Indexes
January 8th, 2009
January 7th, 2009
January 6th, 2009
January 5th, 2009
January 3rd, 2009
January 2nd, 2009
January 1st, 2009
The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.
- On global warming and same-sex marriage (178)
- George W. Bush will take a legacy of failure with him (134)
- Another vote against the Supercenter (63)
- Being a Kennedy doesn't make you qualified (27)
- People can find an excuse for doing almost anything (26)
- Lodi City Council sends plan for DeBenedetti Park back to staff for more review (25)
- Regional Roundup (24)
- Wine Country Cardroom in Lodi wants to increase games, hours, tables (23)
- Elm Street eyesore (17)
ADVERTISEMENT
Margie Trevino talks about being on "Judge Joe Brown" on Monday afternoon at the All American Barber Shop in Lodi. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)
TV's 'Judge Joe Brown' settles family dispute for Lodi woman
By Scott Kaul
News-Sentinel Staff Writer
Updated: Tuesday, January 30, 2007 6:50 AM PSTNews-Sentinel Staff Writer
Margie Trevino took a whirlwind trip to Los Angeles last week to appear on the syndicated court show "Judge Joe Brown" in the hopes of settling a family dispute.
Trevino, a Lodi resident and owner of All American Barber Shop on Lodi Avenue, had filed a small claims lawsuit against her niece. The dispute arose after Trevino co-signed for a car loan for her niece, Somber Melendez.
Payments on the vehicle eventually stopped.
"I don't think she took me seriously," said Trevino. "She said, 'Oh, Auntie. I'd never do that.' But of course, she did."
Melendez also owns a barber shop in Lodi that was closed Monday. Repeated phone calls to Melendez's shop went unanswered.
It was one of Trevino's clients, who had appeared on "Judge Joe Brown," that suggested she contact the show.
Almost immediately, Trevino was faxing papers, filling out reports and preparing to travel to Hollywood.
Just days after being selected for the show, Trevino and Melendez were flown to Los Angeles on Jan. 23. They appeared in front of the judge the next day and were flown home, all within 24 hours. Trevino said the whole thing was almost a blur.
"The whole thing happened so fast," Trevino said. "We were in front of the judge for 20 minutes tops."
The usually bubbly and talkative Trevino said she was a "nervous wreck" while standing in front of the judge.
"It's all fine and easy when I'm here behind my chair cutting hair; that's my stage," she said. "But when I'm on someone else's stage, that's different. There are all these eyes peering and cameras everywhere, expecting you to be interesting."
The show provided both litigants with hotel rooms and meals, and each was given a $100 stipend for appearing on the show.
In the end, Trevino was awarded a $3,200 settlement, which the show also paid.
"I think that's the only reason why I could get (Melendez) to go on the show," Trevino said. "They paid for it."
The episode of "Judge Joe Brown" featuring Trevino and Melendez is scheduled to air in May, but the exact date is not yet determined.
Contact reporter Scott Kaul at scottk@lodinews.com.
Judge Joe Brown at a glance
• Born July 5, 1947, in Washington, D.C. and raised in Los Angeles.• Earned law degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1973.
• Became first African-American prosecutor for the city of Memphis in 1978.
• Presided over the final appeal of James Earl Ray, convicted assassin of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1997.
• "Judge Joe Brown" syndicated show premiered by Paramount in 1998.
Source: judgejoebrown.com.
First published: Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Search for Ads 
Today’s Print Ads 
RSS Feeds
Reader Feedback
Lodi girl wrote on Jan 31, 2007 10:22 PM:
nylodian wrote on Jan 31, 2007 7:27 AM:
stkngirl19 wrote on Jan 31, 2007 2:09 AM:
caligirl wrote on Jan 30, 2007 10:29 PM:
David D wrote on Jan 30, 2007 8:20 PM:
From the High Desert wrote on Jan 30, 2007 2:43 PM:
Trevino should have... wrote on Jan 30, 2007 11:58 AM:
well duh wrote on Jan 30, 2007 9:50 AM:
Comments on this story are now closed.