Ex-Girlfriend SUES After Boyfriend REFUSED To Support Her Financially!

Ajouté : 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]Harvey, how long and during what period of time did you and Mr. Diaz date live together?

[00:00:06]>> Uh, we were together on and off since January of 2018.

[00:00:10]>> There came a time, according to your complaint, when you were living together when you needed a car.

[00:00:16]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:00:17]>> And that was in 2020.

[00:00:20]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:00:20]>> And at that point, you would have been living together about a year and a half.

[00:00:24]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:00:24]>> You did what you're not supposed to do, which is just living together. You bought a car together. titled in both your names and the loan was in both your names?

[00:00:33]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:00:33]>> What kind of car did you buy?

[00:00:35]>> A 2016 Ford Focus SE.

[00:00:37]>> How much was it?

[00:00:39]>> After taxes and title about 14,000.

[00:00:44]>> And how much was the loan?

[00:00:45]>> 16,000.

[00:00:46]>> Why?

[00:00:47]>> The tags and title after taxes.

[00:00:50]>> So, it was a $16,000 loan.

[00:00:52]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:00:52]>> That you both took out?

[00:00:54]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:00:55]>> How did you handle the payments on the car? I had the responsibility of the monthly payments.

[00:01:00]>> Is that correct, Mr. Diaz?

[00:01:02]>> Yes. Yes, ma'am. But the the total of the loan was 14,000. The price of the car was 12,000. After everything was 14,000.

[00:01:08]>> May I see? Yes, please. Thank you.

[00:01:17]>> How much was put down on the car?

[00:01:20]>> 1,000.

[00:01:20]>> Who put it down?

[00:01:21]>> Both of us.

[00:01:22]>> And you made the car payments for how many months? I would say the first 6 or 7 months duration of the loan.

[00:01:30]>> Well, that's not the duration of the loan. You paid for six or seven months.

[00:01:34]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:01:35]>> Okay. Six or seven months. So, you had a certain amount of equity in the car, but the car still had more than half of the loan still outstanding. So far, we correct?

[00:01:45]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:01:46]>> Now, it is your claim that when you broke up, you took the car?

[00:01:50]>> Yes, ma'am. And it is your claim that the defendant came onto your property uninvited in 2023 and took the car back?

[00:01:59]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:01:59]>> Mr. Diaz does not Stop playing with your papers.

[00:02:03]>> Okay. Yeah, ma'am.

[00:02:04]>> Mr. Diaz does not deny that he came onto your property, took the car, had to have it rekeyed, and he took the car on what date?

[00:02:13]>> October 17th, 2023.

[00:02:16]>> However, Mr. Diaz says that when you broke up in 2021, you couldn't come to an agreement on the car, because he's smart enough to know, I assume you are too, that if you broke up, the one who had possession of the car should be the only one on the title and the only one on the loan. We all understand that.

[00:02:37]>> Yes.

[00:02:37]>> Because we don't want a couple that's no longer a couple. Somebody driving around with somebody else responsible for the payment, responsible for insurance.

[00:02:45]Okay. And Mr. Diaz says that you could not come to an agreement of how you were going to renegotiate the loan. You say he wouldn't help you renegotiate the loan.

[00:02:56]>> He refused me to renegotiate the loan.

[00:02:58]>> You mean to give you money?

[00:03:00]>> No. What he refused is I wanted to refinance the vehicle solely to myself and he denied me that.

[00:03:07]>> He said no.

[00:03:08]>> Yes.

[00:03:08]>> Okay. Did he give you a 2014 Volkswagen?

[00:03:13]>> Yes, it was gifted.

[00:03:14]>> Okay. And that was in 2021.

[00:03:17]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:03:18]>> So in 2021, because this is what Mr. Diaz says, he felt as if based upon the fact that you had a certain amount of equity, you would put in $500 towards the car and made six or seven payments on the car before you broke up that you had a certain amount of equity. He had a 2014 Volkswagen that had no debt. Is that correct?

[00:03:45]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:03:45]>> And he gave that car to you. That is correct.

[00:03:47]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:03:48]>> Did he give you the title to that car?

[00:03:50]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:03:50]>> And he took back the Ford Focus?

[00:03:53]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:03:54]>> So, he said, "Here's a car for you. It's free and clear. It's for the equity that you put in the car and you accepted it."

[00:04:01]>> No, ma'am.

[00:04:02]>> Well, what did he give you the Volkswagen for?

[00:04:04]>> So, I could have transportation. He was doing me a favor and gifted me the vehicle.

[00:04:08]>> And he took over the payments on the Focus.

[00:04:11]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:04:13]Don't you understand where it's going?

[00:04:14]>> Yes.

[00:04:15]>> He took over the payments on the Focus.

[00:04:17]He said, "I'm more comfortable making the payments on the Focus, but I'll give you a car free and clear so you have transportation." And he took back the Focus, right? Yes. And he gave you the title for it. So, you accepted this car that had some value and you took it and you traded it in. Is that correct?

[00:04:34]>> Yes, I sold it.

[00:04:35]>> Sold it for how much?

[00:04:36]>> 3,000. And you took some of that money and you put it as a down payment for a Jeep.

[00:04:42]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:04:43]>> And that was in 2022.

[00:04:45]>> Yes.

[00:04:46]>> What year Jeep did you buy?

[00:04:48]>> A 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

[00:04:51]>> And how much was it?

[00:04:52]>> $11,000.

[00:04:53]>> How much did you put down?

[00:04:54]>> 1,500.

[00:04:55]>> And so you kept the other 1,500. You sold it for $3,000. You sold the car he had given you for $3,000. Took $1,500 of that, put it down. Don't say anything.

[00:05:08]Put it I just want to know if I'm following this. Put it down on a nicer car, a Jeep with a loan, and then you didn't pay that loan, and that car got repossessed.

[00:05:18]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:05:19]>> And then, Miss Harvey, you evidently was still in contact with the defendant and let him know that you didn't have a car.

[00:05:26]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:05:26]>> So, he let you borrow the Focus.

[00:05:30]>> No, ma'am. I took possession of the vehicle and continued payments on it.

[00:05:34]How did you take possession of it?

[00:05:36]>> We >> Wait just a second. Let's start with when did you take possession of it >> month and year? That's after he already gave you $3,000 at least. $3,000 worth of merchandise for your interest in the car. So tell me when you took the car back. I would say in what?

[00:05:56]>> Well, when did you go? You went to his house. How did you get the car back? I met with him at his home and we went to another dealership to give me the Ford and he purchased a Mitubishi and I took possession of the Ford after we left the dealership with the Mitubishi.

[00:06:12]>> Well, that sounds like you're pretty chummy if he gave you back if What do you want?

[00:06:18]>> Hi. I just wanted to say that I was present for the interaction when he gifted her the beetle.

[00:06:25]>> And um during that interaction, what it was was that her mother had passed away.

[00:06:29]She expressed that she could no longer make the payments. He said, "I'll take the car back and continue payments and I won't leave you without transportation so she can continue to get to work." And he gave her >> he gave her he gave her an expensive car which she subsequently sold. Bought a car that she didn't make payments on that was repossessed. He's very smart for not letting >> she informed him that that was her intention vehicle.

[00:06:51]>> Who cares?

[00:06:52]>> Sit car together. You broke up. You invested some money in the car. He invested some money in the car. When you broke up, he kept the car, the Ford Focus, and he gave you a car, which you subsequently sold for $3,000, bought yourself a new car with a loan, which you didn't pay, which got repossessed. And you're telling me he gave you the other car with the Focus?

[00:07:20]Is that what you're telling me? He gave you the Focus.

[00:07:22]>> He gave me the Volkswagen, and he >> No. gave you back the focus after it gave you back the focus after your Jeep had been repossessed.

[00:07:33]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:07:35]>> That would make him the dumbest man in the world.

[00:07:38]>> Mhm.

[00:07:38]>> That would make him really stupid.

[00:07:41]Month and year. Did she give me the month and year 2022? Was it 2022 that or 2023?

[00:07:48]>> It was 2022 when I got my Jeep. Yeah.

[00:07:50]Oh, so it was 2023 when he came and took the focus back.

[00:07:56]>> Yes.

[00:07:56]>> And how long had it been in your possession?

[00:07:59]>> The second time when he says he loaned it to you because you said you didn't have any transportation. How long had it been in your possession >> since after my Jeep got ref?

[00:08:09]>> Just a second. Give me the month and year that your >> July of 2022.

[00:08:15]>> So in July of 2022, he gave you the focus.

[00:08:19]>> Yes, ma'am. Is that correct, Mr. Diaz?

[00:08:21]Doesn't sound right to me. No.

[00:08:22]>> Uh, we discussed the use of the Ford Focus in December towards the middle of December 2022 and, uh, she had it until October of 2017 of 2023, which is, uh, whenever I went back and >> just a second, tell me what the discussion was in December of 2022.

[00:08:39]>> Um, for her to use the vehicle, so she had a means of transportation. Um, and then in in me doing that, of I would go and purchase another vehicle, so I would have means of transportation. And uh >> I mean, were you dating, Mr. Diaz? Were you still dating at that time?

[00:08:53]>> No, ma'am. Not at that time.

[00:08:54]>> How often did you see each other?

[00:08:56]>> Uh, we still had communication through text and everything. Um, since >> Okay. I assumed you still liked her.

[00:09:04]>> Yeah, to some degree. Yes.

[00:09:05]>> Yeah, I assume so. Okay. So, in December of 2022, we discussed her taking the car and using it until >> December 2022.

[00:09:14]>> Yes.

[00:09:15]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:09:15]>> How long was she going to use it?

[00:09:17]>> Uh, until she could save enough to uh purchase a vehicle or or otherwise.

[00:09:22]>> Okay. And she would make the payments on it.

[00:09:24]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:09:24]>> From January 2023.

[00:09:27]>> 2023. Yes, ma'am. And >> January 2023 until >> um October 20 uh 23. Yes, ma'am. But I was ahead on payments cuz I was paying more than the minimum. So she didn't have to make a payment until February of 2023 and she paid up till September of uh 2023.

[00:09:44]>> Okay. And what were the payments on the car?

[00:09:46]>> Uh 238 and 10 cents.

[00:09:48]>> So far is that correct?

[00:09:49]>> No, ma'am.

[00:09:51]>> You said no, ma'am. You want to listen very carefully. He's got very clear records. He said you didn't have to make your first payment until February 2023.

[00:10:00]>> In January.

[00:10:01]>> January what?

[00:10:02]>> 2023. January what? January >> when the bill was due.

[00:10:07]>> January 1st, January 31st, January 15th.

[00:10:10]You're gonna show me.

[00:10:11]>> The 22nd of the month is when the bill was due.

[00:10:13]>> Okay. So, he had made the payments up until the end of January.

[00:10:18]>> Yes.

[00:10:18]>> And you made the payments until when?

[00:10:21]>> From January until September, but I was going to pay October, but he took the car back before I could make the payment.

[00:10:27]>> Okay. You didn't make the payment and he took the car back? No, ma'am.

[00:10:30]>> Just a second. What was the payout on the car? Because your answer says, Mr. Diaz, that you paid off the car.

[00:10:38]>> Uh, yes, ma'am. The final payoff amount was uh $6,873.99.

[00:10:44]>> When did you pay that, sir?

[00:10:45]>> Um, October 11th of 2023.

[00:10:48]>> Okay. So, now you've paid off the car.

[00:10:50]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:10:50]>> And tell me why you paid off the car, Mr. Diaz. um because we had uh it was an ongoing thing where she was trying to um refinance the car in her name and um not really pay me for any any uh advancements that I made on the on the payment, any progress that I made on the payment. So, uh I I didn't want to take my name off the title without, you know, being offered something back because I was ahead on the loan up to that point.

[00:11:12]So, when it around that in in October where we had um it was it was an argument that really wasn't relating to the vehicle, but the vehicle dragged >> of course. So, you had an argument. What was the argument about?

[00:11:23]>> Um, it was about um kind of just in general spending habits and um uh >> No, you have to explain that to me. What What do you have to do with spending habits of each others?

[00:11:34]>> Well, I I was also paying for the insurance from December 2022 um forward.

[00:11:39]So, I added her as a driver.

[00:11:41]>> Okay. So, she paid the payment on the car. Yes, ma'am.

[00:11:44]>> Which is $200. $20 and some odd dollars a month. And you paid for the insurance.

[00:11:49]>> Yes, ma'am. Um, but she paid me I think a month or two of those and then from there uh she either wasn't able to make a payment or didn't payment for the insurance.

[00:11:57]>> So you had the use of the car from late January of 2023 until September of >> until October 17th, the day that he took the car.

[00:12:08]>> Okay. And so you had the use of a car for relatively inexpensive cost, a couple of hundred a month. You couldn't rent a car for a couple of hundred a month. And it's clear that the person who spent, if you had to take apart the loan, the person who spent most money on this car is him, right? But I don't even have to get there. I would like to hear your theory. Why in the world would he give you a $3,000 at least a $3,000 gift after you broke up of a Volkswagen and he kept the car if not as and for a settlement of whatever you put in up until that time into the Ford Focus? Give me a reason.

[00:12:48]>> It wasn't for a settlement, ma'am. He did it out of the kind of his kindness of his heart as well as he still loved me and he gave me the vehicle so I would have a way to go to work. Okay.

[00:13:00]Transportation. Miss Harvey, you have no case. Your case is dismissed. Now, he's got to count the claim. He's got the car. You have the car?

[00:13:06]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:13:07]>> Good. Is it solely in your name?

[00:13:09]>> No, ma'am. The title uh when I paid it off, the title came in it, so it still has both on the titles.

[00:13:14]>> Can I see the title, please?

[00:13:15]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:13:25]Your honor, I also have lost wages from him taking the car from me since October. What's your problem? You're a you're a grown woman. If you took advantage of him because she still loved you, that doesn't necessarily mean you're entitled to this car or you're entitled to the lost wages cuz you took the car. From a lay person's perspective, Miss Harvey, what you did was you had a boyfriend. You bought a car in both your names. It was clearly designated for you. Yes. As you were a couple when you broke up, you couldn't make a decision, the two of you, as to how the car was going to get paid off so that it would be separate property. You agree that it should be separate property, right?

[00:14:04]>> Yes.

[00:14:04]>> Okay. Figure out where she signs over this title, >> your honor.

[00:14:09]>> Put your hand down. I'm not listening to you.

[00:14:12]>> That's fine.

[00:14:13]>> Unless you tell me what law school you graduated from.

[00:14:16]>> Harvard. Really?

[00:14:19]>> Really? Was that just a wise ass remark?

[00:14:21]>> No.

[00:14:22]>> Really? When did you graduate from Harvard?

[00:14:25]>> Was your comment about law school a wise remark?

[00:14:27]>> Yes.

[00:14:28]>> Oh, okay.

[00:14:29]>> Yeah. Now you can leave.

[00:14:30]>> What a route.

[00:14:38]There is no question in my mind that in an attempt to resolve the issue of the car when you broke up, he kept the car.

[00:14:46]He made the payments. He gave you a car that was a perfectly reasonable running car that you elected to sell to buy yourself a nicer car. Irresponsible.

[00:14:57]Absolutely. Because you bought a car that you couldn't pay for and that car got repossessed. And if what you're telling me is you knew that he still cared about you, so he said to you, "Well, I'm going to give you the the car and I'm going to pay the whole thing off."

[00:15:11]>> He paid the whole car off spitefully. I there no one asked him to pay for the car to pay the car off.

[00:15:16]>> Just a second, madam. You were overreaching. Unless there's something about this whole relationship that I I think it's on the bottom that he signs that she signs it.

[00:15:25]>> That's for a lean holder. So, I'm not sure. No, >> I believe you signed the back as seller to just remove her name.

[00:15:31]>> You know where?

[00:15:32]>> Uh yes, ma'am. And then also have the form for so that I can apply for in Texas for >> Yeah, she's going to sign both. Where do you come from, by the way?

[00:15:40]>> I'm from San Diego, California. And we I we both live in Texas now.

[00:15:44]>> You both live in Texas?

[00:15:45]>> Yes.

[00:15:45]>> Okay.

[00:15:46]>> There was You may want to show her where to he may want to show where to sign.

[00:15:50]>> Kevin, he's going to make an X where she has to sign on both forms.

[00:15:56]>> You have a pin for me?

[00:15:57]>> Yes. Thank you, sir.

[00:16:00]>> I haven't signed many titles in my time.

[00:16:07]>> Miss Harvey, sign it. Both documents.

[00:16:21]Turn the documents to the defendant.

[00:16:23]Kevin, >> thanks, sir.

[00:16:25]>> Mhm.

[00:16:28]>> Now you paid off the car and now you own it.

[00:16:30]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:16:31]>> You have a counter claim. The counter claim is the cost of reclaiming the car and the locksmith cost to change the key.

[00:16:37]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:16:37]>> You got the car back, sir. That was your primary concern. It's the car is now yours.

[00:16:41]>> Yes, ma'am. Thank you.

[00:16:42]>> The plaintiff paid for in effect her monthly use of the car. She got her equity in the car with the 2014 Volkswagen, which she elected to sell.

[00:16:53]>> Right.

[00:16:53]>> Fair. So, I don't think it's quite reasonable for her to have to pay your fees to repossess the car.

[00:17:00]>> Understood.

[00:17:01]>> Or even the attorney that you discussed the situation with. Yes, sir.

[00:17:04]>> So, your counter claim is dismissed.

[00:17:06]We're finished here. I think what I presented to the judge was true and accurate.

[00:17:12]>> I'm real happy with the decision. I think her lawsuit was frivolous to begin with and uh overall justice was served.

[00:17:17]>> Hector gave me the vehicle as a gift. I did make payments on the vehicle as well as have lost wages because of this.

[00:17:25]>> She was trying to title jump essentially or you know not register the car in her name or not have to pay. So she tried to claim it as a gift. But in the state of Texas that's that doesn't go that way.

[00:17:34]that he has my back, that he was going to be my protector and my solid ground to getting everything going.

[00:17:46]>> Ultimately, yes, I do think that she was trying to benefit from the situation.

[00:17:49]>> We have completely different personalities. Yeah. So, I'm a little bit more adventurous. He's very much uh stay in the house and uh I mean, you know, you can't choose who you love.

[00:18:00]>> No, I I'm happy to get car back. good lesson to young people, old people, anybody that free and clear is always better than debt >> and encumbered.

[00:18:09]>> Yeah. Than encumbered. And I think that she had the Volkswagen that he gave her free and clear. No leans, no debt, no payments to be made, no loans. And if I were her, I would have saved as much money as I could during that time. There was no claim that the car was defective or not running properly or a hazard in any way. I would have driven that car for as long until the wheels fell off to save money if I wanted a different car.

[00:18:34]I wouldn't go two weeks later, trade it in for a low value to get a car that I thought was flashier or nicer or whatever for, you know, to encumber yourself with more debt. And that was and then default on that loan and now you have no car. So, I think, you know, hindsight's 2020 for her, but she should have just stuck with that car that was free and clear. And I don't know why she would have encumbered herself with more debt when she had this opportunity to save as much money as she could and potentially buy a car without a loan.

[00:19:01]>> So, you're absolutely you're right. But I think she felt as if she had a sucker.

[00:19:08]>> Sure. It's a good lesson though. It'll bite you in the butt once and you won't do it again.

[00:19:12]>> That's right.

[00:19:15]This case was honestly painful to watch because you could literally see two people destroying each other financially after a breakup and Judge Judy saw through the entire situation almost immediately. The biggest mistake these two made buying a car together while living together unmarried. That's where this entire disaster started. So, here's the setup. Raina and Hector dated on and off for years. They lived together and back in 2020 they bought a Ford Focus together. both names on the title, both names on the loan. And right there, Judge Judy basically says, "Never do this." Because once relationships end, shared debt becomes a nightmare. Now, according to Reina, she mainly used the car and made the monthly payments early on. But the problem was the loan still existed in both names. So, after the breakup, they needed to separate ownership properly. One person keeps the car, one person refinances, one person gets bought out. Simple, except they never fully handled it cleanly. And this is where the case gets messy. Hector eventually keeps the Ford Focus, but gives Raina another car completely free.

[00:20:22]A Tenton Fine Volkswagen Beetle. No loan, no debt, no payments, completely paid off. And honestly, that single fact destroyed Raina's entire case because Judge Judy instantly recognized what was happening. Hector was basically compensating her for her share of the Ford Focus. The Beetle was the settlement, even if nobody used legal paperwork. That's why Judy keeps hammering the same point. Why else would he give you a free car after a breakup?

[00:20:50]And honestly, she's right. Nobody randomly gifts an ex-girlfriend a paidoff vehicle worth thousands of dollars unless it's part of settling shared property. But Raina keeps insisting, "No, he gave it to me because he still loved me." And Judge Judy almost laughs at how unrealistic that sounds. Now, here's where things get worse for Raina. Instead of keeping the free, fully paid off Volkswagen, she sells it for around $3,000. Then uses that money as a down payment for a Jeep, a nicer car, a more expensive car with another loan. And then she stops making payments. The Jeep gets repossessed.

[00:21:27]That was the moment Judge Judy completely stops sympathizing with her because now the pattern becomes obvious.

[00:21:33]She keeps upgrading into debt she cannot afford. Meanwhile, Hector is still financially tied to the original Ford Focus loan. And somehow, after her Jeep gets repossessed, Hector lets her use the Ford Focus again. That part actually shocked Judge Judy because even she says that would make him the dumbest man in the world. And honestly, she wasn't wrong. Most people would never hand an ex a jointly owned car again after all that chaos. But according to Hector, he still cared about her emotionally. So he let her use the focus temporarily while she got back on her feet. She would make the payments. He would keep insurance active. That arrangement lasted most of 2023. Now, here's the important part.

[00:22:16]Hector eventually pays off the entire remaining balance himself, almost $7,000, out of his own pocket. At that point, the car was basically his financially, but Rya still acted like the car belonged to her permanently.

[00:22:30]That's what finally caused the explosion. In October 2023, Hector goes onto her property, takes the car back, has the locks recked, and keeps the vehicle. Raina sues him, claiming trespassing, stolen car, lost wages, everything. But legally, her argument completely falls apart because Judge Judy looks at the entire history and sees this. Hector paid most of the debt.

[00:22:56]Hector kept insurance active. Hector paid off the remaining balance. Hector already compensated her years earlier with the Volkswagen. Meanwhile, Raina sold the free car, bought another loan she couldn't afford, lost that vehicle, then continued using Hector's car arrangement.