# Have a defendant and plaintiff on a court show like "Judge Judy" ever conspired to scam the show? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 11, 2012, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-defendant-and-plaintiff-on-a-court-show-like-judge-judy-ever-conspired-to-scam-the-show/643767 "2012-12-11T23:30:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-defendant-and-plaintiff-on-a-court-show-like-judge-judy-ever-conspired-to-scam-the-show/643767/1 "2012-12-11T23:30:19Z")
Basically, have two people ever come up with a story that pretty much guarantees a payment (because my understanding is that the court shows pay the awards, not the defendants), and agreed in advance to split it? ---
**Author:** ![Blakeyrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blakeyrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blakeyrat)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-defendant-and-plaintiff-on-a-court-show-like-judge-judy-ever-conspired-to-scam-the-show/643767/2 "2012-12-11T23:49:04Z")
Wait the _show_ pays the damages? That can’t be right. Both parties sign a (legally-binding) contract guaranteeing they will respect the judge’s opinion and pay the amount decided by the fake TV court. In theory, if one party doesn’t honor their part of the contract, the other party can go to a real Government-run court for breach-of-contract. The show only pays for incidentals related to filming the show. Catering, maybe a hotel room, etc. If this has changed, it’s news to me. To answer the actual question: have two parties ever invented a fake dispute purely to get onto the show? I would say: probably, but none I know of or can find in a quick Google search. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-defendant-and-plaintiff-on-a-court-show-like-judge-judy-ever-conspired-to-scam-the-show/643767/3 "2012-12-12T00:17:22Z")
On the People’s Court both parties were paid an appearance fee. The judgement was subtracted from that fee. No one on that show actually lost any money. I’m sure the clone shows had similar arrangements. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-defendant-and-plaintiff-on-a-court-show-like-judge-judy-ever-conspired-to-scam-the-show/643767/4 "2012-12-12T00:40:44Z")
[Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judge_Judy) says the following: > [@](#): > > Both the plaintiff and the defendant receive $250 (U.S.) for their appearance as well as $35 a day, paid to them by the show. The litigants’ stay lasts for the number of days that the show does taping for that week, which is two or three days. In addition, the airfare (or other means of travel) and hotel expenses of the litigants and their witnesses are covered by the show. If there is an exchange of property, Sheindlin signs an order, and a sheriff or marshal oversees the exchange. The same site also says (bolding added): > [@](#): > > As far as the court cases are concerned, what is seen on Judge Judy is neither staged nor scripted. To acquire cases, the show has 60 to 65 researchers, spread out across the country, going into small claims courts and photocopying cases. The photocopied cases are sent to Judge Judy show producers, who review them all, in search of ones they believe will make for good television. According to the show’s producers, only 3% of the photocopied cases are worthy enough for television.[46] In addition to that, people submit claims to the show via their website or phone number.[47] The producers’ employees then call both parties in advance and ask them questions about their case to make sure it is suitable for Judge Judy. If the parties agree to be on the show and sign a waiver, agreeing that arbitration in Sheindlin’s court is final and cannot be pursued elsewhere (unless she dismisses the lawsuit without prejudice), their case will air on Judge Judy.[48] The award limit on Judge Judy, as on most “syndi-court” shows (and most small claims courts in the U.S.), is $5,000. **The award for each judgment is paid by the producers of the show, from a fund reserved for the purpose**. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-defendant-and-plaintiff-on-a-court-show-like-judge-judy-ever-conspired-to-scam-the-show/643767/5 "2012-12-12T00:51:33Z")
> [@Blakeyrat](#): > > Wait the _show_ pays the damages? That can’t be right.. It’s always been the case. It was even the case in the original Wapner People’s Court show from the beginning. They get stuff from people going through filings in courthouses and also from people emailing the producers about their dispute. The producers might be good at sniffing out fakes and asking for some proof but then again maybe they don’t give a shit if it will be good TV. Either way, I have no doubt that fakers have gotten through. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-defendant-and-plaintiff-on-a-court-show-like-judge-judy-ever-conspired-to-scam-the-show/643767/6 "2012-12-12T01:08:40Z")
Hell, I’m convinced that many reality shows are not what they appear to be, due to injected choreography, suggested comments, and a lot of heavy editing to achieve the end product. That’s why I can’t watch the shit. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-defendant-and-plaintiff-on-a-court-show-like-judge-judy-ever-conspired-to-scam-the-show/643767/7 "2012-12-12T01:43:47Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Hell, I’m convinced that many reality shows are not what they appear to be, due to injected choreography, suggested comments, and a lot of heavy editing to achieve the end product. > > That’s why I can’t watch the shit. Pretty much. For the OP, the chances of it being completely faked are probably less with the researched cases than the ones which are submitted. For some reason, appearing on TV is so exciting for some people that they don’t mind looking like idiots. I wonder if that is more the motive. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-defendant-and-plaintiff-on-a-court-show-like-judge-judy-ever-conspired-to-scam-the-show/643767/8 "2012-12-12T01:47:25Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > For some reason, appearing on TV is so exciting for some people that they don’t mind looking like idiots. I wonder if that is more the motive. They also get an all-expenses-paid trip and cash. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-defendant-and-plaintiff-on-a-court-show-like-judge-judy-ever-conspired-to-scam-the-show/643767/9 "2012-12-12T01:51:52Z")
I don’t know if anyone ever did **exactly** as the OP described (i.e., got on for the express purpose of the money), but back in its infancy, before it was a big name, [Cracked got a prank case on Judge Brown for the lulz](http://www.cracked.com/article_16106_april-fools-special-cracked-gets-judge-joe-brown-show.html). ETA: Video of the episode [Judge Joe Sucker - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpOk20BpqXU&feature=related) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-defendant-and-plaintiff-on-a-court-show-like-judge-judy-ever-conspired-to-scam-the-show/643767/10 "2012-12-12T02:00:35Z")
It would be a little silly to think that no one had ever faked one of these shows. That doesn’t mean they’re all fakes. They don’t use actors, there’s no scripting, but obviously what you see on TV is edited. There may be some coaching by the producers right before the parties go on. But they establish the damages being asked, and don’t award money for things like pain and suffering. Mainly, people get their bills paid for car accidents, back rent, or the cost of a new cell phone. They have to have file small claims cases in the first place, so if there’s any collusion it would happen after the show contacts them. The best bet is for a defendant not to put up a defense in exchange for a portion of an award. But even then the outcome would likely be the same. All in all, like reality shows, and occasionally game shows, there’s something a little different from reality being presented on TV. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-defendant-and-plaintiff-on-a-court-show-like-judge-judy-ever-conspired-to-scam-the-show/643767/11 "2012-12-12T05:54:20Z")
On one show, at least 5 years ago, Judy busted some people for kind of pushing their dispute to get onto the show. IIRC, it was a black woman and a black man. She played a tape of him saying something, and Judy said something to the effect of: “So, he told you if you kept complaining and went to court with it, you could get onto the show, and make some money”. Pretty close to that. ---
**Author:** ![Blakeyrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blakeyrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blakeyrat)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-defendant-and-plaintiff-on-a-court-show-like-judge-judy-ever-conspired-to-scam-the-show/643767/12 "2012-12-12T19:23:16Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > It’s always been the case. It was even the case in the original Wapner People’s Court show from the beginning. > > They get stuff from people going through filings in courthouses and also from people emailing the producers about their dispute. The producers might be good at sniffing out fakes and asking for some proof but then again maybe they don’t give a shit if it will be good TV. Either way, I have no doubt that fakers have gotten through. Ok well I’m an idiot. What’s the whole point then? Why do people look upset when they “lose” when they’re not actually out anything? I don’t think I’ll ever be able to enjoy a court show again knowing that. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-defendant-and-plaintiff-on-a-court-show-like-judge-judy-ever-conspired-to-scam-the-show/643767/13 "2012-12-12T19:29:59Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > They also get an all-expenses-paid trip and cash. On The People’s Court, they took cases from the Los Angeles area, probably to save on flight and boarding expenses. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-defendant-and-plaintiff-on-a-court-show-like-judge-judy-ever-conspired-to-scam-the-show/643767/14 "2012-12-12T19:40:24Z")
> [@Blakeyrat](#): > > What’s the whole point then? Why do people look upset when they “lose” when they’re not actually out anything? I suppose it could be two reasons- one, if the award money comes from the other side’s “bonus”, then the loser actually gets more money, and two, just because I usually get the sense that there is a lot of personal enmity between the two sides on these shows. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-defendant-and-plaintiff-on-a-court-show-like-judge-judy-ever-conspired-to-scam-the-show/643767/15 "2012-12-12T19:44:53Z")
> [@Blakeyrat](#): > > What’s the whole point then? Why do people look upset when they “lose” when they’re not actually out anything? People don’t like to lose. And when there’s an actual dispute, people don’t like the other side to win. There are also a lot counter-claims filed, so they actually do lose something in those cases. And many of the defendents are upset that they’re being sued in the first place. I remembered a Judge Judy episode last night. The defendent was being sued for the value of property he stole. He was recently released from jail. Judge Judy suspected he was trying to assuage his guilt for stealing from someone who had been good to him. He had no defense, and she mentioned he could easily have avoided court. But it was a case where she must have felt that the plaintiff deserved their award. She frequently dimisses cases where the damages seem petty, trivial, or otherwise unworthy. I think her opinion of whether the plaintiff deserves to an award plays a factor since it won’t cost the defendent anything. If I had a legitimate suit I’d go on one of those shows. They guarantee you get paid the award. In real small claims court you get a judgement, which you may or may not be able to collect. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-defendant-and-plaintiff-on-a-court-show-like-judge-judy-ever-conspired-to-scam-the-show/643767/16 "2012-12-12T20:10:35Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > I don’t know if anyone ever did **exactly** as the OP described (i.e., got on for the express purpose of the money), but back in its infancy, before it was a big name, [Cracked got a prank case on Judge Brown for the lulz](http://www.cracked.com/article_16106_april-fools-special-cracked-gets-judge-joe-brown-show.html). > > ETA: Video of the episode [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpOk20BpqXU&feature=related](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpOk20BpqXU&feature=related) That is so awesome. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-defendant-and-plaintiff-on-a-court-show-like-judge-judy-ever-conspired-to-scam-the-show/643767/17 "2012-12-12T20:17:55Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > On The People’s Court, they took cases from the Los Angeles area, probably to save on flight and boarding expenses. I remember watching the very first People’s Court when it was just a local Los Angeles show. The concept was to show people how the courts worked and all of the cases were just typical boring small claims cases. All of the cases came from station employees going to the courthouse, pulling files and calling the litigants and asking them if that wanted to be on TV. Sometimes half of the show would just be Judge Wapner taking questions from the audience. It was unbelievably quaint in retrospect. Of course the most talked about shows were the ones with a bit of drama and crazy litigants which ultimately snowballed into what we have today. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-defendant-and-plaintiff-on-a-court-show-like-judge-judy-ever-conspired-to-scam-the-show/643767/18 "2012-12-12T21:08:32Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > It’s always been the case. It was even the case in the original Wapner People’s Court show from the beginning. > > They get stuff from people going through filings in courthouses and also from people emailing the producers about their dispute. The producers might be good at sniffing out fakes and asking for some proof but then again maybe they don’t give a shit if it will be good TV. Either way, I have no doubt that fakers have gotten through. I’m not a fan of court tv shows, but I can’t see why the producers **should** give a crap about the genuineness of the cases, as long as the litigants’ interaction makes for good television. Judy et al are not paid to fight for justice; they’re there to sell ads. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-defendant-and-plaintiff-on-a-court-show-like-judge-judy-ever-conspired-to-scam-the-show/643767/19 "2012-12-12T21:31:54Z")
I’m sure [Divorce Court](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divorce_Court) was real marriages being dissolved as well. Actually, I just looked it up and the current version of DC actually has real people. The earlier version that I remember growing up were scripted. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-defendant-and-plaintiff-on-a-court-show-like-judge-judy-ever-conspired-to-scam-the-show/643767/20 "2012-12-12T21:34:38Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Of course the most talked about shows were the ones with a bit of drama and crazy litigants which ultimately snowballed into what we have today. Indeed. There’s one that sticks with me to this day. Two young men were suing the owner of a small convenience store. They bought a candy bar at the store and split it between themselves. But the candy bar was crawling with maggots. They were suing for $5000 in pain and suffering, because Eww! Did they have the candy bar with them? Nope, they ate it. Did they have the wrapper? Nope, they threw it out. Did they go to the hospital? Nope, but they felt really gross and whatever. Wapner found in their favor, and awarded them… …50 cents, the price of the candy bar. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-a-defendant-and-plaintiff-on-a-court-show-like-judge-judy-ever-conspired-to-scam-the-show/643767.md?page=2)