In one of her most poignant cases, TV personality Judge Judy, whose real name is Judith Susan Sheindlin, was shocked by the complexities of Filipino family dynamics and the sacrifices made by Filipinos abroad, particularly in the United States.

At the center of this gripping story is 45-year-old Thomas Lowe, who claims to have met his 23-year-old Filipino wife, Arlene, through an international dating magazine. Lowe alleges that his spouse incurred substantial charges in long-distance phone calls back to the Philippines during their relationship, which ultimately ended in divorce. Now, he seeks recompense for these phone bills.

During her signature no-nonsense questioning, Judge Judy uncovered that the plaintiff and defendant engaged in a long-distance relationship for some time before deciding to get married, even before they met in person in the Philippines. This correspondence began when Arlene was just 20 years old.

Arlene contended that Mr. Lowe had promised to resolve all her visa-related concerns before her move to the United States.

Commenting on the significant age gap between the couple, Judge Judy wryly remarked to the plaintiff, “Well, you should have been older and wiser, sir,” before adding, “Because the thrust of your complaint is that she ran up phone bills in the amount of $3,400 to her mother,” to which the plaintiff affirmed.

Arlene, however, objected, explaining, “But he used my mom. Before that, he told my mom and my sister, because she’s working with him.” Judge Judy then clarified that Arlene’s family was working with Mr. Lowe, revealing that he operated a “correspondence” business in the Philippines, which, as he eventually admitted, was essentially a “romance international” or dating business. This confession elicited laughter from the courtroom audience, though the judge remained unamused.

Through Arlene’s testimony, Judge Judy discovered that the plaintiff had consented to his ex-wife making collect calls to the Philippines since her mother managed Mr. Lowe’s business there.

When asked how Mr. Lowe reacted to the mounting phone bills, the Filipina confirmed her ex-husband did complain, stating, “Yeah, but I pay for the phone bills. When I started working. Then he told me, I didn’t pay for it. The first salary that I got from here, I pay for his phone bill. He doesn’t give me any money.”

Mr. Lowe argued that he had merely asked his ex-wife to cover her own international phone bills. However, through Judge Judy’s meticulous questioning, it became apparent that Mr. Lowe had been exploiting his ex-wife for money.

“Mr. Lowe, he married a baby,” Judge Judy declared, adding, “This looks like a May-December romance.”

Judge Judy then addressed Mr. Lowe, saying, “Your child-bride called her mother a lot. Or her mother called her. She evidently needed to talk to her family, very far away from her family. That’s what happens when you marry somebody very young.”

The mood shifted dramatically when Judge Judy discovered the intricacies of Filipino family dynamics and the burdens and sacrifices Arlene had endured while working in the U.S. to support her family and send her sister to school. The judge was visibly taken aback, remarking, “They’re supposed to take care of themselves!”

“Because you married somebody who had an extra couple of bucks, that doesn’t make your family in the Philippines your financial responsibility,” the judge emphasized.

However, Arlene clarified that she had never asked her ex-husband for support in caring for her family back home, asserting, “I didn’t tell him to have a responsibility for my family. I told him I have to send my sister to school. That’s my responsibility.”

Visibly shocked, Judge Judy inquired, “Why do you have to send your sister to school?” to which Arlene explained the Filipino cultural value of caring for one’s family.

Arlene then disclosed that her ex-husband had lied to immigration authorities to bring her to the U.S. and had made promises to persuade her to stay with him.

“I gave all my first salary. I told him, did I ask you for any money from your salary? I didn’t even touch your money. Even if we have a joint account,” Arlene testified tearfully.

Judge Judy also learned that, apart from the phone bill dispute, Arlene was grappling with visa-related issues.

“Do you want to stay in the United States, or do you want to return to the Philippines?” the judge inquired.

“I don’t know if I can survive. Maybe I can survive because I work two jobs,” Arlene replied, wiping away her tears. She also explained that she sends money to her family while managing her bills, including those for her immigration lawyer, car, and insurance.

After careful deliberation and hearing Arlene’s heartfelt testimony, Judge Judy dismissed the case in favor of the defendant, Arlene Lowe, particularly upon discovering that it was Mr. Lowe who had initiated the divorce proceedings in California.