This season of “JUDGED by Matt Walsh” has certainly been a whirlwind. With unexpected twists and turns, hostile defendants, wacky plaintiffs, and even literal animals in the courtroom, it’s fair to say that viewers can never predict what they’re going to witness next. Of course, that’s half the fun.
This week, Judge Walsh made wise and fair judgments on broken promises and busted lawnmowers, plus the bailiff debuted a special helper.
First up for episode 10, Judge Walsh asked the bailiff about the small child who showed up to court wearing an adorable mini bailiff uniform. The bailiff said it was his nephew who he was babysitting and who wants to be a bailiff when he grows up. Wyatt, age 7, was the one who instructed the courtroom to rise for the Honorable Judge Walsh.
The bailiff told the judge he found the miniature bailiff uniform at “the bailiff store” which has a “kids section.”
The plaintiff Mariah Woods began by stating her case, saying she was suing her friend, Lori McCrory, whom she claims had agreed to go on a trip to London with her. She described what happened next as a “harrowing experience.”
The judge chastised Woods for calling the defendant a “loser,” reminding her that there was a child in the courtroom. “We don’t say loser,” Walsh advised the miniature bailiff.
“This all started in 2023,” Woods said. “We always plan a friend trip like, we go to somewhere, we choose somewhere. But I am the planner. I’m the planner friend. I’m literally looking up, when is it hurricane season in this country? What are the flight prices going to be like?”
The plaintiff added, “I literally take on a full-time job in addition to my full-time job.”
When Judge Walsh mentioned he wasn’t surprised she was the “controlling and micromanaging” friend of the group, Woods replied, “Because if there isn’t somebody to micromanage and control … then things turn to chaos if we don’t have order.”
Woods said when she and the defendant arrived in London, McCrory thought the hotel room was too small and decided to book her own. However, since the plaintiff said they discussed the room size and the defendant was shown photos in advance, she should still be responsible for paying her share, even though she wound up getting another room.
The defendant next stated her side of the story. She said Woods had told her there was a free cancellation policy at the hotel up to and including their arrival time, meaning she shouldn’t owe anything.
Woods said she was suing McCrory for $1,400, which included $700 for the hotel room cost and $700 for emotional damage. McCrory said she was counter-suing for emotional damage, claiming the plaintiff was “badgering” her via text, showing up at her work, and harassing her boyfriend in an attempt to collect the money she believed she was owed. The defendant was seeking $5,000 for her pain and suffering.
“If I could make you all pay all of us $5,000 apiece for emotional damages, I would, for sitting through this,” Judge Walsh said as the courtroom erupted in laughter.
Next, it was time for deliberations. When he returned, the judge began by addressing the junior bailiff.
“Wyatt, I want to apologize to you for the unruly behavior you’ve seen in this courtroom. I’m sure you would never act with your parents the way that these women have acted, would you?”
Wyatt nodded. “You would. You would act that way. Well, that didn’t make the point I was hoping you would make. Never mind,” he said.
“Miss McCrory, usually I give a little speech here, but in this case, there’s not much to say,” Walsh continued.
Tune in to Episode 10 to discover the final verdict.
The next case featured plaintiff Al Barney suing his former roommate for withholding a security deposit to cover the cost of lawn care, which he felt was done unfairly. Barney said when he moved in, he gave the defendant a $1,000 security deposit to cover any damages his dog would potentially cause.
Barney said the former roommates had agreed to split the bills 50/50.
He went on to explain how the defendant used to cut the grass himself but when the lawn mower died, he hired a lawn service. Barney said he personally only used a small portion of the home.
“I basically had a bedroom and a bathroom, and everything else was his, his decoration, his living situation,” Barney said. “It was his house originally, when I moved in, he was already there.”
The testimony was interrupted by the bailiff noisily eating a snack, which Judge Walsh chastised him for.
“What else do you have?” the judge asked. “You got some M&Ms in your front pocket? Got some trail mix shoved up your ass? What?”
The bailiff replied that he was carrying jelly beans “for dessert.” The bailiff shared his snack with the judge as Walsh said, “We don’t snack in the courtroom” and banged his gavel.
The plaintiff next described his former roommate as a “clean freak” and said he didn’t feel comfortable spending time in the main living spaces because of it. Barney said for that reason, he didn’t think it was fair to have to pay for lawn care since they were splitting everything else.
When Barney decided to move out, he said the defendant kept his security deposit. He chose to sue for $1,000 to recoup that money.
Next, defendant Matthew Steigelman insisted he didn’t owe Barney any of the money.
He said neither roommate had time or inclination to mow the lawn. He also refuted Barney’s claim that he was a “tyrant” and brought up an incident of the plaintiff leaving a leftover bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken sitting on the counter.
Judge Walsh questioned Steigelman on if he believed Barney did $1,000 worth of damage to the home. The defendant said no, the damage was minor, but he kept the money to offset the cost of the lawn care even though it hadn’t been part of the original rental charges when Barney moved in.
After deliberations, the judge delivered a verdict.
“Mr. Barney, Mr. Steigelman, we’ve heard many details in this case. The problem is that few of the details have anything to do with anything,” Walsh said. “And none of the details have been especially interesting to me. You’ve committed the greatest crime of all in this courtroom, which is that you have bored me. And for that, I cannot forgive you.”
Tune into episode 10 of “JUDGED” to hear the conclusion, plus catch a sneak peek of episode 11, which is all about dog fights and Halloween frights.
