Although plaintiffs often show up to small claims court with a stack of papers and expect the judge to take time to read through and make sense of disparate documents, Santa Monica Superior Court Judge Ed Schaffer wasn’t in the mood for organizing someone else’s case.
Schaffer recently heard the case of Kevin Kirkley, who sued Alex Reazl, owner of Auto Depot, for repairs to a 1999 Audi that Kirkley purchased in May for $14,800.
Kirkley, who was seeking $4,723, said the car suffered a myriad of problems beginning two days after he purchased it, but said the dealer refused to honor his six-month, 5,000-mile warranty.
“You’ll be going 65 and (the car) will just shut off,” Kirkley said, adding that he experienced problems with the airbags, stereo, spare tire and other parts of the car.
But because Kirkley didn’t present the judge with a clear presentation of the costs he’d incurred, and which portions he felt Reazl should be responsible for, Judge Schaffer pushed Kirkley’s case back in the day to allow Kirkley to compile the necessary data.
“People expect us to do everything,” the judge later said, adding that it detracts from the strength of their cases while holding up other matters before the court.
In the end, Judge Schaffer awarded the car buyer $1,900, plus court costs, nearly $3,000 less than Kirkley’s original claim.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 14, 2002. Read the original PDF.