Judge Judy has solved a legal battle over a small dog by letting it loose in the courtroom and seeing who it wanted to be with.
A clip of the unorthodox ruling originally aired in 2012, but has found a new audience after it was uploaded to YouTube earlier this week - being viewed more than 3.6 million times in just two days.
The defendant in the case claims she bought the dog, Baby Boy, outside a mall. The plaintiff says it was his dog originally, and was stolen from him.
In a scene some have compared to the ending of Disney film Air Bud, Judge Judy decides to settle the case by letting the dog choose.
The crowd gasped and 'awwwed' at the cute canine, before Judge Judy asked for the dog to be put on the ground.
"Madam, listen to me carefully - put the dog down. Put the dog down."
Baby Boy immediately ran to his original owner, disappointing the defendant.
"That's all. Take the dog home," Judge Judy tells the plaintiff, thrilled to be reunited with his "child".
"That's what happens you buy a dog for $50 in front of the mall. This means everything in the world to me," he said afterwards. "Thank you Judge Judy - you're not so mean after all."
The defendant was unrepentant, saying she paid for Baby Boy, so the dog's hers.
"I just bought the dog from a girl who said she had a pit bull, and the pit bull was trying to eat it," she said."
Judge Judy has been on the air since 1996, and after nearly 6000 episodes it's still one of the highest-rated shows in the US.
Newshub.
