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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;gatzdon, post: 282916, member: 8247&quot;]Just Carl, </p><p><br /></p><p>In certain cities, if you ever file a small claims case, you will be contacted by these shows.&nbsp; The package I received indicated that if I choose to go on the show, that it is the same as binding arbitration (not in those words though).&nbsp; The benefit is that the uncertainty about collecting the judgement is eliminated as the show pays it.&nbsp; For a defendant, this is a win-win situation.&nbsp; For a plaintiff, this can be iffy as the judges are clearly biased and don&#039;t follow the same rules as a normal courtroom (you will often see judgements based on the &quot;judge&#039;s&quot; opinion and not based on the evidence; although the same can be said of some real judges too).&nbsp; Allegedly if a plaintiff goes this route, there is no appeals process.</p><p><br /></p><p>I&#039;m guessing that when the judge refers to someone&#039;s statement, this is the complaint and the answer.&nbsp; I&#039;m sure that the people on the show are coached to revise their complaint and answer and to help them present a more entertaining case.&nbsp; I don&#039;t know how they handle the shows now, but back in Judge Wopner (spelling??) days, I remember him refusing to hear a case because of a prior business-related relationship with the plaintiff (like an acquaintance or one-time thing, but it was obvious they had not discussed the case ahead of time).[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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