In the courtroom of Judge Judy, the case seemed like a routine traffic dispute at first. Mr. Sherman, the plaintiff, had been chasing down a young man named Mr. Cuadros for nearly a year following a collision in October. The facts were simple: Mr. Cuadros was changing lanes, and Mr. Sherman was driving straight.

But as soon as the questioning began, the case shifted from “who hit whom” to a startling revelation about who was behind the wheel.

The Missing License

“What identification did you give him, Mr. Cuadros?” the Judge asked. “My California ID,” the teenager replied. “What about your driver’s license?” “Your honor, honestly… I don’t have a driver’s license.”

The courtroom went quiet. It wasn’t just that he didn’t have a license that day; it was that he had never had one. When pushed, the teenager admitted he had been driving to and from work five days a week. To him, the road was a convenience; to the law, he was a disaster waiting to happen.

The Failed Test

The teenager tried to defend his driving during the accident, claiming he checked his mirrors and looked over his shoulder “two, maybe three times.” He insisted Mr. Sherman was speeding.

However, the Judge dug deeper into why a 17-year-old was driving illegally. “Did they ask you why you didn’t have a license?” she asked, referring to the police at the scene. “Yeah… my answer was that I didn’t pass the test.”

The irony was sharp. The driving test is designed to measure basic skills. By failing the test just a month before the accident, the state had officially declared that Mr. Cuadros did not know how to safely operate a vehicle. Yet, he got behind the wheel anyway.

The Enabler

The drama took a final turn when the Judge turned to the person who had allowed this to happen. The owner of the car defended the choice with a financial excuse: “Uber was too expensive—$35 to $50 a night—and he only makes $60. He had to drive.”

It was a classic case of prioritizing pocketbooks over public safety. The owner admitted she had been “begging” him to get his license, yet she continued to hand over the keys to an untrained driver.

The Verdict

Judge Judy had heard enough. Excuses about expensive Ubers and “checking mirrors three times” could not erase the fact that an unqualified driver had caused a collision.

“If you fail the driving test, they say you don’t have basic driving skills,” the Judge reminded him sternly.

The Result: A judgment of $1,922 was awarded to the plaintiff. The case was closed, leaving the teenager and his family with a bill far more expensive than any Uber ride—and a harsh reminder that the rules of the road aren’t optional.