'Going Airborne' & 'Withholding Important Information' & 'Cousin or No Cousin, I Want My Money!'

SPEAKER_1 (0:01)

How long have you two been together?

SPEAKER_2 (0:03)

Four years.

SPEAKER_3 (0:04)

What are you waiting for?

SPEAKER_1 (0:05)

You go through a near-death experience with a woman like that, what are you, you're waiting for something better?

SPEAKER_3 (0:10)

What, what, like, you know, you two made it out of that, this is not a sign, I don't know what is.

SPEAKER_4 (0:17)

This is the plaintiff, Erica Dees Bonner. She says she was driving to the laundromat, went out of nowhere. The defendant swerved her car, hit another car, went airborne, and the woman's car landed back on top of hers. Thank God she didn't get the convertible she was considering buying, because if she had, she'd be dead. For some strange reason, the defendant doesn't think she has to pay for the damages she caused. So she's suing for $5,000, the amount she's owed.

This is the defendant, Glenda Ramos. She says she's extremely thankful to be alive, and just so you know, seatbelts really do save lives. As far as the accident goes, the plaintiff's the one who hit her car, engulfing both vehicles in flames. In fact, the second part of the accident would never have happened if the plaintiff was paying attention to her driving. Oh, her money? No way. She's accused of driving recklessly.

The defendant is fined a counter suit for $3,500, the value of her car.

SPEAKER_5 (1:25)

All parties, please raise your right hand.

SPEAKER_4 (1:28)

What you are about to witness is real.

The participants are not actors. They are actual litigants with a case pending in civil court. Both parties have agreed to drop their claims and have their cases settled here before Judge Marilyn Milian in our forum, The People's Court.

SPEAKER_1 (1:49)

Be seated, come to order, please. Litigants have been sworn, Your Honor.

Marilyn Milian (1:53)

Thank you, Douglas.

SPEAKER_4 (1:54)

You're welcome.

Marilyn Milian (1:55)

Okay, Erika Dees Bonner. Yes. You are suing Glenda Ramos for $5,000, $2,900 the balance you owe on a car at items that apparently went up in flames and missed work and pain and suffering. You have a counterclaim against her for $3,500, the value of your car that has also apparently become a total loss based on an accident that the two of you had. Ms. Dees Bonner, why don't you tell me first? Come on up to the chart, if you will, for the diagram. And let me know if that helps you to explain what happened.

That's you?

SPEAKER_9 (2:34)

Yes, this is me.

Marilyn Milian (2:34)

Okay.

SPEAKER_9 (2:40)

And this is Mrs. Ramos.

Marilyn Milian (2:42)

Okay.

SPEAKER_9 (2:44)

She's driving down Fifth Avenue, and a car comes out and tail clips her car, which sends it airborne.

Marilyn Milian (2:53)

Airborne, so you had to hit her pretty hard.

SPEAKER_9 (2:55)

And it went on my car.

Marilyn Milian (2:57)

Get out of here.

SPEAKER_9 (2:58)

I don't know if it's going to stay.

Marilyn Milian (3:00)

Give it a shot.

Okay. Wow, that's good. I've got some seriously good stuff.

SPEAKER_7 (3:05)

Hold on one second.

SPEAKER_1 (3:06)

We got people.

Marilyn Milian (3:10)

Back it up.

She's going down this way. This car hits the back of it.

SPEAKER_1 (3:17)

Did you see the actual?

SPEAKER_9 (3:18)

All I saw was I saw a meteor coming. Basically, I saw headlights coming in my direction. Was it dark? Yes. It was 1030 at night. Yeah.

Marilyn Milian (3:27)

So go on.

SPEAKER_9 (3:28)

I saw the headlights coming in my direction. And then my boyfriend was driving and I just raised myself for impact, basically.

Because there was no stopping.

Marilyn Milian (3:37)

And the headlights were high up in the air, not where a car should be.

SPEAKER_9 (3:40)

We saw them in the distance and then we saw them like high up.

Marilyn Milian (3:43)

And was there a lot of screaming?

SPEAKER_9 (3:45)

Not really. I was kind of too scared.

Marilyn Milian (3:46)

You didn't have time for screaming?

SPEAKER_9 (3:47)

Yeah, I just.

Marilyn Milian (3:47)

So this car, it hit her with such impact that she goes flying in the air?

SPEAKER_9 (3:51)

Yes.

Marilyn Milian (3:51)

And then does it land in front of you and then on you or just literally on you?

SPEAKER_9 (3:56)

I'm not sure. All I know is that when I got out, I saw the van on top.

Marilyn Milian (4:00)

I think we got the idea. I'm sorry, go ahead.

SPEAKER_9 (4:02)

All I know is that when I got out, I saw the van on top of my car.

SPEAKER_1 (4:05)

So what did you do?

Marilyn Milian (4:07)

Yeah, go ahead and go back to the...