“Judge Judy” is ready to rule today in a dispute between two University students over damage to a car during a party near campus this summer.
- Paul Wong
- Center Josh Moore, along with the rest of the Michigan basketball team, held its first of three open practices to the public on Friday.<br><br>MARJORIE MARSHALL/Daily
LSA junior Julia Koenigsknecht and Business first-year student Matthew Brody will argue their cases before television”s Judge Judith Sheindlin in an episode that airs at 4 p.m. today on Detroit”s WJBK-TV Channel 2.
While attending a party on July 2 at Koenigsknecht”s house, Brody parked his 1998 Volvo S70 in the driveway. Koenigsknecht lives with one of Brody”s friends.
“When I came outside to leave, her SUV was parked touching my back bumper,” Brody said.
“He parked in such a way that he was taking up two spots. I had to pull up as close as possible so my car didn”t get hit from the street,” said Koenigsknecht, who drives a 1992 Ford Explorer.
Both parties admitted that there was a problem and they exchanged phone numbers. Brody promised to call the next day with a complete assessment of the damage.
“I called Julia seven days after the incident occurred. I worked full-time and it took me that long to get an estimate on my car. Additionally, the only Volvo body shop is over 30 minutes away. I think that was actually very fast compared to how long that can usually take,” said Brody.
“When I called her, she said that her dad is a lawyer and told her that I couldn”t prove anything.” He also offers a dated statement sheet of the estimate in his defense.
Koenigsknecht tells things a little differently.
“I didn”t receive a phone call until two weeks later. I had assumed that there was no problem because it took so long for him to get back to me. It came as such a shock to hear from him. Someone else could have made the damage worse,” she said.
“I called my insurance company and they not only agreed with me, but refused to pay for the damages. After two weeks, who knows who could have hit it?”
“Also, when she told me she would pay initially I didn”t think she would argue like this about how long it would take to get the estimate,” Brody said. “Even if it had taken me six months, she would still be legally responsible.”
After filing a claim in Washtenaw County Small Claims Court for $300 in damages, Brody”s brother suggested submitting the story to “Judge Judy.”
“The story was just so ridiculous that I thought it might be fun to try and present it to Judge Judy,” said Brody.
“I was actually happy about the phone call from “Judge Judy,”” said Koenigsknecht.
A few days later, the show”s producers contacted Brody. Both students were invited out to Los Angeles for a taping of the show and permitted to bring one witness each. The episode was taped this summer.
Koenigsknecht and Brody were prepped at the studio and then their case was filmed. Including the post-case interviews, the whole process was relatively brief.
“Judge Judy asked for Matt”s story, and didn”t let me say my side of the story. After that, I just joked on the show. It wasn”t real court it wasn”t conducted in a real way. A real court asks for both sides of the story,” Koenigsknecht said.
Brody admitted Scheindlin was extremely friendly to him but not to Koenigsknecht.
Both students said they enjoyed the perks of the free trip the show gave them.
They received spending money and the show promised to cover the costs for the damages.