I got a call from the producer of Judge Judy.  They wanted to know if I would be willing to come on the show.  Last month I filed a small claims against Stacy.  It was only a $1,000 laptop, and if she had asked me nicely, I would have considered meeting her half way.  The fact that she blatantly kept the laptop without making any efforts to pay me was dishonest.  And everytime I called her, she came up with some excuse.  My only action would to be file a small claims in Brooklyn.

Judge Judy wanted to know if Stacy and I would be willing to settle our matters on TV.

If I won, they would pay the settlement.  So there was nothing for Stacy to lose but public shame.

But it was clearly not a gift. I never intended it to be a gift. And I even had emails from her acknowledging that it was not a gift.

The day of the mediation at the NY Peace Institute, I informed the mediator that I had asked Stacy to hold on to the macbook, but I did not give it to her.

“Why did you let her hold onto it?” the mediator asked

“Because I was going to a 10-day training with a trucking company, and I didn’t want it to be stolen.”

“Why did you trust her with the laptop?” the mediator continued.

“Because she was a good friend – very reliable. And I liked her.”

“But you know friendship and relationship don’t mix,” he added.

“Yeah I know that now. I would never give a friend such an expensive gift.”

She claimed that it was a gift.  But I had emails to show that she knew it was not.  An email showing that she planned to pay me back.  But her actions didn’t match her words.

We agreed that she would purchase it from me for $500 – half of what it’s worth.

After the mediation, I went to shake her hand.

Stacy pulled away.

“Let bygones be bygones.”

“No way, not after this.”

“What you say we go down the street to the O’Keefe’s for a drink.”

“Look if we’re every going to have a relationship, we can’t be taking each other to court. That’s not a good start.”

“I hear you, and I hope this will be the last time.”