Hot Bench Judge Yodit Tewolde Legal Advice For Black Women

Sometimes the inevitable is unavoidable, and if you ever find yourself in a sticky situation where you’ve been sued and the law is involved, we’ve got you covered.

Judge Yodit Tewolde is one of three judges who serve on CBS Media Ventures’ Emmy-nominated syndicated court program, Hot Bench. MadameNoire caught up with the stylish lawyer turned judge for insight on what to do if you happen to be facing legal issues during the 2025 CrimeCon event.

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Her first order of business: Do not ignore documents!

“When people get sued and they get those documents where they’re served, people tend to ignore them, and it is important not to ignore the documents,” Judge Yodit told MadameNoire.

“You’ve got to read the documents very carefully. There are deadlines where you need to respond, because if you do not respond, usually the other side will win by default,” she continued. “It’s important that you pay attention to all of the information in the document, and then go consult with a lawyer. You’re not going to be able to Google your way into trying to figure it out and be your own lawyer. Not a good idea.”

Hiring the right lawyer is key.

If you’re being sued, Judge Yodit emphasized that it is imperative to find a lawyer who specializes in whatever it is that you’re up against.

For example, as someone who specializes in criminal defense, she notes that she wouldn’t take on a case that is geared toward personal injury law.

You’d better come with receipts.

“People [also] don’t understand that you need receipts,” Judge Yodit informed. “Whatever you may think is helpful to your case, save it. Gather it. It could be emails, text messages, written notes, or anything on social media that you think may help your defense. Gather that and be able to present it to your attorney. Also, let your attorney speak for you. Don’t try to go and talk to the other side. It’s only going to be harmful to you.”

Avoid this critical mistake. 

If you’re someone who watches Hot Bench, Judge Yodit says you get an inside look at how one can help themselves and avoid finding themselves in court. 

Additionally, she notes that a common mistake many people make is not having things in writing. 

“You don’t need to go get anything formally done. If you have a napkin in front of you and a tube of lipstick, write something down, write the agreement, write as much information as you can,” said Judge Yodit. “That has been very helpful. I know, for a lot of litigants who don’t write things down before they make an agreement with someone, they usually regurgitate sort of the information on what the agreement was in, say, a text message.”

She added, “And that’s important, right? We get to look at the text messages and piece something together, but I think what’s critical is that people don’t get anything in writing. Yes, verbal contracts are a thing, but at that point, it’s harder to prove that what you’re saying is the truth and what they’re saying isn’t.”

Keep it cool, calm, and collected.

Another rule of thumb that Judge Yodit shared with us is to maintain your composure if you ever find yourself in a heated exchange or conflict. 

“You have to stay calm and strategic,” said the Hot Bench judge. “You’ve got to know that anything you do in a heated moment can later be your downfall.

“A lot of neighbors get into altercations, and then you have a situation where you’re now not arguing about offense, but you’re talking about assault, right? Because you’re going over there trying to handle the matter,” Judge Yodit continued.

“I would say, if anything, always try and work things out with whoever it is that you’re having a dispute with. It’s not worth taking the legal route unless you’ve exhausted all possibilities. Never act on impulse. Take a breather, stay strategic, and understand that you should move like you’re being recorded, always. People love to talk about their business online. Let’s not do that, because an easy search of your Instagram, your Twitter, X, whatever it’s called now, can show what your mental state was at the time. It can show carelessness. It can show culpability. It can show all kinds of things. Be mindful of what you share online.”

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