Judge Judy Reviews

Now, I'm sure she deals with a lot of people all day long, but she always made me feel like I was her only client. She never rushed me off the phone and was very patient and attentive even though I am a talker and can easily ramble on. She was always there to listen to everything I had to say and address all my concerns and questions.

Ross was my travel coordinator, which kept in touch with updates via text the entire time. He was very diligent on making sure I had all my evidence prepared and ready. He was also quite thorough during the travel process maintaining a professional yet personable report in ensuring all aspects of my travel were going smoothly and all amenities were provided. It was a pleasure to finally meet Ross and Sarah when I got to the studio as I spent a lot of time getting to know both of them on the phone.

When arriving at the studio, the flow of personnel in all of the staging areas were all very competent and fluid. From initial arrival to the green room to the legal team to the waiting room to the makeup room to the staging area, every employee of the show was positive, professional, and personable, even down to the guy at the cab stand upon exiting the premise. All of the people I met were authentic and positive and I was well-received by all of them. Despite the judgment not going in my favor, this was in no way a reflection on the incredible people and sincere connections with the amazing crew on this show. I would like to thank them all for making this negative outcome such a positive experience.

I go on to appear on the show. I get a call from Sarah saying she has bad news. My brother arrived with the defendant as her witness. Come to find out Sarah flew my out brother because the defendant was scared to fly. Agreed to cover his travel/hotel expenses to get the defendant on the show. My brother was upset because it was agreed to that he would not be involved in the matter or be apart of the show. Sarah told him to enjoy a free vacation. Which when the show aired it looks as if he was the defendant witness.

I arrive at this green warehouse... yes a warehouse not a courthouse as I was told. The cab driver say, "Ok ladies you have reached your destination." I'm asking the driver where is the courthouse. He responds no courthouse and points to a sign smaller than a stop sign that read Judge Judy. A sign that anyone not familiar with the spot and looking for, would definitely miss. I go inside was placed in a old mildew smelling room, old furniture, there was a flatscreen tv but no remote. Tried to charge my phone unfortunately the sockets did not work.

People starts running in and out. One man say to me your producer Sarah will be with you shortly. Alert in my head... Producer? Sarah presented herself as Judy legal assistant. A guy comes in with W2 forms. I questioned him why do I have to fill out W2 forms. He replies Judy is paying you to appear on the show. But I thought the pay was Judy's way of thanking me for appearing (another one of Sarah lies).

I refused to fill out W2. Another guy comes in to explain the W2. Finally Sarah the legal assistant oh let me correct Sarah the producer arrive with scripts for me. Paperwork that I brought she stated I will not need. And give me scripts telling me what and what not to say. Claimed if you say this Judy will not believe you. Judy will dig and Judy does not allow a lot of time for this or that. Sarah up the amount I was suing for. Documents I had to prove my case she said I did not need, which I knew I did. Why wouldn't I need court documentation that proved my case.

Gave me a stack of papers to walk out with. Told me to keep the script on top just in case I need to glance over it. Then she takes us to the staged courthouse inside the warehouse. Ok first thing came to mind is a live Tyler Perry show. There was the state seal present. Places a microphone inside my shirt. Told me not to lean down to speak in the microphone on the platform in front of me. The microphone was not real and does not work (basically it's a prop). What really got me is a lady instructing the audience on what to do. Had different signs holding up. One read clap, another read laugh, another ooooo. Told the audience to do whatever was on the sign when it was held up.

My brother was sitting in the audience, until a lady moved him to a seat sitting behind the defendant (another setup by Judy and staff). My brother was upset afterwards because right before taping begin a lady approached him applying makeup on him. So he was questioning if he was on camera and never received clarification. He also stated the lady who moved him stated he could not seat in the audience because those people are paid. He was very upset and told me and the defendant these people are playing you two against one another. He stated that Sarah had the defendant to file the counterclaim against my claim. Which I kind of figured there was something fishy going on. Sarah called and told me the defendant filed a counterclaim 1 day prior to us appearing on the show. Which is the reason I was going to my courthouse but I let Sarah talk me out of that.

The taping starts. Judy comes in with her own case about a Facebook post in 2016. I made several attempts to tell her that is not my lawsuit. Judy refused to hear me out. Talked all over me. Stated she did not want to hear it. Me thinking, why am I here Judy talking about something that has nothing to do with reimbursement for attorney's fees which is my lawsuit filed and what her show contacted me about. Judy did all the talking. Came out talking about 2 ladies with too much time on their hand for Facebook. Judy is fake. Make her own cases on you. Have you thinking her ruling is final but IT IS NOT.

The final interview of me exposing her show was edited out when aired. I requested to speak with Sarah, I was told I could not speak with Sarah. Copies of all documents I signed was never given to me at the end of the taping as I was told. I have emailed numerous times and no one will respond. But emailed daily and called daily lying to get me on the show.

So here is the kicker after exposing Judy at the final interview of the taping. I stated out loud I was contacting the courthouse. Judy did not hear what I filed the lawsuit for which was attorney fees reimbursement. Oh my! The staff came in on me from every direction asking to speak with me in private. Christi (over transportation) asked me to give them time to review the tape and talk to Judy. Someone stated maybe she had the case mixed up with another. But guess who appears after I was told I could not speak with her... SARAH! I completely tuned Sarah and the other staffs out at this point thinking Judy had messed my lawsuit up. I proceeded to call my local courthouse.

I spoke with a lady at the clerks of court first. To find out the court never referred my case to Judy. The court does not submit any cases to Judy. Then I asked about the continued court date Sarah gave me. Sarah informed me that Judy will send paperwork showing the court the matter was resolved and neither party has to appear on the continued date. Clerk of court tells me, "Ms. we do not work with Judy. Your case was dismissed because neither party appeared on the court date. There is no continued court date for you." Now my mouth is literally dropped to the floor. The clerk of court finally transferred the call to her supervisor.

The supervisor stated the same facts. The court never turned my case to Judy. The case was dismissed because of no show. I'm explaining to her I am at Judy show and she dismissed my case based on something that had nothing to do with attorney fees reimbursement which is my lawsuit. The lady indicates again, "Ms. we did not send your case to Judy but you can refile because it was dismissed for no show." Finally the supervisor puts me on hold to speak with the magistrate that dismissed the case. When she returned she stated the call is being transferred call to the magistrate. Again I explain everything to the magistrate. He stops me and states Ms we do not refer cases to Judy. I ask, "Well how did she receive my case?"

The magistrate explains Judy and these other shows like her are reality tv arbitrators. The shows have researchers teams that search for court cases (case are public records). If they feel the case is good they contact you to appear. He indicates to me, "You are not the first this has happened to, something needs to be done to stop this. The court system does not work with any of those reality court tv shows or do we honor anything." Me in shock and disbelief I ask about the continued date. The magistrate state to me he never received paperwork from Judy requesting a continuous date. Had he received the paperwork for requesting a continuous date, it would have been denied. He does not work with Judy and does not honor anything from her.

He tells me again, once I return back home refile my lawsuit because he dismissed it on a no show call. I asked the magistrate again, even if Judy is sending paperwork saying she dismissed the case. The magistrate responded, "Ms. I can assure Judy is not sending any paperwork to the court and if she does it will not be honored. Refile when you return home, I will be looking for your claim and I will be the magistrate hearing the case." As of today Judy has not sent any paperwork but my case is back on the court calendar and hearing date is next month!

Thank God I did not listen to Judy & staff saying final ruling that I can't pursue. I'm sure a lot of people has believed Judy and missed out on their case. Judy & staff are misleading and liars. GOOGLE Judy reviews and I also found out the show is not accredited with consumer reports. One person filed a lawsuit against Judy after the appearance on the show and won. Judy is getting paid 47 million a year from people watching a fake show thinking it's real cases. Sorry to say it is fake and so is Judy & staff! I no longer watch any of the reality court TV. Judy and her staff are scammers & liars!

Updated on 07/11/2018: I received a call from Sarah the scam producer for judge Judy fake show. Sarah begs me to remove my review I submitted to Consumer Affairs. No. I will not. Sorry! The defendant informed me you had her to file the counterclaim against me a day before our appearance on the show. And you aired that I was suing for $5000 when my paper filed indicates $3800. My case was about reimbursement for attorney fees for false charges filed on me in 2017. Judy made her own case about a Facebook post from 2016. Informed Sarah you called me with misleading information for my appearance on the show. Which I found out was false while at the production built not a courthouse as I was told I would be appearing at.

Sarah attempting to use her bribery tactics saying so "you're going to remove your review?" I asked her, "What about all of the other reviews people had the same experience as myself." My one review is not getting removed. Repeatedly I told her NO and finally told Sarah to have a good day. MY REVIEW WILL NOT BE REMOVED! The fake scam show needs to be exposed! Disconnected the call. I have been calling, emailing and texting since the day of taping once I talked with my local court system. Could not a return call or response from anyone. Don't call me now because I have exposed the fake court show. Stop scamming people and altering their cases.

I believe that Judy's older ratings (10 years ago) just went to her head, and now she's just out there to fly by her pants to get more money from the networks (she really doesn't care if she is fair or not, just wanting to show up and "give a crotchety show" for RATINGS!) This all really bums me out, because I had always loved and respected her opinions. But now, it's just a crock-O-chit, fake reality show. Sorry Judy, but I haven't been convinced of 90% of your latest verdicts; I think you have been UNFAIR as a Judge, and NO WAY ON EARTH would I ever recommend anybody to go on your show... Plaintiff or Defendant... because you are just NOT FAIR any longer. You need to RETIRE NOW! Before you screw things up The Hot Bench (which you produce).

I sincerely believe that you would agree with my observations and recommendations, Judy, because you know how you used to be so good, so equal to both sides, so receiving ALL evidence, and SO much better in "weighing the facts." It's just time, Judy, to break things off with Bird. Sorry, but he would probably agree (seeing his recent facial expressions). Just say Nigh Nigh, be on your way, take a long vacation, and just kick back and continue to receive your royalties. Wouldn't that be nice? I'll always love you, Judy. And I'd love to join you and kick back with a nice Cabernet some time.

Maybe too many years on the bench has done this to her. She has lost her human side. It is time to shape up or ship out. It really bothers me to see her behavior lately. She sometimes does not even give the person a chance to tell their side of the story before her decision is made. All the preparation and flying there just to be thrown out within minutes! I sure hope NBC re-evaluates her behavior and has a talk with her. NO ONE is indispensable-including her!

Judge Judy after asking the plaintiff how many students were in the school and being told "around 500" then say kept saying and I'm paraphrasing - you have to be extra careful when driving around 500 students running out of school. First of all the schools don't dismiss all the students at once, they dismiss K/G and 1st then 2nd and 3rd then 4th and 5th. Students break up into several groups ie: car riders, bus riders, walkers, after school programs etc. The students with teacher supervision are escorted by grade to benches both for car riders and bus riders. Once on the benches there are multiple teachers supervising for behaviors and proper transportation pick up. The teachers proceed to call the students by name to the pick up area when their ride arrives. Again you don't have 500 students running amuck outside of school!

Which brings me to the little girl who disobeyed rules and procedures (and should be punished) and ran out into the road on her own (not in the pick up area) into the side view mirror of the plaintiff. Furthermore Judge Judy chastised the plaintiff for not driving carefully enough in proximity of a school, REALLY are you serious? That's just ludicrous thinking. The plaintiff appeared to be a responsible driver. She even had her own two young students whom she was picking up. Judge Judy boosts and brags about how smart she is suppose to be but yet she constantly contradicts her own assumptions and previous rulings. She may know the law when she is not to busy being blinded by her litigant favoritism. Once she locks in on "loving" one of the parties it's impossible for the other party to win regardless of evidence.

The plaintiff in question in this case even brought an unbiased crossing guard to court that witnessed the incident and she just flat out didn't listen to him (blew him off) because her fading mind was set on ruling in favor of the defendant. Then Judge Judy took another one her cheap shots asking the plaintiff how would she had felt if she killed the little girl? That was just wrong and inappropriate. The plaintiff was in no means driving recklessly. Just possibly Judge Judy may still retain some semblance of law but she certainly must have NEVER passed any Physics class! The plaintiff had ABSOLUTELY no chance to avoid that little girl from running INTO her car from the side. It didn't matter if she was going 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 MPH etc... If the little girl (which she did) darted out and ran into the SIDE of her car it's all on the parent of the little girl to assume responsibility.

It is literally impossible for any driver (even Judge Judy) to avoid that type of collision, again speed is not the factor here. Maybe if you could put your car into a time warp or another dimension you might be able to avoid the collision or better yet see if you can bring Rod Serling back from the dead and send you and your car to the Twilight Zone!!! Worse yet is the AUDACITY of that defendant to try to countersue--unbelievable!!! She should worry more about teaching her little angel to follow the rules, unfortunately the next time the little angel darts out into a road it might be a semi at 60 MPH heading her way! Parents "teach your children well". Thank You for letting me rant.

No one should go on this show. It's totally personal and has nothing to do with the law and only has to do with how hot these 2 women think... they are. With their fake smiles and horrible attitudes. God help us if this what our judicial system would be like with these 2 women. The man was intelligent and on my side but he had no chance against those vampires. This show should be taken off the air... And by the way ladies you're not hot.

I use to live in California, and it was not an incentive to return. It was only to speed up the process for my case and rectify the problem I had and still do. When I realized which way it was going, I knew enough to keep my mouth closed as I realized it was already a done deal. Think about it if they contact you. It’s much better to go through the real courts. What do I have? My legal issue is not solved. And most importantly, it confirms that people do not do the right thing. It is purely a TV show and is not a real ethical part of any court system. Have an attorney read over everything you sign. He or she will advise you of the pitfalls.

Please hear the case; but oh, that would mean listening to the presented information. Also, the 5:30 show, the young man's jaw broken because they jumped him, drunk or not, they should not have gotten away with that. I don't know why people go on her show. She really doesn't listen because she thinks she knows the case before you speak. Why bother.

So I've been called a liar on national TV because the producers told me to write in that dollar amount when I knew it didn't happened and it was wrong. So needless to say I couldn't even bring her back home to sue her due the waivers that I signed and agreed to. So now there was four days of jail I had to spend in it. 2 Man cell with 3 people with one of the men who shot his dad in the head on Christmas. So all-in-all I'm out of potential $5,000 for the ruling. 4 days of my life with a convicted Capital One murderer and two days of Court proceedings before my charges here were dismissed due to the bad arrest. My disappointment was the whole reason I went there was for legitimate causes but the producers asked me to lie and I listened knowing it was against my better judgment so I guess I just shot myself in the foot but I wish my cellmate would have come across her that Christmas day instead.

I went on the show and sure enough-- after eight law firms in Los Angeles told me I would not only NEVER get this guy into court and win, I won my judgment against this road rage motorist and Judge Judy was the only one that was able to do ANYTHING about this psycho. Not only was I able to pay off my medical bills, but also able to expose this driver who hates bicyclists on TV so that if he is out there doing this again-- and I am sure he is, then this 'conviction' will help the next person that needs to bring him to justice for his transgressions much easier.

Judge Judy is the GREATEST and although some of us would not run a courtroom the way that she does, all I can say-- in my case, was she was the ONLY one in the legal community that not only believed in me & got to the 'truth', but also the ONLY one that had the courage and intelligence to do something that helped someone who had been totally shunned by the legal system. She deserves every penny she works for and I hope she lives to be 100 and continues to right the wrongs of the world for as long as she can.

After a lot of thought, I agreed, but didn't think my neighbor would appear on the show. Surprise, He agreed! The producers for Judge Judy, (Sara & Kristen) held my hand through the whole process, told me how it worked and explained I would receive my money if I won my case. They set up EVERYTHING for me. My witness was my son, so he was my travel companion. We could have stayed in Hollywood an extra day at no expense to us, but due to my son's work we just couldn't so our trip was rushed. We ran into a few hiccups on the trip, but nothing major. Either Sara or Kristen was on my phone anytime I had a question or problem. Like I said they held my hand through everything, they were wonderful!!! I feel the motel was extravagant, a lot nicer than needed, but we enjoyed it for 1 night, (they offered 2) and I'm sure my neighbor enjoyed his vacation on someone else's money!

At the Studio we were greeted by security. Security at Judge Judy is much more than any airport! They were very respectful and sweet to us. They rushed us through because my neighbor's cab pulled up, and they never allowed our paths to cross until we were on set. Now we start meeting ALL the people that make Judy Judy's show so great. I'm not good with names, but the man that put our mic's on, came in and made me feel right at home, like an old friend. He got my nerves calmed down joking with me. He was amazing! Then an Attorney, Notary, and others were in and out of the room all very competent and respectful.

Sara & Kristen never left our side. Yes, they looked at all your evidence and tell you what will be best, I had a lot of pictures and because it's a production you don't need to show everything, just the best ones. They do write your statement before your trip, but they bring it to you and ask you to read over it, that is when you can CORRECT it if you don't agree with something they wrote, then you sign it, mine was what I had told them. Yes they inform you it is a SHOW, they deal with Judy every day, they don't want you to waste your time or theirs. They are professionals, they are educated and deal with all sorts of people and personalities.

In my opinion they were helping me, because I was nervous. No tricks, no games, just real people! I took my own make-up, but was thrilled they sent me to Make-up! I might have put my lipstick on my ear, from nerves! Face it, there are some people that just don't know how to put on make-up, so they are really doing it as a favor so you don't look foolish! Then to the set, at 64 I am still learning, I was amazed at how it is all done. When I saw Byrd I was surprised, he is a really big man. I would hate to get on his bad side, but he was a big Teddy-Bear! Very nice man and handsome. When Judge Judy walked out, I nearly fainted, she is such a tiny, beautiful woman, but carries herself with dignity and commands respect! She deserves it, it can't be easy to be fair and put up with some of the nut jobs she has to deal with daily!

Yes, I won my case! Thanks to my neighbor being so arrogant Judy pegged him off the bat, he started off lying and she called him on it quick! Do I have any regrets? Yea, I wanted to show all the evidence I had brought and tell all of my side, but the neighbor talked himself into a hole, so I didn't need to show or say anything!!! Would I ever do it again? Yes! My neighbor will never take care of his property, and there are more rotten trees leaning toward my property, one is aiming at my large shed, so yes I would go back to the show. It would be fun the next time because now I know how it works.

Anyone that say's it's fake or set up is crazy! The people that make that show #1 work really hard, and have to deal with strangers, some good and some just nuts! Even if I had lost my case, I would still feel the same! Judge Judy and Hot Bench are my favorite shows, because you NEVER know what the ruling will be and EVERY case is different! Thanks a million to Judge Judy and her WONDERFUL Staff! Thanks for the experience. You are all #1 and hope the show airs forever. My daughter was pleased to get her rabbit hutch replaced and sends her love to all that made it possible!

Your horrible comments are why there is such a stigma to people who suffer from this disease. Please educate yourself on what someone taking psychotropic medications look like... WOW. Just wow... and we wonder why the world is like it is today. You Judy are part of the problem not the solution... way to make a joke out of an illness that helped lead to my son’s death.

My daughter's case was dismissed, just as we figured it would be, and she now hates the show. She went in like many do... Thinking she'd walk away with money and get to see Hollywood. And that's why people are upset over it. They're going in thinking of court and expecting cash. If you're not a litigant though, you go in to be entertained.

Of course you're going to be told things to say. They even take you through makeup. It's television. Yes she was a judge at one time. Yes she is harsh or maybe narcissistic. That's Hollywood. She's doing what makes the show such a long-running hit. She's doing just what the litigants are told to do... Saying things that keeps the show entertaining. Once my daughter got over her mad, we had a good day out on a sightseeing tour with cash in hand for our meals, a prepaid taxi, a nice free hotel room and the return tickets for the free round trip flight. And she got her appearance fee. Not to mention the free breakfast in our private room at the studio.

The experience one has on the show is directly related to the ideas they went in with. I'm sure the all-expenses paid trip to Hollywood and small appearance fee plays a huge part in one's decision to hold their case on Judge Judy rather than their local court. Why do people make the choice to go on the show, knowing its reputation, then get angry over the outcome? I can't understand that any more than I understand people who voluntarily go on Jerry Springer. At least Judge Judy is cleaner. Maybe it's the alluring glamor of Hollywood overriding common sense. That taste of the limelight.

When people complain, they're complaining about the wrong business. They're complaining about a judge when the business they dealt with was a television show. The studio sign sums it up: HOT Bench. You can't have hot without a fire. Judge Judy's the fire, and the people eat it up so much it's run for 20 years. How many shows can make that claim? Perhaps we should question why the public prefers to watch people voluntarily air their dirty laundry rather than less controversial television. It says more about the state of the human race I guess. So considering the fact that it's a television show and has been popular enough to last 20 years, I'd have to give it 5 stars. Cause as a business, they've done an excellent job at such a long running show.

The worst part of this incident was the dog owner's failure to respond! Their failure was even more insulting due to the fact that they live less than half a block away. This dog owner's failure to address their error is what angered the wife and I, which brought about our actions. We ran our own investigation and successfully discovered the "assailant" and her owner.

Once the dog owner was addressed they failed to accept our request regarding reimbursement of the funds spent for my son's safety. They did not consider anything regarding the incident. Things such as Dr Visits, Rabies shots, and emotional stress.... my ears are still ringing from my wife's screams of fear. Well, the rest of the story will be shared on The Judge Judy Show soon.... just keep watching! PS... Thank you Sarah for allowing the opportunity to take part on this show.

The producers are interested in two things: 1: Good TV and 2: Not having to pay anything for it. It's not in their interest to pay out claims so they will put in phrases that THEY KNOW Judy will rule against so that they get good tv, make you look dumb and confused, and don't have to pay you any of their claims budget.

If you do foolishly decide to go on the Judge Judy show then make sure that your statement is airtight - nothing false, nothing juicy. The producer will complain and say "Well this is a tv show, the case isn't interesting if we don't talk about XYZ." My mistake was letting them put in "juicy" details about the case that weren't all that true but I figured oh well, they're just trying to make good tv. Judy seized on one particular sentence and used it to decide against me before the case even started, despite the mountain of evidence I came prepared with.

Unfortunately if you fight them on the statement beforehand, they may insist on changing it anyway due to the "We need to make an interesting tv show" reason and subtly or blatantly threaten you with charging you for your airfare/hotel room if you refuse to sign their statement. My advice in this case is to not go on the show in the first place, but if you must then make sure you *record* your conversation with the producer on the phone when they read you your final statement to make sure they don't change it on you. They will not provide you with any copies so you have no choice but to be sneaky about it.

Judy is not a judge, she's just playing one on tv. She used to be a judge 30 years or so ago, now she is an arbitrator who chooses to wear a funny looking black robe. The agreement you sign specifically says she "is not bound to California or any other law, and can use her own judgment and common sense to make her decision." Think about that for a long while - your evidence does not matter. Your legal agreements do not matter. The facts don't matter. The reason you think you are right does not matter, even if it's unbelievably obvious to any person with two brain cells. Judy can do whatever she wants. She's not bound to any laws, and there is no appeals process once you go there. You're stuck with her ridiculous verdict.

Judy is a narcissist. This is obvious to anyone who watches the show but the reason why it affects you is that she will not listen to reason if it conflicts with her sense of self-righteous infallibility. In my case, she misunderstood something from the statement. She confused some of the dates (understandable, because the producers' jazzed up statement was poorly written) and from her logic I wasn't owed money because an agreement ended at a certain time. However I explained the date she used was wrong, it was actually several months later and had the documents to prove it. She stuck with her original decision for no reason other than she had made up her mind already. To admit a mistake, despite overwhelming evidence, would have hurt her air of judgely authority so rather than follow the law or fairness, she sided with her narcissism.

Judy is old and possibly losing some of her mental capacity. The producers told me on several occasions that Judy is old and losing her hearing so I would have to speak very loudly. Personally I believe her eyes and memory are going as well: I submitted a document to her and she started her "I don't believe this is real!" routine and said it was because there was no company name on it. I didn't have it in my hand but from memory I pointed out where I thought the company name was printed and she looked at it again, likely saw her mistake, then just glared at me and put the paper aside and moved onto the next thing. Rather than say "Oh ok, maybe this is real" she chose to continue in her ignorance rather than look wrong, at my expense. This problem worked in tandem with the previous point - her old eyes betrayed her and her narcissism caused her to double down on her initial bad decision.

Later she was going over damages I was owed. She called out some numbers that matched my invoices to someone working there. I assumed she was making a tally of how much damages were owed to me. It was quiet for a few minutes as she went through different documents. Then out of nowhere she stands up and said "Your case is dismissed." What about all those damages you were just tallying? I was in such shock and confusion that I didn't have time to ask as she left. The producers weren't even sure if I won or lost the case based on her conflicting statements. This of course was edited out of the show when it aired.

The producers also lied and said they would send a letter when the show would air. They didn't; I found out from family members who happened to be watching that day. The producers' jobs are to pretend to be on your side and convince you that you will win your case. They are liars - that is their job. To take your real life case and turn it into a sensationalized version that ideally pays you zero and makes a good tv episode.

DO NOT GO ON. You may think you can outsmart them. I thought my case was foolproof. Your interests are not their interests. They are not interested in the law or fairness. If you are the defendant then you might as well go on because they will pay your bill if you lose in exchange for a little berating by Judy. But if you are a plaintiff and if you are right at all, do not go on this show.

"Judge" Judy does not hear your case, refuses to look at evidence that would support your case and dismisses whatever suits her at the moment. She is truly a horrible horrible human being and should not be allowed to continue with this farce of a court show! PLEASE DO NOT FALL for the lies the producers will tell you. On the day of the taping you will soon realize (and much to your dismay it will be too late) that you have been tricked and have made a mistake in agreeing to appear there. Read all the reviews before me. They are authentic. I know because I've been there, done that, experienced it for myself and have immense regret. Please don't make the same mistake I made. I can't change what happened to me but I hope it will stop you from experiencing the same. Do your homework. I wish I had!

First off, remember the golden rule and never go into ANY court room with dirty hands or think that you are smart enough to lie to ANY judge - especially Judge Judy. Judges are professionals who see liars and scam artists every day and can see right through them. Real Justice is about determining the truth - not "the best liar wins." After reading many of the negative reviews on this website, I wonder if many of these reviews are from people who violated these golden rules. My case "RV Trip from Hell" was a simple case of a breach of contract that would have taken about 2 years to resolve in Cook County, Illinois, but I had it resolved on the Judge Judy show within 2 months. I was prepared to settle the case with the defendant for 1/2 of what I was awarded by Judge Judy, but I was dealing with a stubborn defendant who was non-responsive. I was very happy with the outcome and received my award settlement promptly.

The 4 pieces of advice that I can give to future litigants is: Don't go on the show with dirty hands or thinking that you can lie your way out of it because you will probably lose, probably get embarrassed on national television, and end up posting a negative review on a website in retaliation. A mistake that I made was that I incorrectly assumed that Judge Judy already knew all the facts in the case (which she didn't) and I incorrectly relied on her to confront him about his inaccuracies instead of confronting him myself. For example, the defendant said that he was NOT operating a business, when in fact he was operating a business, and to prove it I had a copy of the contract in front of me (with his company name on it), but I didn't introduce it. So be prepared to battle just like in a real court room.

I went into this show grounded, knowing my place, and respectfully understood that this is Judge Judy's Show - not my show. Other than my family & friends, 9 million people are watching to see HER, not me. For example, in the green room at the studio, we met 2 people from Chicago who had their case heard just before mine. Later that evening, we ran into them at O'Hare Airport in Chicago and they told us that Judge Judy threw their case out because the daughter was mouthing off too much and wouldn't listen to Judge Judy's instructions. Their case never made it to television because Judge Judy walked away from the case and sent them home. Remember that it is also entertainment, so have a good sense of humor and be prepared to have thick skin. I went into this prepared to be made fun of by Judge Judy and I think that it is hilarious that she said about me: "he is not the brightest bulb in the pack".

They provided airfare to Los Angeles, two days at a first class hotel adjacent to Universal Studios and taxi transportation from LAX to the hotel and the studio and back. They put me at ease, guiding me through the paperwork, preparation for the appearance and a clear explanation of the courtroom procedure. Everything went smoothly. Judge Judith Sheindlin has assembled a thoroughly professional staff that I believe contributes enormously to the program's success. After Byrd brought the court to order, Judge Judy treated me courteously. She asked me questions. I answered and then listened while the plaintiff had her say. I am thrilled to have appeared in Judge Judy's courtroom and will treasure the experience for as long as I live.

We have gotten some hard breaks physically and financially and have had to make many lifestyle adjustments including selling a prized little cottage we owned. We had a tenant that went along with the sale. After closing there was a mind numbing storm of he said, she said. I am an attorney (28 years now) and though I tried to sort things out, ultimately, I welcomed the neutral forum of court and invited the new owners to bring suit, which they did. Shortly thereafter we received a letter from Jonathan, an associate producer of the Hot Bench show which is a newer production of Big Ticket. Jonathan walked us through the screening process and coached us on the preparation of the legal presentation as I am sure was his way of handling other potential litigants.

Eventually, he called to tell us that producers of Hot Bench decided against using our case but upon his recommendation, we were transferred to Judge Judy. We received follow-up contact and preparation from Kurstin, an associate producer of Judge Judy. Both Jonathan and Kurstin emailed certain documents for review and some for e-signature covering what I considered the basics concerning our mutual commitments. They helped us to fully understand of the process, including travel, lodging, transportation, compensation, the mediation process and the legal implications of their mediation process.

Win or lose, I could easily recognize the complexity of the legal side and national television production side of this production. We fully enjoyed the entire process up to and including actually appearing before Judge Judy. We were told that had we lost, the show would cover payment of the judgment and only a notice of dismissal and no judgment would register on the RI State Court filing. These are good things for a defendant. We filed our answer with the RI State Court and forwarded it to Kurstin together with all attachments as well as an outline of the evidence we would present, most of which we also sent to Kurstin. After that, we just followed directions and did exactly what we were told. So efficient with exact instructions and vouchers and name recognition at each milepost, the airport, taxi stands, hotel, taxi drivers, scheduling and production staff.

We arrived very early in the morning, passed through impressive security and security personnel and were almost immediately swept up into the event led into a private green room, meeting with a paralegal about our appearance paperwork and case synopsis, finalizing evidence and other details with Kurstin who personally walked us through everything, yet I knew she had other litigants to tend to with a day full of cases to produce, make up session, miking up with the driest, friendliest gentleman, a question or two I believe from the staff attorney regarding the case, even a surprise visit from Jonathan who came to meet face to face just prior to our appearance.

As an attorney, I believe that there are state courts which would benefit from the preparation and execution techniques employed by Judge Judy to get to the bottom of things. As a student of television (aka, I watch a lot of TV), I was mesmerized by the inside look, especially when led into the courtroom sound stage which is a box inside of a huge warehouse like building. It is perfectly lit, has great acoustics, is cozy and manned with a very active but unimposing group of lighting, sound, camera and other production professionals.

And there is Judge Judy. She carried our file into the courtroom. She held it like she knew it from cover to cover. I believe she did. Just as we were swept up in the preparation process, I believe the Judge was not sitting with her feet up drinking coffee in her chambers. From her first words to the final wave of her hand holding our file, she knew what she was talking about, a testament to what I believe was the simultaneous expert preparation and execution of the mediation and filming of a national television hit.

I am sure it sounds like we prevailed. We did. And it sounds like most who wrote these reviews lost, I am sure they did. The fact that my wife and I prevailed and that these reviewers lost is not on Judge Judy. He makes his sun rise on people whether they are good or evil. He lets fall on them whether they are just or unjust. In fact, the Judge dismissed our counterclaim out of hand. I am watching that tenant remove and take away what I still consider to be my belongings as she moves from that house. But that's part of the justice we received and its final!

There is no doubt that this is Judge Judy's show. Show me a courtroom where the show does not belong to the judge. Yeah, and show me justice that is not tempered or does not in some way appear marginal. I say the Judge is brilliant and balanced and very entertaining even when she ruled against us. And she is well prepared, thanks in large part to a great staff and slick system well executed. She handles little matters like hearsay and relevance in an offhanded and often humorous manner which can be interpreted as some have complained. But this show is not a 30 minute law school class where she is obligated to educate folks as to why what they may be trying to say is useless to her or probably in any courtroom. Finally, our segment aired earlier this month. Even the editing was amazing. There is more, but I want to leave something on the table for others to get at. Thanks to everyone, we had a blast.