from CBS News and AP reports
The family of a Michigan teen is filing a lawsuit against Detroit Judge Kenneth King after he ordered her to be handcuffed for falling asleep in his courtroom.
The lawsuit comes after 15-year-old Eva Goodman was handcuffed while she was on a field trip with a local nonprofit. King noticed her falling asleep and called her out for it. After that, he ordered her to be handcuffed.
The lawsuit claims that King then required her to change into prisoner clothing, jailed her and held a fake trial while streaming the events live.
The lawsuit asserts that King violated Goodman’s constitutional rights.
“I just want Judge King to take accountability for the way that he humiliated my daughter,” said Latoreya Till, Goodman’s mother. “It’s hard for her to sleep at night. She’s asking me, ‘Why did the judge do me like this out of all the kids?’”
“The family is seeking compensation for past, present and future pain and suffering, medical expenses, including psychological and psychiatric treatment, exemplary damages, and attorney and expert witness fees. The lawsuit is seeking $75,000.
King, who works at 36th District Court, initially defended his actions.
“I wanted this to look and feel very real to her, even though there’s probably no real chance of me putting her in jail. That was my own version of ‘Scared Straight,’” King said, referring to a documentary about teen offenders in New Jersey.
Goodman was seeing King’s court as part of a visit organized by The Greening of Detroit, a nonprofit environmental group. During the visit, King noticed the girl falling asleep, WXYZ reported.
“You fall asleep in my courtroom one more time, I’m gonna put you in back, understood?” the judge said, according to video of his remarks.
King then had the girl change into jail clothes and wear handcuffs.
“It was her whole attitude and her whole disposition that disturbed me,” the judge told WXYZ. “I wanted to get through to her, show how serious this is and how you are to conduct yourself inside of a courtroom.”
King has since changed his tune. His attorney, Todd Perkins, issued the following statement on his behalf:
“He is remorseful and sorry if any young person was hurt, as any actions by Judge King would never seek to have that as an intended consequence. He only wants the best outcome for this young person and all young people. She matters. They matter. They are our future.”
“Subjecting a minor to such public humiliation and violating her rights is unconscionable,” said attorney James Harrington of Fieger Law who is representing the family. “Our legal system is built on principles of fairness and respect for all individual rights, and those who violate those rights should be held accountable for their actions.”
“The problem with what this judge did was this was completely outside of the scope of what a judge should be allowed to do within any realm of decency,” Harrington said. “There is zero immunity for what happened in the courtroom on this day. The immunity applies only when the judge is acting as a judge in a court proceeding. This was extracurricular.”
King was temporarily removed from his docket following the incident and will go through training “to address the underlying issues that contributed to this incident,” according to a statement from 36th District Court Chief Judge William McConico.
“This is a very troubling case, and we had a member of our bench berate, humiliate, intimidate and essentially incarcerate a 15-year-old kid,” Harrington said.
Wayne State University, where King worked as an adjunct professor, also announced that it has reassigned two courses that he was scheduled to teach this fall. His profile on the university’s website has also been removed.
In his statement McConico said, “We regularly and actively welcome students to observe and engage with the judicial process, aiming to provide valuable educational experiences and foster familiarity with the justice system. We sincerely hope that this incident does not undermine our longstanding relationships with local schools,” McConico said. “Our thoughts and actions are now with the student and her family, and we are committed to taking these corrective measures to demonstrate that this incident is an isolated occurrence.”
McConico also made it clear that he doesn’t have the power to remove a judge from the bench, but “utilized the authority provided by the Michigan Court Rules to address this situation with the highest level of seriousness and resolve.”
The Greening of Detroit released a statement, saying the “young lady was traumatized.”
“Although the judge was trying to teach a lesson of respect, his methods were unacceptable,” chairperson Marissa Ebersole Wood said. “The group of students should have been simply asked to leave the courtroom if he thought they were disrespectful.”
“There were so many other ways in which to have helped that young girl learn,” said Larry Dubin, a professor at the University of Detroit Mercy law school.
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