PEOPLES COURT Rothstein v Robinson

PEOPLES COURT: Orthodontist wins case but who paid the bill?

PLAINTIFF JUDGE MARILYN MILIAN DEFENDANT

Alternate titles for this film were "PEOPLES COURT Did orthodontist really tell the judge to SHUT UP?" and "PEOPLES COURT Suing orthodontist wrote Small Claims court book ?" This "Small Claims" Court hearing was filmed November 15, 2007 and aired on April 1, 2008.

The television actual film time was 12 minutes and 33 seconds. Since the maximum YouTube film is 10 minutes I edited the film on MS Movie Maker. My son made a DVD the date the show was aired. However, YouTube will accept only a limited number of formats and DVD is not one of them. I was advised to convert it to a form acceptable to YouTube and *.WMV is one of them. Consequently, I found at www.magicdvdripper.com/ a "ripper" program that would make that conversion and it worked without too much frustration for my efforts. Result: DVD format ---------> *.WMV format.

You might be surprised to know that when the plaintiff wins, as I did, the money Judge Milian awards the winner is paid by the producers of the show. Indeed I received payment in less than two weeks from the time the show was filmed.

The defendants in this case the Robinson family (Peia the patient, and Nicki the mom) were/ are genuinely fine people. Nevertheless, I work hard and do good work so when the family failed to respond to repeated requests for payment I brought the case to the real Small Claims Court in Brooklyn which is where I learned so much that eventually I had enough material to write the book. See http://drted.com/index.html.bak2/book.htm .

Researchers from People's Court routinely comb the court files for interesting cases and send letters to the plaintiff and defendant to ask them if they are interested appearing on People's Court. I knew from the get-go I would win and I believe that the Robinson family knew they would lose (and that if they did the people's court would foot the bill). It was a win-win game for both of us.

Only the producers knew exactly what both our stories were going to be. You would be surprised to see the legal documents that I had to sign before appearing on the show. One of those documents was that I had to acknowledge that even if I lost I could not take the case back to the real small claims court. Judge Milian's verdict was set in stone.

You might ask if People's Court resembles the real Small Claims Court. The answer is yes and no. In People's Court there is a real plaintiff, defendant and judge. who dispenses justice based on the merits of the plaintiff's arguments and the evidence presented.

But, In People's Court, when the plaintiff wins, whatever the amount of money the judge awards is paid by the nice folks who produce the show.

However, in the real Small Claims Court more than 50% of the time it is so difficult to collect (when you don't know how) that you soon abandon all hope of ever collecting. My book focuses on how you collect.

As for the NO, in the real-life Small Claims Court you and the details of your case become known to the judge at the moment you are called to present your case to the judge. The judges never gives you the verdict at the time of the hearing...it is mailed to you. Finally, you are often obliged to present your case to someone other than the judge who tries to get the plaintiff and the defendant to settle.

I strongly recommend using the Small Claims Court where you pay as little as $20 to file a claim and can collect as much as $5000. It is the court for real people i.e. it offers evening hours for folks who work. Justice can be found in this court most of the time. I should however warn you that Its nickname is also "Liars Court" and you can guess why.

You should have your evidence ready to present to the judge and be brief in presenting your case. In my People's Court case the document I gave to the Judge is the document I give to every patient at the end of their consultation-examination, (see it). At the Peoples Court hearing Judge Milian asked to see the "contract" I gave to Mrs. Robinson and it was this Summary of Consultation that revealed that all additional fees were spelled out in detail. Indeed, well prior to the actual hearing I had sent in all pertinent papers in support of my claim that the unpaid fees were truly owed to me.

Go to http://drted.com/index.html.bak2/SccGuides.htm to share some of the most important factors that will help you win (and collect) when you have your day in court.

Dr. Ted Rothstein, Specialist is Orthodontics for Adults and Children and Specialist in Orthodontic Jaw Wiring for weight loss/control, Brooklyn, NY www.drted.com, 718 852 1551. peoples court, small claims court, Dr. Ted Rothstein, Dr. Ted, orthodontist, legal help, Small Claims Court step by step

IMPORTANT POST SCRIPT:

Subject: win-win I would say

The day after Rothstein V Robinson was filmed in People's Court I wrote the following letter to to the Robinson family:

Dear Nicki,

For me it's history...water under the bridge and tomorrow is just over the horizon. All is well that ends well.

Peia and you are always welcome (to come to the office), and If I can help Peia in any way possible the path to my door is clear.

She is very talented and her personality will be one of her greatest assets. Best Wishes, cordially, Dr. Ted

PS: Best wishes to Peia.