A courtroom cam footage posted by A&E shows 80-year-old defendant Delores Sheinis making Judge John Hurley and everyone at Florida’s Broward County Bond Court laugh with her witty comments, including calling him “sweetheart” and joking about stand-up comedy.
Sheinis appeared in the court for a bond hearing on charges of resisting arrest without violence and “violence of an injunction protection order for domestic violence against her ex-husband,” according to court records.
The courtroom comedy began after Judge Hurley released Sheinis on her own recognizance but ordered that she would be required to wear a GPS ankle monitor to ensure she stays away from her former husband. Additionally, he strictly banned all phone calls, texts, and emails between the former couple.
“Ma’am, you’re getting a second chance on this case. I don’t particularly feel like keeping an 80-year-old woman in jail who has no criminal record,” the judge said.
“Abraham Arthur Sheinis and I have been legally divorced for 31 years, and I have the papers to prove it,” she responded. “We both resided at [beep], and he paid for the apartment entirely. His assumption is, because he paid for the apartment, he’s entitled to do as he pleases. I haven’t bothered him for 31 years. Why would I bother him now?”
Sheinis continued, “I swear to God and all that’s holy on a stack of Bibles, I will never go near him, talk to him, call him, or even look at him.”
Judge Hurley then asked her if she’d ever consider doing stand-up comedy, to which she replied, “Well, if you pay me good money, sweetheart, I’ll be there. I’m really short of funds.”
“Ma’am, I got to tell you something. You seem like you have great wit about you,” Judge Hurley praised the defendant’s humor. “I do, sir. Sweetheart, that’s the only thing I have,” she replied. When the judge said he had not been called “sweetheart” recently, Sheinis asked, “Does that mean you’re taking me for breakfast?”
In the footage, the judge could be laughing at this and then goes on to ask how she thought he did as a judge today. “Not bad, but you could do better,” she said without a flinch. The judge asks, “Can we get a drum roll with this?”
It appears it wasn’t only the attendees at the courtroom who were impressed by Sheinis’ razor-sharp remarks. Viewers in the comments section took a liking to the old woman’s way of dealing with the crisis. A viewer wrote, “She entered the court as a grandma, left the court as a legend.”
Another added, “This was hilarious. She really should be a comedian. Watching the guys try not to laugh was wholesome. She’s sweet and sassy.”
A third viewer showered the judge with praise and wrote, “This is a judge who truly understands the impact of his decisions and makes decisions that are aimed at helping those before him who may need a moment of wisdom to get their lives going the right way again. If we had more judges like him, our lives would be better. Compassion is not a requirement for judges, but it sure makes a positive difference in their decisions. Awesome gentleman!”
“With all the serious issues that court has to deal with, I’m sure this bit of levity helped. I was watching all those men behind her facing the judge that day, and I bet they didn’t expect to laugh. Good on her. I hope her personal issues got resolved and that she has some support. I’m only 60, but I lost my husband a few years ago, and it’s hard to be alone as you get older,” read a separate comment.
Disclaimer: The Inquisitr could not independently verify all details of this incident and is reporting based on information available from law enforcement and other news outlets.
