Taking the Court to Court : Plaintiff in TV Trial Sues Show for $1,500

A Van Nuys plumber and electrician is taking “People’s Court” to Small Claims Court.

Louis De George, 62, who sued his apartment manager on the television show, has filed a lawsuit charging that the show’s producers conned him into appearing on the show by promising him $1,500, which was never delivered.

De George said he agreed to argue his case in a television studio rather than in a courtroom because he was told that he would receive $250 plus the $1,500 in damages he was seeking--whether or not Judge Joseph Wapner, who presides over the televised court-like proceedings, ruled in his favor.

On taping day, Wapner ruled that De George had insufficient evidence to prove that his apartment manager’s 11-year-old son smashed the rear-view mirror on De George’s pickup truck. De George received only a $250 appearance fee.

“They cheated me. They conned me into appearing on the program,” De George said. “I was only willing to appear because they guaranteed me $1,500. I never would have appeared on that show and made a fool out of myself . . . for a chintzy $250.”

Philip Vandervort, “People’s Court” associate producer, said Ralph Edwards Productions, the show’s producers, will fight the case in court--but not on television.

Vandervort would not comment on the specifics of De George’s appearance. But he said that before episodes are taped, payment policies are clearly explained to the participants.

The suit, which was filed Friday, is scheduled to be heard July 18 in Los Angeles Municipal Court.

De George said he has a tape recording of the message that a “People’s Court” researcher left on his answering machine when initially contacting him about appearing on the show. “People’s Court” researchers scan all small claims lawsuits in Los Angeles County in search of interesting cases. Plaintiffs who appear on the show agree not to pursue their actions in regular court.

On the tape, the researcher says the program will guarantee the $1,500 “as well as” a $250 fee. The researcher, Richard Velasquez, no longer works for the television show.

Enticed by Message

De George said he was enticed by that message to go on the show. In the ensuing meetings he had with program staff members, he said, “no one ever said I had to win the suit to get the $1,500.”

“I thought I had a sure win,” De George added.

Vandervort said the producers pay the damages sought in the lawsuits if Wapner, a retired Los Angeles Superior Court judge, rules in the plaintiff’s favor. Otherwise, the plaintiff, like the defendant, receives only a $250 appearance fee, he said.

Money is only guaranteed if a plaintiff wins on the show, Vandervort said. Then the settlement is paid directly by the show’s producers. The plaintiff does not have to worry about collecting from the defendant, he said.

In the eight years “People’s Court” has been on the air, Vandervort said, none of the thousands of litigants who have appeared on the show have ever complained that the show’s policy is misleading.

“We’re very aware that this is a litigious society,” Vandervort said. “Before going on the show, the participants get a packet of information where everything is clearly outlined to the nth degree. The contracts have been gone over and over by lawyers.”