TROY – A bunch of bulls***.

Those four words effectively summarized what happened to a $225,000 settlement Edna Roberts received from a local animal shelter and what she has to pay them back that full amount plus interest after violating the agreement.

During a “debtors examination” at a hearing Monday morning, Brian Wacker, an attorney representing Pets Alone Animal Sanctuary asked Roberts what she bought with the $225,000 she received in the 2021 settlement.

“A bunch of bulls***. I’m sorry, but I did. I mean, I just, I just spent that money on whatever,” Roberts replied.

As Judge David Ash declined to chastise Roberts for using the vulgarity in court, Wacker repeated by asking what she meant by that.

“I don’t know. Maybe I went to the grocery store. Maybe I tried to contribute a little bit to the home,” Roberts said.

After a few more direct questions, Roberts said she didn’t buy anything valued over $500, including a car, while adding she’s never had her name on the title of anything her entire life. She had previously claimed her name isn’t on the deed of the house, has never earned a salary and thus filed a tax return, and has only $300 left of the settlement in the money market account she opened in 2021 for it.

An 8-Year War

The legal battles between PALS, and Roberts date back to 2017 when PALS and its board president, Jennifer Raeker-Bickel, filed separate defamation of character lawsuits against Roberts and several others.

PALS accused them of making false statements to the media and online regarding shelter representatives taking dogs from owners’ yards and readopting them in order to generate revenue.

While Roberts and the other defendants won that case, PALS and Bickel filed other suits, including an appeal.

Roberts and two other defendants, Carol Wieman and Megan Pruitt, filed a countersuit in 2020 for malicious prosecution and the day before the case went to trial in 2021, agreed to a settlement that included payouts from PALS’ insurance company and Bickel.

However, PALS and Bickel contend Roberts violated the settlement agreement by disparaging the group in Facebook messages to a private individual, and filed a lawsuit in 2022 for breach of contract. Roberts defied a court order requiring her to turn over two years worth of Facebook messages. Consequently, at a July 2 hearing, citing that defiance, Judge Ash ruled in favor of PALS, ordering Roberts to return the original settlement along with 9 percent interest, court and lawyer fees, totaling more than $275K.

Since that ruling, Roberts had continued to defy and ignore court orders to turn over financial records, and consequently, according to Wacker, multiple attorneys representing her withdrew.

As a result, Wacker initially requested a “body attachment,” resulting in Roberts’ arrest for contempt of a court order and left her in custody until she complied with it.

“There is nothing that I can possibly provide to the court other than that potential attachment, which Your Honor’s order did say will occur without compliance, that can compel Ms. Roberts to comply with the court’s order and provide what has been ordered of her with respect to her means to satisfy the judgment,” Wacker said. “So again, it is not, we’re not happy to be here to ask for that remedy, Your Honor, that I believe is the only remedy that can ultimately compel Ms. Roberts to comply.”

Debtor’s Examination

With that threat hanging in the air, Roberts took the stand and under oath, complied with the debtor’s examination while also providing copies of vehicles registered under her husband’s name.

In the end, Roberts claimed she would pay the settlement if she could.

“I mean, I have no problem paying that to PALS Animal Shelter,” she said. “I am not some criminal.”