When George was arrested on drug charges on October 3rd, he knew his life was about to get complicated. He didn’t realize, however, that while he was sitting in a jail cell, his home was allegedly being stripped of everything from TVs to his grandmother’s heirloom coins.
George’s primary target in court? His ex-mother-in-law, Beverly. He sued her for $5,000, claiming she walked right past his roommate, Steve, and helped herself to a bag of jewelry and a collection of rare coins.
“I Found It in a Tissue”
In the courtroom of The People’s Court, Beverly’s defense was as unconventional as the situation itself. She admitted she entered the house, but only because the police had called her to pick up George’s four children—aged 4 to 10—to prevent them from entering foster care.
Beverly described a scene of chaos. “The police had destroyed everything in the bedroom… the bed was upside down,” she claimed. Amidst the wreckage, she said she found a small bundle of jewelry wrapped in a white tissue on the floor.
“I found it on the floor. I grabbed that, and it just happens to be a tissue with baby jewelry,” she argued, though she later admitted there might have been a necklace of George’s mixed in. She claimed she put it in a safe deposit box for “safekeeping.”
A Credibility Crisis
The case quickly devolved into a “he-said, she-said” battle involving a cast of characters with questionable backgrounds. George’s star witness, Steve, admitted to his own history of arrests for marijuana possession and a DWI.
Judge Milian was not impressed by anyone’s story. “I don’t believe anybody to the left of my bailiff,” she remarked during the proceedings. She pointed out that while Beverly’s anger toward George was palpable—she even filed a $5,000 counterclaim for the cost of feeding his kids—it didn’t necessarily mean she was a thief. On the flip side, George’s history of frequent arrests made him a difficult person to trust with the burden of proof.
The Burden of Proof
In civil court, the plaintiff carries the “burden of proof.” They must tip the scales of justice beyond 50%. In this case, the scale remained stuck in the middle. George couldn’t prove exactly which coins were in the bag, and Steve’s testimony was deemed unreliable.
“You’re the only guy telling me what’s in there, and I certainly don’t believe Steve,” the Judge told George.
The Verdict: Because Beverly admitted to taking the jewelry found in the tissue, Judge Milian ordered that specific “napkin full of jewelry” be returned to George. However, regarding the $5,000 in missing TVs, couches, and rare coins, the judge dismissed the claims. The counterclaim for child support was also dismissed.
George left with a small bundle of jewelry and a stern warning: “Stop getting arrested.”
The Moral of the Story
When you have a tumultuous relationship with family, “good faith” is rarely enough. If you are going away—whether for work or for the “pokey”—make sure your belongings are secured with someone you can legally hold accountable. In a 50/50 word-against-word battle, the person with the cleaner record and the better paperwork usually wins.
