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# A lesson from the tutor
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/a-lesson-from-the-tutor/
- Published: 2002-11-18T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T00:56:38.000Z
- Author: John Wood
- Tags: Opinion, Marina del Rey, #archive-import

*If the sweater fits, pay for it A Hollywood job, Northridge-style*

A Playa del Rey tutor taught the parents of her pupils a lesson after they refused to pay her bill.

Katie Fisher, a credentialed teacher who works as an after-school tutor, sued Cheri Noda of Marina del Rey, saying Noda refused to pay for Fisher’s services.

“She had been very dependable at first,” explained Fisher, who was paid in cash after each of her first two visits, minus $10 when Noda said she didn’t have change.

Noda had agreed to pay $50 per session for Fisher’s one-hour, twice-weekly sessions with her son and daughter. But after six sessions, Noda had paid only the $90\. On two additional occasions, Noda left notes outside her home apologizing that her children were not available for their scheduled tutoring.

Superior Court Judge John H. Reid, sitting in for an ill Commissioner Donna Groman, ruled against Noda, who did not appear in court, for $260 plus court costs.

Posh Montana Avenue retailer Lori Innes of Giselle must pay Brian Cousins, owner of Suss Design, for a shipment of sweaters delivered October 30, 2001\. “(They) basically stopped payment on this check and then closed the account,” Cousins told the court. “It was very crafty.”

Lori Innes of Giselle did not send a representative to court. Superior Court Judge John H. Reid ruled against the upscale women’s boutique for $958 plus court costs. The judgment amount represented the $848 cost of the sweaters, a $25 fee Cousins paid to his bank when the check bounced and interest accrued over the past year.

A Beverly Hills woman sued her movers last week after they failed to reimburse her for an entertainment center they damaged in August.

Keara Daly, who hired Northridge-based Hollywood Moving & Storage for her move from Santa Monica to Beverly Hills, asked the court to award her $625, the full value of the damaged furniture.

“I was in a different room talking to one of the movers when I heard a loud crash,” said Daly, who had two movers help transport her things. “I guess (the other mover) was assessing how it would be moved.”

Daly said the movers, who did not appear in court, stonewalled her when she tried to collect reimbursement.

“The manager’s response is that he doesn’t have any record (of the move), and that the employee’s been fired,” she said. “It’s the most bizarre story.”

“I just wanted to reach some agreement with them,” added Daly. Superior Court Judge John H. Reid ruled against the movers for $356 plus court costs, the estimated amount it will cost to repair the damaged entertainment center.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 18, 2002.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/111802.pdf?ref=smdp.com)