Just When He Drinks

Added: 2026-05-30

[00:00:00]Pliff Erica Yates says a year into dating the defendant, he cheated with his ex-girlfriend. And now his ex has a child and he may be the father. Erica claims despite the fact that she and the defendant were engaged, they broke up because he's a violent drunk. And she's suing him today for rent, utilities, and an engagement ring. Defendant Christopher Bates says Erica is the violent one who swung at him all the time, and he has the scars on his face to prove it. Christopher claims getting involved with Erica was a huge mistake and he's counter suing her for lost wages because he claims Erica's brother fired him from his job the same day Erica kicked him out of the house and he believes it was in retaliation.

[00:00:42]All rise. This court is now in session.

[00:00:46]The honorable judge Greg Matthis presided.

[00:00:51]>> You may now be seated.

[00:00:54]>> Start with you. Well, your honor, we got together in fall of04. Um, from the start, our relationship was rocky. For instance, we went to a anniversary party and he got drunk and got upset because I was getting attention from a male and threw a phone at me. So, it's just when he drinks, he he gets violent also. And um I decided to stay with him.

[00:01:20]>> He says you get violent also.

[00:01:22]>> Um when he's violent with me. Yes.

[00:01:24]You've never been the aggressor?

[00:01:26]>> No.

[00:01:27]>> Okay.

[00:01:28]>> So, >> swings at me all the time.

[00:01:30]>> Say she swings at you all the time.

[00:01:33]>> I got scars on my face from it.

[00:01:36]>> Scars on your face. Might be because she's defending herself like she said.

[00:01:40]>> I've never touched her, though.

[00:01:41]>> All right.

[00:01:42]>> Okay. So, well, a year into the relationship, he cheated on me with his ex, and now she has a one and a halfyear-old son, and it might be his.

[00:01:50]>> Doubt it.

[00:01:51]>> So, um Can I say something, your honor?

[00:01:56]>> State your name.

[00:01:57]>> Uh, Deborah Fleming. I'm Chris's mom.

[00:01:59]Um, yeah, there's a rocking relationship here, but she's stating that he had an ex-girlfriend pregnant.

[00:02:08]>> Supposedly, they did DNA, which they never did, and she threw that in his face because she threw him out.

[00:02:16]>> Your honor, I never threw him out.

[00:02:17]>> Let's move on.

[00:02:18]>> Thank you. Um, despite everything, I stayed with him. Two years ago, we got a place together. We moved in together. We decided to split all the bills in half.

[00:02:26]Um, we >> What month? Can you recall?

[00:02:29]>> Um, August of '05.

[00:02:31]>> All right.

[00:02:31]>> In February, we broke up. We split up.

[00:02:33]We decided things weren't going to work because >> February of 06.

[00:02:36]>> This last February.

[00:02:37]>> All right.

[00:02:38]>> We ended up getting back together.

[00:02:39]Things were really >> Hold on. Did you move out in February?

[00:02:43]>> He did. He did.

[00:02:44]>> Of 07.

[00:02:45]>> Of 07.

[00:02:45]>> She threw me out.

[00:02:46]>> I never threw him out, your honor. tell me about the relationship other than she would attack you.

[00:02:51]>> It was Rocky. Okay.

[00:02:52]>> It was fun at some times, but sometimes it wasn't.

[00:02:55]>> Why?

[00:02:56]>> Cuz she had me on a leash. She thought I was her little puppet. My >> Give me an example.

[00:03:00]>> My checks were hers. And >> never ever.

[00:03:03]>> You gave her your check.

[00:03:04]>> No. She would ask for it.

[00:03:06]>> Yeah. Basically, she basically if I didn't give her a check >> your check.

[00:03:10]>> Basically, basically if I didn't pay give what she wanted, she'd throw a little tantrum fits, kick, scream, whine, mo. Remember that last whooping she gave you? You had >> Yeah. And I was sleeping too when she did it.

[00:03:21]>> I don't blame you. Go ahead.

[00:03:23]>> And yeah, I should have left the in February. I never should have came back, but I did. It was wrong.

[00:03:29]>> Okay.

[00:03:30]>> Maybe it might have worked out, but it didn't.

[00:03:32]>> All right. Go ahead, ma'am.

[00:03:34]>> Um on my birthday in June, June 23rd, he proposed to me. I >> 1207.

[00:03:39]>> Yes. Um the end of July, he went out of town for work. Um he was very arrogant with me the whole time he was out of town. And that's the ring you're suing for. He gave you a ring. Or do you want to tell?

[00:03:48]>> It was on my birthday. He proposed to me.

[00:03:50]>> Okay. He gave it to you the day he proposed.

[00:03:53]>> Yes. On my birthday. Yes.

[00:03:54]>> Go ahead. You went out of town.

[00:03:56]>> He went out of town. He was very arrogant. He We fought the whole time he was out of town.

[00:04:00]>> Oh, you went with him. 4 days.

[00:04:01]>> I >> fought over the phone.

[00:04:03]>> Yeah. Over the phone. He came back and around August 10th, he got a late night phone call >> and I didn't give her that number. I did and it was a girl from Detroit in the hotel that he stayed at from work.

[00:04:15]>> From Detroit?

[00:04:16]>> Yes.

[00:04:17]>> It was nice.

[00:04:19]>> And she told me that they were talking.

[00:04:20]She knew nothing about me.

[00:04:21]>> Now, where you learn your habits to jump on men?

[00:04:25]>> No.

[00:04:25]>> Oh, okay. You didn't go to Detroit?

[00:04:27]>> No, I stayed at home and he >> All right. Well, I'm just kidding. Women in Detroit don't jump on their men, but they do take their money.

[00:04:37]They do.

[00:04:39]All right. Go ahead. Go ahead.

[00:04:41]>> Well, we got into it. I woke him up after I talked to the girl on the phone.

[00:04:44]>> Punched me in my face.

[00:04:44]>> Um, I never punched him, your honor. Not I smacked him.

[00:04:48]>> Go ahead.

[00:04:48]>> Because he woke up swinging at me.

[00:04:50]>> No, I did not.

[00:04:50]>> So, I was yelling at him and he swung.

[00:04:52]Uh, we got into it about the girl. We worked things out. We decided we were going to be together. 2 days later, he came in the house when I was cooking dinner and he just told me he was packing his stuff and leaving. And I had my engagement ring on the counter because I don't wear it when I cook.

[00:05:06]>> Threw it at me. And I never threw it at him, your honor.

[00:05:09]>> And he must have swiped it up when he packed his stuff and left. And he called his mother and grandmother >> for the engagement ring.

[00:05:16]>> What else? How about the car?

[00:05:18]>> Um, I traded in my car for the Jeep >> because he wanted me to have a more reliable car. So, I told him, I said, "Well, I don't have good credit. I can't have anything in my name." And he said, "Don't worry about it." He goes, "If anything ever happens, I'll give you 30 days to put it in your name or I'll give you your money, whatever you get for the car." I'm like, "Okay." Okay. And then when his mother showed up, everything changed. He was taking the Jeep. He called his sister to come drive the Jeep.

[00:05:41]>> And you're suing for what? The money you put into it?

[00:05:43]>> Yes. The $1,200 is the trade in that I got for my car.

[00:05:47]>> All right. And that's what you put toward the car that he took and now has >> the G.

[00:05:52]>> She can have it. She can put it in her name. She can have it.

[00:05:54]>> Why'd you take it?

[00:05:55]>> Cuz it's in my name.

[00:05:57]>> Well, you can have it. If it's in your name. How long did you keep it?

[00:06:01]>> A month.

[00:06:03]>> Two months.

[00:06:03]>> A month. I only paid a month of think she should get back. She put 1,200 into it and two months later >> she could have it. She puts it in her name. I don't care. I don't even want >> She doesn't. You want the car?

[00:06:13]>> No. I want my money.

[00:06:14]>> Got that?

[00:06:15]>> That's fine.

[00:06:15]>> All right. Let's get to um any other uh rent or utilities.

[00:06:21]>> Um for rent we I paid cash.

[00:06:23]>> Brother got me fired because I left her.

[00:06:25]>> Oh, my brother did not get you fired.

[00:06:26]>> Yeah. You basically >> What are you saying, sir? Sir, talk to me. What do you want to say? As I was leaving that night, that day, she said, "You know, you leave, you're fired from your job." I said, "You know what?

[00:06:39]Whatever."

[00:06:40]>> That's your lost wages. Obviously, your counter.

[00:06:43]>> I left not even a half hour later, her brother called me. He was like, "Hey, >> her brother is your supervisor."

[00:06:49]>> Yeah. Basically, >> why did he tell you you were disabled?

[00:06:51]>> Because I paying for her not >> ma'am. Yes.

[00:06:54]>> What do you have to say about that? I first of all I work for the same company and I have been laid off months at a time.

[00:07:01]>> You choose not to go to work. That's the thing.

[00:07:03]>> No, that's not.

[00:07:04]>> Yeah.

[00:07:04]>> And my brother does not have the authority to hire or fire anybody.

[00:07:08]>> Okay.

[00:07:09]>> He is just the supervisor on the jobs.

[00:07:11]That's it.

[00:07:12]>> You have any evidence of why you were fired?

[00:07:14]>> No, I don't.

[00:07:14]>> They didn't provide you with >> You said you left my sister. You >> have a witness statement from a fellow employee?

[00:07:20]>> No.

[00:07:23]>> That sounds like it might have been a reaction. And uh that's a reasonable u assumption, but you have to have some type of evidence of that, sir. Uh with regard to the utilities and rent, do you believe you owe her or not?

[00:07:37]>> Why? Because nothing was in my name and she kicked me out. She told me to hit the deck.

[00:07:42]>> She kicked you out when?

[00:07:43]>> On the 12th.

[00:07:44]>> Never. I did not kick him out.

[00:07:47]>> Why would I kick him out when I had no money in my account and I have a 8-year-old?

[00:07:50]>> Did you pay anything?

[00:07:51]>> Oh, I paid out the bills all the time.

[00:07:52]They were all in her name.

[00:07:53]>> August. August. I probably paid the cable bill and little bills after that.

[00:07:58]But >> sir, the law is you must give 30-day notice if you move out.

[00:08:02]>> There was nothing on my name. No, nothing was >> stand. Okay. You think it has to do with your name? It doesn't. It has to do with being a joint tenant. If you live there, you're a tenant. Doesn't have to have your name on it. Uh ma'am, I'm going to provide you with the rent and utilities that you're asking for and 1,200 for the car. With regard to the engagement ring, uh you are to return the engagement ring when you Right. He has it and that's what's supposed to happen. Okay? So that's why I can't give you a judgment for the engagement ring. With regard to your counter claim, sir, you're unable to prove that you were fired for that reason. 1650 for the plaintiff. Your claim is dismissed, sir.