monthly payments to my brother.

[00:02:39]>> Of how much monthly?

[00:02:41]>> It didn't matter. Oh, >> which was no money, which is why it sir >> because I knew at the time he couldn't get a loan.

[00:02:47]>> Give me as much as you can whenever you can. That was the agreement.

[00:02:50]>> No, the agreement was as much as he could before I left for Egypt, which I heard was $700.

[00:02:57]>> All right. and give me as much as you can before I leave for Egypt and then give me as much as you can every month.

[00:03:04]>> No, no. What he could afford monthly?

[00:03:07]>> What he could afford monthly? That sounds like as much as you can to me.

[00:03:12]>> Good enough.

[00:03:14]He obviously drank the water in Egypt quite frequently.

[00:03:20]You told him that he could pay you as much as he could before you left for Egypt and then as much as he could afford or could every month thereafter.

[00:03:29]>> Correct.

[00:03:29]>> What happened?

[00:03:30]>> Correct. I received nothing the whole time.

[00:03:33]>> All right. Let me hear from you.

[00:03:34]>> Well, I owe her nothing. There was never an agreement. She thought that she was going to move out.

[00:03:39]>> She gave you a car. Is that what you're saying?

[00:03:41]>> She left the car with her brother. So, >> I know. But did she Did you use it?

[00:03:46]>> Yes, sir.

[00:03:46]>> Okay. used it >> based on whose permission?

[00:03:50]>> Her brother stated that she signed the title over to to him to give to me.

[00:03:56]>> I got the car put into my name and I did drove it. And the reason I never went over there to sign paperwork with her and to work things out is cuz I told her I cannot afford the $2,500 for your car, let alone a down payment at the time.

[00:04:08]>> Try this again. It was a gift.

[00:04:10]>> No.

[00:04:10]>> Seemed to be.

[00:04:12]>> Seemed to be.

[00:04:13]>> You're not sure?

[00:04:14]>> No, I'm not.

[00:04:14]>> All right. So now I don't believe you. I believe you would know whether someone has given you a car or whether they have sold you a car. Go ahead, ma'am. What else you want me to know?

[00:04:24]>> I know when I >> What's the value of the car?

[00:04:27]>> Um I have a blue book value of >> Let me see it.

[00:04:32]>> You want to speak, ma'am? You're a codefendant.

[00:04:34]>> Um your honor, I had never met Miss Bragg prior to today. I've never even seen her. Um, I was a resident in California and um, Gary and I had met online. When I came out here at New Year's of 06, um, Gary took me over to his friend Aaron's house, which is Elizabeth's brother. And while we were there having dinner, Aaron made a statement that she had signed the title over and stuff, and he wanted it out of his driveway, and please take it with us. The title was signed. Gary at that point told Aaron, "I cannot afford $2,500.

[00:05:08]It's not worth $2,500.

[00:05:10]>> Ma'am, what are you suing her for?

[00:05:12]>> Um, she told me I wasn't dealing with Mr. Lamar. I was dealing with her in her.

[00:05:18]>> So, did you deal with her?

[00:05:20]>> I tried to.

[00:05:21]>> She harassed me.

[00:05:22]>> What way did you try to?

[00:05:24]>> I have the conversation here.

[00:05:26]>> What did she say?

[00:05:27]>> She said she she would make payments to me.

[00:05:30]>> Okay. Did you say that, ma'am? I said that at this point I didn't understand how come she was why she would sign a title over to somebody who >> Did you tell her you would make payments?

[00:05:42]>> No. I told her I would pay Aaron what I could when we could.

[00:05:44]>> Okay. So, so the answer to my question is yes.

[00:05:47]>> Yes, sir.

[00:05:48]>> Thank you.

[00:05:48]>> Yes, sir.

[00:05:49]>> Counter claim for $1,000 for harassment and lost wages is for what?

[00:05:53]>> It's for um all of She was she would call names to us and stuff. Basically, your honor, except Elizabeth Greg went to Egypt and stuff. She did a reverse role and stuff of coming to America.

[00:06:06]What have you ever seen that movie? Yes.

[00:06:08]Um, you know, where Eddie Murphy is Prince Aake. He's coming from Zamunda.

[00:06:14]He's coming being poor. He's going to come over and he's going to um find the love of his life and love him for who he is. Well, from what I understand, she did not know that her prince Aake was poor. She thought that he had money. She thought his family had money and she went over to live like a princess and it didn't happen that way.

[00:06:35]>> Is that what you thought?

[00:06:36]>> You knew he was broke.

[00:06:38]>> I knew he did not.

[00:06:39]>> Before she left, she told me that the guy owned his family owned a pharmacy and they they lived very well.

[00:06:46]>> You be quiet. You don't know whether you've received a gift or whether you agreed to pay for something.

[00:06:51]>> I'm sorry.

[00:06:51]>> Ma'am, go ahead. You tell me. So anyway, so I was the one who first drove the car from her brother's home and the suspension was really bad. There were three out of the four windows did not work. The It smelled horrible. There was horrible stains on the carpet leaked crazy.

[00:07:07]>> We were putting two quarts of of oil in it when I came out here. I had to replace the battery in it. It was not a car in great condition. And um I would like to submit into evidence another Kelly Blue Book.

[00:07:21]>> Okay, let me see that. And do you have any evidence of any repairs that you all made that would substantiate what you say about it being in such poor condition?

[00:07:30]>> No, sir. I I do not >> I did not receipt.

[00:07:34]>> And you still have possession?

[00:07:35]>> No, sir. We sold the car for $600. I have a receipt.

[00:07:39]>> It was in May of 07.

[00:07:42]>> And how much have you paid her?

[00:07:44]>> I have a receipt here for $600 that we gave to Aaron. I also have a statement from Aaron.

[00:07:52]I have on >> who is her brother.

[00:07:55]>> I do saying that he received from Gary $600 in which he took to Elizabeth Bragg at his mother's home and gave to her accepted it.

[00:08:06]>> Yes. I also have statements from my my brother.

[00:08:09]>> Well, that's no issue then. You say you gave her 600. She says she received 600.

[00:08:14]That's all you've received on the car?

[00:08:15]>> That's all I ever received.

[00:08:17]>> Travel expenses you're suing them for as well. It cost me $910 to come back.

[00:08:23]>> How'd you pay for it?

[00:08:25]>> Uh, the embassy.

[00:08:26]>> So, she didn't even pay for you to borrow it from the embassy.

[00:08:29]>> Yes, I did. And I'm paying the embassy back.

[00:08:31]>> All right. Let me see evidence of that.

[00:08:34]And when do you intend to return?

[00:08:36]>> I don't plan on going back.

[00:08:38]>> Oh, well, you didn't come here just for this then. You came here, like you said, cuz you ran out of money. Handle that.

[00:08:42]>> No, no, no.

[00:08:45]Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:08:46]>> I plan on trying to get >> No, ma'am. I'm not granting you any travel expenses. Ma'am, your counter claim for 1,000. And sir, is for what?

[00:08:53]One more time.

[00:08:54]>> It is for our lost wages for um losing a day of wages to come to go to court and stuff over this. And also harassment.

[00:09:02]>> For the harassment because in here I have things telling me and stuff that I'm a loser, that I nice have a nice night loser. I'm a thief. Um >> I'll look at that.

[00:09:15]>> Um >> I don't know whether you're a loser or not. So, but I just I don't think you're a thief. Are you, >> sir? I am not a thief.

[00:09:23]>> All right. You have any evidence that she's any of this?

[00:09:26]>> Does she have the right to call me a little princess wishing to live like a princess? That's not right.

[00:09:32]>> You said it right in here.

[00:09:33]>> Yes, sir. I did.

[00:09:34]>> Well, you all been harassing each other.

[00:09:35]I'm going to deny your claim for harassment. And ma'am, I'm going to since they agreed that they were to pay you, at least she agrees. He's still confused uh as to whether it was a gift.

[00:09:47]She agreed based on her communication that they were to pay you. As such, I'm going to grant you what I see as the midlevel range of the car value, the blue book value that she has provided me. Fair condition is $1275. Good condition is 1660. What was that, ma'am?

[00:10:08]>> I have an advertisement in a paper for a car. Now, blue book is I'll rely on that.

[00:10:14]>> Okay.

[00:10:14]>> Not what an owner is trying to uh beat a customer out of. Uh >> the good condition of this car would sell for $1,660 and they have paid you $600 by your own admission. So, I'll grant you $1,60.

[00:10:35]Subtracting that $600 you've already received. And as I said, no travel expenses because I don't believe that's the only reason you returned here. $1,60 is your judgment. Good luck to you all.