Thursday Thirteen #62

Over the years, my wife and I have watched a lot of court TV.   I suppose after celebrity chefs it was only logical that we should have celebrity judges.   On any given weekday, in our catchment area, there are about 6 or 7 judge shows on TV.  We watch only two of them:  Judge Judy  and The People’s Court.   We used to watch Judge Joe Brown too but he seems to be such a moss-backed reactionary that we gave up.   Anyway, over the years I have learned a number of things about being a litigant in a small claims case.  Here are….

13 Things I Have Learned From Watching TV Court Reality Shows
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Rule 1:  Always get it in writing.

Rule 2:  This applies more, not less, if you do business with friends or relatives.

Rule 3:  Never sign anything without reading it all the way through, especially the small print.

Rule 4:  Never sign anything if you do not wish to be bound by its terms.

Rule 5:  Verbal contracts are usually binding but are frequently impossible to prove.

Rule 6:  Verbal modifications of written contracts are meaningless.

Rule 7:  Once you give somebody a gift, it is no longer yours. You have no control over it, and you can’t claim it back.

Rule 8:  You can not unilaterally turn a gift into a loan if you have a falling out with the  recipient.

Rule 9:  If someone makes you a gift of anything substantial, especially money, try to get them to confirm in writing that it is a gift, just to avoid misunderstandings or unpleasantness at a later date.

Rule 10:  If you have a car accident, always call the police.

Rule 11:  Especially if the other party begs you not to!

Rule 12:  Photographs are frequently the best evidence in cases involving accidents, assaults, property disputes and many others.

Rule 13:  Not everything bad that happens to a person is grounds for a lawsuit.  Do not think that whenever life takes a bad turn, someone has to compensate you for it.

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Comments

[Chelle Y.]

I used to be addicted to these shows! Now, I will not watch them, or I will just be doing it all day long! :)

www.chelleyoung.com

[AnthonyNorth]

#13 is an important message.

[Hootin' Anni]

Hmmmmmm, for my Tuesday blog I posted photos of our courthouse main entryway. This is kinda spooky that your 13 is all court related.

Stop by if you can find time and read my 13...it'll knock your socks off, pro'lly!

[On a limb with Claudia]

Weeell... At least you're learning something?? hmmm... I can't stand the people yelling at each other. Reminds me too much of living with my parents! ;)

Once a middle child... always....the middle child....

[Michelle]

Great things to remember. I love Judge Judy. Fantastic show! Happy TT and thanks for stopping by my place.

[Ben]

That's very good advice. I do not watch those kind of shows because I am always too busy. But when I can watch them they always make laugh.

Happy TT!

[Janet]

Hear, hear to #13!!!

[Sarah @ pussreboots]

Thankfully I've never been to court over something like an accident. Happy TT.

[Lilibeth]

Unfortunately, I haven't always learned this kind of thing in time like: "If there's been an accident while your car was parked, DONT MOVE THE CAR until the policeman sees it even if you are late to work and the car still drives perfectly well if you crawl in through the other side and ignore the caved in driver's door poking you in the ribs."

[bluebonnetgirl]

Love Judge Judy too.

[This Eclectic Life]

And, if you go on Judge Judy to litigate, expect to deal with her scathing temper! Good list to remember though. I can ruefully relate to a couple of them.

[soleil]

Great observations!! I was watching Court TV earlier today myself.

[Lori]

Well then....thanks for the info. Im always leery about signing anything and giving someone access to my account via auto payment set up. Do you think I have trust issues??? lol...hey sunshine, how's it going?? I hope you're having a great week. Happy TT!!

[Winter]

Oh yeah. Always in writing. And sometimes, not even that helps. Have friends who are willing to come to court in a suit and lie for you.

[Adelle Laudan]

I've watched those shows from time to time. I think it's incredible some of the things they bring to court lol Great list. Happy T13!

[Tink]

I don't like the celebrity judges shows, but I loved series like LA Law and the like. I think you've picked the rules brilliantly. The system over here in The Netherlands is different from the US system (for example we don't have juries), but that didn't matter at all in watching the series.
Thanks for visiting my Olympics TT.

[cajunvegan]

Judge Judy is one of my heroes. I love her quick wit and sharp tongue.

If you want a laugh, stop by and see why Monkey Boy is grosser than gross.

Happy TT!

[samulli]

I could not make it alive through even one of those shows. We have german versions of them here and they are godawful boring - I'd rather dig one of my eyes out with a spoon than actually sitting through one of them.
But I liked the rules you came up with. Most of them seem so common-sensical it's a pity most of us haven't really incorporated them into our thinking. Americans especially seem to have a problem getting their head around #13, me thinks. ;)

[she]

excellent list! now i have the people's court theme song in my head! heh.

[Journeywoman]

Great list. Especially the ones about getting everything in writing.

[Malcolm]

It's unfortunate that our litigious society makes it so we have to be very careful even when dealing with friends and/or relatives.

[marcia@joyismy goal]

I hope you learned to never go on one of the shows:)

good list
http://joyismygoal.blogspot.com/
name game fun

[Maribeth]

I learned that most tv judges are very dramatic. :)

[LingoVise]

I've never watched reality court tv... but this all looks like terrific advice.

Good to know!

[jerine]

actually it's not that scary. if you study contract law there is always way to get around.

thanks for stopping by. happy TT

[Chris]

Some great things to remember, but #13 is the one more people need to remember. Happy TT

[mitchypoo]

It seems it's just common sense, doesn't it. But I've been guilty of not doing these things in the past. Great TT!

[YummY!]

I went through a short phase of watching Judge Judy, but quickly tired of the silly things people were always on there for.

[Thea @ I'm a Drama Mama]

There should be something on here about revising your wardrobe for court day, too...

[colleen]

Keep records! That comes from experience not court shows.

[Gwen Mitchell]

All very true! I find those shows rather humorous myself. Maybe it's not nice to make fun of people who are ignorant, but it certainly makes me feel better. =P

[Gwen Mitchell]

All very true! I find those shows rather humorous myself. Maybe it's not nice to make fun of people who are ignorant, but it certainly makes me feel better. =P

[Elaine]

good to know man, i was thinking of suing the devil for stealing my lollipop... happy TT!

[Dera]

Great list. I've learned a lot on Court TV. Judge Judy rubs me the wrong way. I like Judge Brown because he tells it like it is.

[No Nonsense girl]

I've learned the same things! :)

Happy Belated T13!