Top 10 Craziest Judge Mathis Moments

Defendant Diavionne Brown alleges plaintiff Jamelia Pierce started their online feud by posting pictures of her on social media without her permission. As soon as he sees the evidence, Judge Mathis nearly falls out of his chair and jokes that Pierce should be in jail for broadcasting Brown’s embarrassing wardrobe malfunction. At least, that’s what we can infer it is. The pictures are so revealing that they can’t even be shown on camera without being blurred. While the two former friends keep going back and forth, Mathis can barely keep it together to finish out the case.

Judge Mathis is all for people turning their lives around, but when he feels someone is lying about recovery or sobriety, it really grates on his nerves. In this case, he pointedly accuses the plaintiff Lolita Triche of engaging in certain illicit substances, despite her contention that she’s been sober for years. The behavior she displays in video footage tells the judge otherwise. Her tone with him as she details all her children’s wrongs buries her credibility with him even more. Sometimes, even Judge Mathis’ candor is shocking. But when he feels a litigant doesn’t respect the court, he can be downright hostile. By the end, the plaintiff looks sorry she came.

Kiki Patrick admits she had reservations about dating a man who was over a decade younger than her. However, defendant Ki’Mauri Williams says he broke up with her when he found out she was sending suggestive videos to his friends. Judge Mathis eggs him on. Is there proof? Well, of course, there is. Williams has the videos all queued up to play for the judge. Patrick is mortified, gasping in the courtroom as her ex talks the judge through the videos of her dancing erotically. She defends herself by saying she also sent those videos to her family. This does not exactly help her case.

Plaintiff Elisa Estrada’s petty comments, boasting, and self-aggrandizing statements immediately put the judge off. He doesn’t buy her accusations that her next-door neighbors harassed her at the hospital where she works. Considering they were there with their son who was hit by a car, the fact that Estrada seems convinced they were more concerned about her than their son doesn’t wash with Judge Mathis. He reads her down before dismissing her case. But even after the judge leaves, the drama continues. If they’re willing to say all this with an audience of millions, it makes you wonder what they say off-camera.

A lawsuit over unpaid loans between two former lovers soon turns into a story of unrequited love and some deeply disturbing behavior. While plaintiff Mia Miner admits she may have caught more feelings for defendant Leondrus Knighten III than he caught for her, she also admits she may have taken things too far. A bizarre recording of her making threats over speaker phone even had her jaw on the floor. She has no idea there was a recording, and it makes for a great moment of karmic payback. In a completely unsurprising ending, Miner loses her case.

The judge is known for his good humor, but he’s also known for his way of telling it like it is. When he’s had enough of the lies and arrogance, Judge Mathis will just call a litigant whatever he wants. In this case, the plaintiff sues her ex-boyfriend for credit card charges he never paid back. However, allegations of physical abuse soon emerge. By then, the judge is already tired of the defendant, who clearly isn’t taking the case seriously. But when footage of his abuse is played for the judge, he has no further patience for the man. As the defendant storms out of the courtroom, the applause from the audience was almost deafening.

Judge Mathis has always been sensitive to young people turning to crime. Plaintiff Brandon Davis says he relocated from Oakland to stay with his uncle because he wanted to get away from bad influences, and his parents had passed away. But the situation didn’t turn out well. His uncle immediately threw his weight around and seemed downright abusive for no reason. Judge Mathis struggles to keep his cool throughout the case. He’s literally brought to tears when the defendant tells his nephew their relationship means nothing to him. Years later, it remains one of the cases that affected the judge the most.

Sisters Laura Borden and Rebecca Proehl come into court leveling allegations of substance use disorder, racism, and plain old sisterly jealousy. Clearly, years of resentment are coming out here. Throughout the case, Proehl doesn’t come off too well. She antagonizes her sister like a child, and earns Judge Mathis’ irritation pretty early on. The worst part, though, is when Borden plays voicemails from her sister that are full of profanity and racial slurs. If she doesn’t look terrible enough, when the judge tries to move past her racism to focus on the facts of the case, she says just a little too much.

This one is a seriously unhinged case about unpaid loans between exes and medical bills the plaintiff sustained when his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend stabbed him. But the defendant’s list of offenses is just plain disturbing. She lied to her ex about a miscarriage, only for the child to have survived. The plaintiff finds out during the case that the surviving child is his. And that’s not even the worst thing the defendant’s done. She made threats against the plaintiff’s family, and her current boyfriend violently attacked the plaintiff. Judge Mathis calls her the worst liar he’s ever had in his court. Even that seems like an understatement.

Otis Brister and his ex-friend, Eldrick Steele, bring one of the most “out there” and unforgettable cases ever featured on the show. Brister sued Steele for the cost of his TV, which he claims Steele broke. When he confronted the defendant, the plaintiff was instead met with a swinging bag of hot fried chicken. The boisterous litigants are entertaining from start to finish. Assault is no laughing matter, but given the litigants’ behavior, the circumstances, and the amount of times the word chicken came up during this case, it’s hard not to chuckle. By the end, even the judge can’t believe what he’s hearing.

What’s your favorite “Judge Mathis” moment from over the years? Tell us in the comments.