Legal Question in Civil Litigation in California

Re: ex- girlfrind is sueing me for my dog and $5000, and i get call from Judge J

It sounds like the whole lawsuit is for show, pun intended. Since the dog has been living with you for the majority of the time I doubt that there would be any reason for the custody of the dog to be given to her. Bring the registration papers for the dog, if you have them, and the police report that was taken when she stole the dog to court to strengthen your already strong case. Good luck. I strongly feel that you and your dog have nothing to worry about.

John Hayes

Re: ex- girlfrind is sueing me for my dog and $5000, and i get call from Judge J

I agree with the substantive answer provided by Mr. Hayes. There remains the matter of what do do about Judge Judy.

Judge Judy and other similar shows (People's Court, Judge Mills Lane, etc.) have their staff look through court files for cases that seem like they would appeal to a TV audience. They then contact the parties and ask whether the parties want to resolve their dispute on the show. Everyone has to agree before the case can be heard on one of these programs, so if you don't want to do this on TV, you don't have to. Of course, you would still have to go to court, since your ex has apparently filed (but not yet served) your lawsuit.

If you and your ex do want to be on the show, they will have you sign documents that dismiss the pending case and accept the authority of the judge on the program. Judge Judy has worked as a judge, so she might be a good person to resolve your dispute. Litigants sometimes get more time from her than from a real small claims court anyway, so you may have a better chance to explain yourself.

As you say, another advantage is that you won't have to pay if you lose. The show will pay any monetary damages, although the dog is another story.

The drawback is that Judge Judy might humilliate you on national TV, and most people don't like that. She has a caustic way about her, and even the winner must often regret agreeing to let her decide the case. Here, it seems like your ex is the one who needs to worry (this might lead her to refuse the show's invitation), but you should bear this risk in mind.

There is no appeal from Judge Judy, because you will have signed away your rights by agreeing to be on the show. If you don't mind the risk of being ridiculed, or if you're especially eager to see the judge let your ex have it on TV, then you might want to agree to this.