British TV show host, Joel Ross once said,
"Never underestimate the power of an angry customer."
Hello and welcome to<i> Case Closed.</i>
I've been dealing with angry customers for years now.
There's always one litigant who walks out of here unhappy.
Oh, well. What can you do?
Let's welcome our first case.
Please bring out the litigants.
Even when you get the urge to evolve,
your prejudice often gets in the way.
Even those of us paying for meditation classes
have a right to demand better service.
Good afternoon and welcome.
Andres, you're suing Maria Lucia.
Tell me why you're suing her
and what you demand to settle this case.
Good afternoon, ma'am.
She's one of my patients and a student at the academy.
I'm suing her for $10,000,
which is the value of three months' worth of sessions.
Plus $8,400 in damages incurred during a session.
I also demand a public apology.
What?
She verbally and physically assaulted one of our teachers.
So you're demanding a total of $18,400.
Yes.
Now tell me the details. What happened?
What does this academy teach?
Tell me more.
Okay, ma'am.
I've been with the academy for ten years now.
The academy offers a number of services.
We've expanded and we now teach hatha and vinyasa yoga.
We recently developed a treatment
based off some techniques I learned in New York.
They're actually just dry movements.
Explain how we ended up.
Many of our patients have experienced some form of trauma.
Emotional, sentimental, or health-related trauma.
This is the service Maria paid for.
Okay.
I brought a video I gave to Production.
-It shows... -The technique.
Right.
Okay, let's see the technique.
<i> Here in [beep] Academy, </i>
<i> we have over ten professors</i> <i> on rotation</i>
<i> so that all of our students</i> <i> can reap multiple benefits.</i>
<i>Lately, we've been implementing</i> <i> this new technique...</i>
<i> which involves dry movement.</i>
<i> The movement may seem</i> <i> sexual at first,</i>
<i> but there's</i> <i> never any sexual contact.</i>
<i> The patient will sit on top</i> <i> as we do the movements.</i>
<i> Through these movements,</i> <i>we seek to open our students up</i>
<i> so we can understand their</i> <i> feelings and gain their trust.</i>
<i> We can cure their anxiety </i>
<i> and improve</i> <i> their emotional wellbeing.</i>
You discovered this technique while living in New York.
Yes.
Okay.
The technique has been a total hit.
We've gotten great feedback from our patients.
They're all happy because they've recovered.
So what happened with the defendant?
Maria started off her first semester just fine.
She missed a few days of treatment,
and when she came back,
she was expecting to be seen by Fernando or myself,
but another teacher attended to her.
He's an experienced teacher.
However, she didn't like him.
He was old!
She didn't like him and behaved totally unreasonably.
She yelled at Jose and started tearing up the room.
She broke crystals, candles...
Did you call the police?
Of course.
I brought the police report with me.
Let me see it.
The total damage was estimated at $8,400.
Was she arrested?
Turns out she was arrested and detained, of course.
She was charged with disorderly conduct
and destruction of property in [beep] Academy.
She entered into a fit of rage,
causing physical damage.
She verbally assaulted one of the teachers.
There was damage to the center's beds, tables,
oil containers, candles, etc.
In addition to the physical damage,
she also caused stress onto the rest of the students.
The damage is estimated at $8,400.
So this is the consent form your students sign
prior to being touched.
Is this your membership contract?
Yes, students must fill it out
prior to receiving services.
It details the hours...
"Membership is $40,000 annually
and can be paid in three installments."
Alright. I see.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
I'd like her to offer the center and our teachers an apology.
She should also pay for damages.
Of course.
She needs to pay $8,400
plus the remainder of her contract.
Her final payment is due.
Okay. How do you respond, Maria Lucia?
Good afternoon, ma'am.
I'm happy to be here,
but I'm not at all happy with this young man.
First, I'd like to explain how I found the academy.
One afternoon, a friend told me about it
and gave me a rave review.
She mentioned that the place was staffed by young men.
We're women over 40.
We don't want to see other men our age.
But why did you seek out this treatment?
For relaxation.
Oh, I see.
I hate getting home all stressed.
I like getting home feeling relaxed.
So once my friend gave me the center's contact info,
I made an appointment that very afternoon.
Andres was the first person I interacted with.
He said the first session was free
since it was a demonstration.
He walked me through the entire center
and showed me their five treatment rooms.
All the men who worked there were handsome and charming.
They all looked like him.
What's not to love?
She was clearly looking for something else.
I had a wonderful first session
and ended up going for three months.
I went on vacation for a month
and when I came back to the center,
I was asked to close my eyes during the session
and remain in a relaxing pose.
I opened my eyes
and suddenly felt these cold, shaky hands touching me.
The man smelled atrocious.
I opened my eyes to look at him
and noticed that the masseur was this old geezer.
Those weren't the hands I was used to.
He had these cold, shaky hands and he smelled awful.
His energy was totally off.
I got scared once I saw him.
I told him to stop touching me,
but the more I kept telling him, the more he touched me!
Seriously, ma'am.
I felt like I'd been raped.
I felt raped!
Because you told him to stop but he kept going.
He kept touching me.
Did he explain why he kept touching you?
No!
He just kept saying he was an expert.
Expert, my foot! He's no expert.
Ma'am, our professor Jose has over 30 years of experience.
In administering these treatments.
Yes, he's been with us for ten years.
I was his apprentice.
No way he's an expert at his age anymore.
I don't know what her problem was.
What happened, then?
Why'd you have such a negative reaction to him?
Because he kept touching me
despite me telling him not to.
I'd had enough, ma'am.
I pushed him and since he's old and feeble, he fell down.
You can imagine the rest.
-So he fell. -Yes.
I got even more furious after he fell.
That's when I started breaking things,
because he got up and continued touching me.
Why didn't you leave the room and seek someone's help?
"Look, I don't want to be with that teacher.
I don't like him."
When I entered the hallway...
You weren't there. You can't talk.
It's only logical to seek assistance
if you're unhappy with the service.
You weren't there!
Should've found someone to help or requested someone else.
-Were you there? -I wasn't.
So you had a temper tantrum.
She had a tantrum!
Did either of you bring a witness?
Why should I have to pay for a $10,000 membership
I'm not going to use?
I shouldn't have to pay for that unless I go back
and begin another semester.
My membership supposedly began on that first visit.
Why should I have to pay for something I'm not using?
You're trying to split up the membership fee.
The total is $40,000.
Why'd he lie to me on that initial tour?
How'd he lie to you?
He lied, ma'am!
How'd he lie?
He made it seem
like only handsome young men worked there.
Where was the old man that day?
You came in the morning. He works evenings.
It says so clearly on the contract.
"Teachers are on rotation in the schedule."
It says so.
You never told me!
It clearly states that there are ten teachers
who are all on rotation.
Did you get around to meeting all ten teachers?
No.
Then your assumption was incorrect.
She never requested any of them.
She's discriminating against our other teachers.
Bring out the plaintiff's witness.
Excuse you?
You're discriminating against our other teachers!
We have teachers of all races and ages.
She's clearly discriminating on the basis of age.
He was an old geezer, ma'am!
I've gotten some of the best massages of my life
from old geezers.
They've got their technique down!
What if it'd been a female teacher?
What would you have done then?
I don't know.
I never had a woman guide the session.
Would that have bothered you?
Pardon?
Would it have bothered you?
I'd need to try it out.
Good afternoon.
Good afternoon, ma'am.
What's your name?
Ana.
You're here in support of the plaintiff, correct?
Yes, I'm here to support my teacher Andres.
I'm a student at the academy.
I used to suffer from low self-esteem,
but over the course of three years, they really helped me.
I've met all of their teachers,
who are all extremely professional.
I never had any issues.
They have teachers of all ages and races on the team.
I never had an issue with that.
I don't know what Mrs. Maria's issue was.
I think she picked the wrong place for "treatment."
She was looking for something else.
In my three years of using their services,
I never ran into any issues.
And you're satisfied with the service you received.
Yes.
Do you know the older gentleman, the defendant...
-He's right there, ma'am. -Oh, that's him?
He looks pretty good for his age.
Until he touches you.
You had sessions with him, right?
Yes.
How are you, Mr. Jose?
-Good afternoon, ma'am. -Good afternoon.
I arrived and noticed she had her eyes closed,
so I started massaging her as normal.
I'm an experienced masseur.
I have over 30 years of experience
and I've been with the academy for 10 years now.
When this woman opened her eyes, she was furious!
She started jumping around and kicking me.
She hit me and pushed me down to the floor!
She claims she kept telling you not to touch her
yet you kept going.
It all happened so quickly.
She opened her eyes
and noticed I was giving her a massage,
I told her to calm down because it was normal.
She didn't give me a chance to react!
She just pushed me!
Come here, Jose.
Come here a sec.
Come closer.
Yes?
Come here!
You smell good!
Thank you, Mr. Jose.
I wanted to sniff you, sir.
The defendant claimed you smelled bad,
but you smell pretty good to me.
Seriously! He smells great.
I'm not lying.
Bring out the defendant's witness.
Have Mr. Lucena come out, too.
-Good afternoon, ma'am. -Good afternoon, ma'am.
What's your name?
Daniela.
You're here in support of the defendant.
Yes.
What's your statement?
I'm the one who told her about the academy.
-You. -Yes.
I'm very sorry about her experience.
I wanted her to receive good service
and come out satisfied.
Unfortunately, she had an incident with Mr. Jose.
I had a similar issue.
How so?
A black woman guided the session.
I didn't mind that she was black,
but I would've preferred a young man like Andres.
What is it that you're really looking for?
I think you women are lost.
You should look into male strip clubs.
You aren't going to find what you're looking for here.
This place is a massage and meditation center.
The thing is, when he gave us a tour,
he introduced us to a team of young men his age.
We never saw men like Mr. Jose there.
What'd you bring with you?
My membership contract.
I wanted you to see how much we're paying
for these services.
I saw the membership contract already.
Yours is identical to the other one
except for a specific clause.
You requested one-hour classes
on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays
with three particular professors.
He never offered me a personalized plan like that.
I spoke to him and we reached an agreement
where I'd pay more for a tailored experience.
Alright, Mr. Lucena.
Something seems strange here.
Yes, these two women are lying to themselves
about their sexuality and their sexual needs.
If they had said,
"I want certain parts of my body
touched by a young man.
I want to feel sensual and sexual to the point of orgasm."
That would've made things different.
But it's inappropriate to go to a meditation center
and demand to be fondled by one of the teachers!
I agree.
They're the ones who lied to themselves.
We were lied to!
No, ladies. You lied to yourselves.
They lied to themselves
because they assumed that's what these services entailed.
They internalized that
and failed to vocalize their requests.
They should've been honest with themselves
and expressed their requests,
to then be fulfilled or denied by discretion of the center.
Right.
There was no sexual contact!
I think you ladies were in search of something
other than just "dry" contact.
We'd end up far from dry.
Your plan backfired.
I rule in your favor.
Pay up!
-You're so unfair, ma'am. -"You're so unfair!"
Seriously!
Maybe the devil will help you appeal the case.
It's final. Case closed.
We're going to take a quick break.
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