Woman says 'Judge Judy' a joke

My mom sent me this. How in the world is this news?
Woman says 'Judge Judy' a joke
Plaintiff wins, but wanted more than show gave
BY JIM HANNAH
Kentucky Enquirer
June 9, 2007

A Florence woman got her day in court at the "Judge Judy" studio earlier this week after her daughter-in-law didn't pay back a loan.

Deborah North was awarded a $1,100 judgment, but the 52-year-old wasn't happy. She wanted another $4,000 she claimed her daughter-in-law owed her for back rent, utilities and a storage unit.

North isn't a regular viewer of the daytime television show, and she was stunned when Judge Judy Sheindlin began berating her for confusing the words parole and probation while trying to answer a question about her son's legal problems.

"The show is a big joke," North said. "Judge Judy wouldn't listen to me. She had her mind made up. It wasn't fair."

There was even less satisfaction for North when she learned her daughter-in-law, Kristin Jones, wouldn't have to pay the $1,100 herself. "Judge Judy" producers pay judgments made against participants.

That is in addition to a free two-night trip to Los Angeles. In North's case, the show also paid her daughter to fly there as a witness, although Sheindlin never asked her to speak.

The mother and daughter were put up in a Sheraton Hotel. The pair stood outside the premiere of "Ocean's Thirteen" and yelled at Northern Kentucky native George Clooney. He didn't respond.

Jones, of Erlanger, couldn't be reached for comment; North said Jones stayed in Los Angeles to sightsee.

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