Buzz
Since its premiere in 1996, Judge Judy has become a staple in households everywhere. The show revolves around Judge Judy Sheindlin, a former family court judge, who oversees small claims cases in a televised courtroom. With her direct, no-nonsense approach, Judge Judy delivers swift and decisive rulings. While the cast and Judge Judy herself bring plenty of entertainment, the real spectacle lies in the unbelievable cases she’s handled.
We’ve all heard of outlandish court cases, and as you’d expect, Judge Judy has certainly seen her fair share of jaw-dropping cases. Below is a compilation of 10 of the most extraordinary Judge Judy cases that will leave you speechless.
10. Motorcycle
Judge Judy is well known for her intolerance of disruptions. Interrupting the proceedings or causing a scene is a surefire way to get fined or even thrown out. If she warns you to stop interrupting and you ignore her, it’s clear you might be fighting to lose the case.
In a surprising case, Kim Knowler, the owner of a motorcycle rental shop, took legal action against a resident who had rented a motorcycle for three days. The resident canceled the lease due to unforeseen circumstances. While the plaintiff kept the rental fee, she also sought compensation for transaction fees. On the surface, the case seemed normal. However, the plaintiff's behavior in court was shocking as she aggressively shouted over the judge, despite repeated warnings.
Even more shocking was the discovery that the plaintiff had dropped the initial case but was now suing for NSSF charges and the inconvenience the case caused her. Judge Judy, known for her blunt approach, retorted sharply, 'I’m not giving you a quarter.'
9. The Fake Case
If you've ever watched courtroom dramas, you might have questioned the reality or even the possibility of a particular case. Some cases just seem too outlandish to be real. But as this case reveals, the truth can be even more startling. The 'fake case' revolves around plaintiff Kate Levitt, who sought compensation for the tragic death of her cat. She claimed her partner had caused a fight that led to a smashed TV box and, ultimately, her cat’s untimely demise.
However, none of it was true. There was no fight, no smashed TV box, and certainly no dead cat. Kate Levitt fabricated the entire story in an attempt to receive a settlement and a free trip to Los Angeles. While fake cases often come with elaborate tales, Levitt's story had too many inconsistencies, and her timeline was full of discrepancies.
The defendant, her partner, didn’t help solidify her case either. After just a few minutes of questioning, her entire story fell apart. Judge Judy succinctly summarized the situation as that of a 'dumb girl.'
8. The Horse Counterclaim
If you're familiar with Judge Judy, you know she gives both sides a fair opportunity to present their case. However, that wasn’t the case in this horse counterclaim. The defendant, Summer Ruegger, demanded the full payment for one horse from the plaintiff. After hearing the basic facts, Judge Judy swiftly administered justice by declaring that the plaintiff owed the defendant $1400 in full.
The case revolved around an unpaid balance for a horse sale. The plaintiff, Caroline, claimed she leased her horse to Summer for $100 per month. According to their agreement, Summer owed her $1500 for the months the horse was with her. However, the plaintiff contradicted her earlier sworn statement, claiming instead that she had sold the horse in fifteen $100 payments.
After reviewing the statement in court, Judge Judy quickly declared that the defendant had already paid the remaining amount. The courtroom was left in shock, as the judge didn’t want to waste any more time on such a straightforward case. The surprised expressions of everyone in the courtroom could easily have been the plot of a soap opera. Notably, this turned out to be one of the judge’s shortest cases.
7. Missing the Dressing
Customer-facing roles demand both grace and patience. On most days, customer service employees have to be ready for anything, from rude customers to those making outrageous, entitled, and sometimes downright bizarre requests. In this case, the plaintiff embodied the essence of a manufactured problem. One might wonder how something as trivial as missing dressing made its way to a courtroom—an issue that could have been easily resolved with an apology and a complimentary meal.
The plaintiff filed a lawsuit after the restaurant failed to provide the extra dressing he had ordered. He sought a full refund, but the restaurant refused. Undeterred, he returned to the establishment, placed another order, and instead of paying for his food, he snatched it from the delivery driver’s hands and slammed the car door, insisting the restaurant owed him for the previously missed dressing.
In retaliation, the restaurant staff, following the ‘you go low, I go lower’ mentality, vandalized the plaintiff’s car and home. The courtroom was left in disbelief as everyone tried to comprehend how a simple restaurant mistake had escalated to a full-blown court case. The plaintiff ultimately won, but with a twist—he was ordered to pay for the meal. In the end, $12 was deducted from his $223 victory.
6. Push
The internet is full of funny videos showing people trying to push on 'pull' doors or crashing into glass doors that are almost invisible. However, none of these moments are as embarrassing as being sent away from a courtroom, with the judge shouting 'Push' because you can’t figure out how to open the door.
In this case, the defendant was part of a four-person team. During the proceedings, he began yelling back at the judge, prompting the judge to ask him to show respect for the court. Enraged, the defendant attempted a dramatic exit, but he was stumped when he reached the door. Unsure of which way it opened, he had to glance back at the judge, who then yelled, 'Push out.'
That’s a truly embarrassing moment for someone who was aiming for a bold display of anger.
5. The Gasping Woman
Court cases often drive people to desperate measures, especially when there are serious financial penalties or the threat of jail time. Devesha Thomas was facing a hefty fine or, worse, jail time due to expired insurance. In a last-ditch attempt to feign ignorance and deceive the judge, the defendant began letting out an odd gasp whenever the judge pointed out a flaw in her story.
The case was nearly impossible to follow as the lady responded to several of the judge's questions with exaggerated gasps. While misguided, these gasps were an attempt to garner sympathy and present herself as a victim of circumstances. At one point, the judge actually laughed out loud after the defendant claimed to be unaware of a $900 bill paid by the plaintiff. That was just how little Judge Judy was swayed by the dramatic gasps.
Fortunately, Judge Judy wasn’t fooled, and the woman’s acting skills didn’t quite live up to her expectations. Even though the judge didn’t receive the full story because of the lady's dramatic reactions, she gathered enough information to rule in favor of the plaintiff. In this case, the old adage 'desperate times call for desperate measures' didn’t work in her favor. Still, the case left many in the courtroom and viewers shocked.
4. The Tupperware Assault
Judge Judy is no stranger to over-the-top claims, but even she found it hard to take seriously the plaintiff’s allegations of assault with Tupperware. The plaintiff sued her neighbor, claiming that the defendant threw Tupperware at her. The judge found this hard to believe and pressed the lady for clarification.
The plaintiff proceeded to give a live demonstration of the alleged incident, acting out how the defendant supposedly hurled an entire cupboard of Tupperware at her. She also didn’t hesitate to include exaggerated voice acting and dramatic variations in her performance. It’s tough to argue with someone when their acting skills make the story seem convincing.
Fortunately, the court and anyone who managed to see beyond the plaintiff’s lackluster acting found no substance in her claim. Some members of the audience struggled to hold in their laughter, while Judge Judy seemed eager for the case to come to a close.
In the end, Judge Judy labeled the plaintiff as unstable but still ruled in her favor, granting her $192 for the broken Tupperware. The takeaway from this case is the way being on television seems to bring out the performer in many people, even those with extremely poor acting skills.
3. Venison Will Get You Nowhere
In this jaw-dropping Judge Judy case, the plaintiff sued her sister after she took the plaintiff’s car, as she had done many times before, but this time, she crashed it and killed a deer. The defendant argued she had done nothing wrong, claiming that she had borrowed the car previously without issue and the plaintiff had never objected.
Despite the crash, the defendant felt the plaintiff was overreacting. The case had its share of eyebrow-raising moments, but the most shocking moment came when Judge Judy asked what happened to the deer. The defendant nonchalantly replied that she ate the deer and even offered some to the plaintiff. While courtroom stories can be strange, a deer killed in a car crash, eaten, and then offered to the sister as a peace offering is a bizarre twist. Even worse was the defendant’s unfazed demeanor while making this astounding admission.
Despite the car’s damage and the dead deer, the defendant failed to grasp why the incident, including the dead deer and the car crash, was such a big deal. To her, it was just a minor car accident. Fortunately, Judge Judy recognized the gravity of the situation and awarded the plaintiff $4,000 in damages.
2. You’re a Moron
In this case, Judge Judy's trademark intensity and bluntness were on full display. She repeatedly called the defendant, Cathleen Kreftmeyer, a 'moron.' This was a divorce case after the defendant and her husband had a falling out. While courtroom disputes often involve insults and harsh words, Judge Judy was especially disturbed by the defendant's decision to tell her six-year-old daughter that she was an illegitimate child.
The defendant justified her decision to tell her daughter the truth about her paternity by saying that she didn’t believe in keeping secrets from her children. The judge and jury were stunned by the mother’s callousness and total disregard for her daughter’s emotional well-being. Judge Judy also felt the motive behind this revelation was to hurt the father, not to help the daughter understand the family’s situation.
Even though the information was true, Judge Judy believed the daughter didn’t deserve to hear it under these circumstances. She didn’t mince words, calling the defendant a 'moron' three times to her face. Judge Judy closed the case by stating that the defendant was a prime example of why people should undergo tests before having children.
Bitter exchanges are nothing new on Judge Judy, but considering this episode aired in 1996, her tone and unmistakable disdain for the defendant left many viewers taken aback.
1. Loserds
Alexandra Nelson and her friends brought forth an assault case but failed to provide sufficient evidence to back their claims. After being interrogated, it became clear to the judge and those in the courtroom that Alexandra was, in fact, the instigator of the incident. It appeared the assault case was a ploy to secure payment.
While the case was already shocking, the judge’s frustration grew after Alexandra recklessly cursed at the defendant. When the case was nearing its conclusion, the judge asked Alexandra why she had used such language. Alexandra’s response was a crude, 'because they’re loserds.' Her mangling of the word 'losers' and her dismissive attitude only worsened her position. Ultimately, the case was ruled in favor of the plaintiff, who was awarded $4,000.
