Local residents Frank Warner, Sr. and Larry Hannafin appear on People’s Court.

Local men appear before The People’s Court
By Lindsey Pizzica Rotolo

The People’s Court was made famous—as the highlight of Raymond Babbitt’s day—in the 1988 hit movie, “Rain Man.” While Judge Joseph Wapner is long retired, the show is still going strong in its fourth decade of production, and recently aired a case involving Norfolk resident Allen Trousdale and Colebrook resident Frank Warner, Sr.

Warner, who lived on Maple Avenue for over 20 years before moving to Colebrook a decade ago, has plowed and done other odd jobs for Trousdale the past few years. He watered Trousdale’s newly planted rhododendrons in the summer of 2014 and then plowed his driveway the following winter. Invoices went unpaid, and Trousdale cited plow damage to his new bushes as reason for nonpayment.

“Since I had watered the bushes the previous summer, I was very aware of their location,” says Warner, “and therefore careful to avoid them when I was plowing.” Trousdale, on the other hand, seemed convinced “that Frank had sent over some teenager in a truck with a plow on it without a word of the careful instructions I gave him.” Warner says he noticed that the neighbors were shoveling the snow from their driveway onto the rhododendron location. He told Trousdale he was fairly certain that was the source of the damage, but Trousdale wasn’t convinced.

Warner ultimately decided to enter a small claim in civil court for the $270 owed for nine plowings over the 2014-2015 winter. Trousdale promptly countersued for $250, the replacement cost for the damaged bushes.

A few months later, both men were surprised to receive a letter and contract from The People’s Court, asking them if they would be willing to have their small claims case heard by Judge Marilyn Milian. Trousdale says, “They made a financial offer that was too good to pass up.” Warner was intrigued, but wanted a second opinion, so he took the contract to longtime friend Larry Hannafin for his review.

“The contract was very straightforward, and included $150 for travel expenses to the Fox studio in Stamford, Conn., so I encouraged Frank to do it,” says Hannafin. He accompanied Warner to Stamford on November 11, 2015 for the taping of Case 25-271, “Trying to Snow a Plower,” and was very impressed by the professionalism of the entire operation.

The episode aired on March 2. Judge Milian asked the defendant if Warner told him about the neighbors’ snow placement on the rhododendrons. Trousdale responded, “I don’t remember.” That response, and an inability to prove that Warner actually damaged the bushes, led to Trousdale losing the case.

The People’s Court awarded Warner the $270, plus $150 for travel expenses. Trousdale got back his $90 counterclaim fee, and a limo ride back and forth from Brooklyn to Stamford.

In his post-court hallway interview, Warner said, “Justice was done.” When asked if he had any problems dealing with Trousdale before the disagreement, Warner replied, “He’s never a happy man. You can’t please him.”

Trousdale regrets not pointing out to the judge that Warner, similarly, didn’t have any proof that he did not, in fact, damage the bushes. He says of Judge Milian, “All she had were two allegations without proof which, to maintain consistency, she would have had to dismiss the suit entirely.”

While the basic format for The People’s Court proceedings is the same today as it was in the 1980’s, one new addition to the show is the commentary from investigative reporter Harvey Levin, a former attorney, who conducts offsite interviews of people assembled to watch the proceedings on a monitor just outside the Fox studios.

Levin’s summary of “Trying to Snow a Plower” was, “If you hire somebody to do work, you have to pay… unless you can prove that they didn’t do the job or that they caused damage. That’s pretty much it.”