Ep 223. The Ultimate Neighbor Fence Dispute!; I Want a 25K Video for Free!

Judge Judy is an American arbitration-based reality court show that tackles real-life disputes among people who have sought out Judge Judy's help in settling their issues. In season 22 episode 223, we witness the ultimate neighbor fence dispute between two parties who have been living side by side for a considerable amount of time.

The first party claims that their neighbor constructed a fence that blocks their access to a 10-foot easement on their property. The easement existed to allow the first party to use a pathway leading to the beach. The neighbor, on the other hand, argues that there was no agreement between the two parties about the shared easement and that the fence he put up was entirely on his property.

As the case proceeds, Judge Judy tries to establish whether there was an agreement between the two parties regarding the shared easement. She goes through both parties' testimonies, and even with evidence presented, it becomes evident that there was never a mutual agreement. Judge Judy then proceeds to focus on the issue at hand- did the neighbor's fence cross over the easement? She uses a blueprint of the properties to establish whether the fence's construction was within the neighbor's property lines.

While examining the map, it becomes clear that the neighbor's fence went over the easement. However, she notices that the first party has built a roof over the easement and has placed a hammock on it, which violates any zoning laws. Judge Judy sternly warns both parties to stop placing any structures on the easement, which is neither of their properties.

The second dispute is brought forth by a young video creator who feels his work was not valued appropriately by the party who hired him. He claims that he was approached by a party to create a promotion video for an event in exchange for $700. However, after completing the project, the party claimed dissatisfaction with the video, and as a result, they only paid the young creator $50.

In a bid to resolve the matter, Judge Judy requests the young video creator to play the said video. After watching it in its entirety, she notes that even if someone is unsatisfied with the work, they should still pay for the service delivered. She orders the party to pay the $700 fee they had agreed on.

The most significant dispute in the episode comes when the young video creator also claims that the party gave his video to someone else, who then used it to market a company on social media. He notes that the company could make up to $25,000 from the video's use, and he should get a share of that profit.

Judge Judy is frank in her assessment of this dispute, noting that the young man's claim holds little water since he only made the video for an event promotion and received his fee for that service. She firmly rejects the notion that he deserves a share of the profit made from the video's other use, stating that he only made the video for the event, and any other use outside of that is not his business.

As the episode comes to a close, Judge Judy reiterates her warning to the parties to end their dispute amicably and, most importantly, to avoid violating any zoning laws. The parties leave the courtroom with a resolution that, although not entirely satisfactory to both sides, provides some form of closure to an ongoing dispute.