Judge Judy Will Return Expensive China Set After Being Sued

Feisty TV judge settled up with her producer's ex-wife after the woman sued her, claiming her pricey dishware was sold without her consent

By Claudia Rosenbaum, Brandi Fowler Mar 16, 2013 7:46 PMTags
Judge Judy SheindlinBrad Barket /Getty Images

Judge Judy is ponying up a set of expensive china after her producer's ex-wife slapped her with a lawsuit.

Even though she paid producer Randall Douthit $50,000 for the Christofle Mary Bone China, the Judge Judy star has decided to return the pricey dishes to Douthit, who will then give them back to his disgruntled former spouse, Patric Jones…eventually. Jones has stated that the retail price of the china is $514,421.14.

Jones slapped the TV judge with the suit earlier this week, alleging that she didn't consent to the sale of the dishes and claimed Douthit conspired with Judge Judy in order to cut her out of the sale of their community property.

Judge Judy Sheindlin had a different story to tell. 

"This very unpleasant lady doesn't give a hoot about dishes," Sheindlin said in a statement to TMZ. "She cares about pressuring her ex-husband, and the way to do that is to attempt to embarrass me."

"As Ms. Jones and her attorney assert, the items are community property, they are being packed and returned to Mr. Douthit [her producer] and she can proceed with her claim in divorce court."

Meanwhile, Douthit, who said their divorce judge valued the dishware at only $125,000, said he will return the dishes to Jones when he receives a check for $250,000, since Jones valued the china at $500,000 in the proceedings.

Jones' attorney, Perry C. Wander, told E! News he hasn't been notified that Sheindlin is returning the dishes, but said there is a court order in place that requires Douthit to turn over the china to Jones if he receives it (regardless of what he thinks it's worth).

Wander said his client would "gladly" pay Douthit $12,500 for the china set –half of $125,000 minus the $50,000 he received from Judge Judy. But, he says, that's it, adding that the china was not only expensive, but had "sentimental value."

"The sentimental value of this wedding china was that when [Douthit] finally could afford to get it, he got it for [Jones] and she went with her father to pick it out," Wander said. "It was one of the last things that she did with her dad before he died."

Jones had originally demanded the return of the china, $500,000 in punitive damages and court costs in the suit against Sheindlin.