UPDATE: Teen Sues Detroit Judge Who Detained Her For Falling Asleep In Courtroom During Field Trip

UPDATE: Teen Sues Detroit Judge Who Detained Her For Falling Asleep In Courtroom During Field Trip

Update #2: (Aug. 21, 2024): Detroit judge Kenneth King is facing another repercussion for his questionable actions.

Quick recap: Last week Judge Kenneth King made headlines for berating 15-year-old Eva Goodman after she drifted off to sleep in his courtroom during a field trip with her job, a local non-profit organization called The Greening Project. To make matters worse, Judge King also had the teen change into a prison uniform and handcuffed over the matter. When interviewed by a local station, Judge King stood by his actions, claiming his tactics were his “own version of scared straight” to ensure that minors who visit him don’t come back under more serious circumstances.

However, given the lawsuit he was just hit with, he might now feel a little different. According to reports, Goodman and her mother, Latoreya Till, filed a federal lawsuit today (Aug. 21) against Judge King, claiming he violated the teen’s civil rights by acting outside the scope of his judicial authority when he detained her, yelled at her and threatened to have her placed behind bars for sleeping. The private security services at the court and two unidentified court officers were also named in the suit.

Till previously explained that her daughter struggled to stay awake during the work outing because they’re currently without a permanent home, which has impacted Goodman’s sleeping schedule. Their lawsuit states,

“Common sense and the facts demonstrate that a grown man became rattled by a young girl that he falsely concluded to be and cast as a delinquent, who was actually a fragile teenager forced to attentively face a past trauma during an actual prior court proceeding that had ended, before shutting down during class.”

Judge King has not publically addressed the suit, however, he’s already been (temporarily) removed from the bench.

[VIA]

Update #1: (Aug. 16, 2024): Detroit judge Kenneth King is facing consequences after he handcuffed a teenager, Eva Goodman, and made her wear prison clothes after she fell asleep during her class field trip to his courtroom.

William McConico, the chief judge at 36th District, said in a statement that Judge Kenneth King has been pulled from the bench for the time being so he can have

“necessary training to address the underlying issues that contributed to this incident.”

McConico added that the court,

“remains deeply committed to providing access to justice in an environment free from intimidation or disrespect. The actions of Judge King on August 13th do not reflect this commitment.”

Original Story (Aug. 15, 2024): The mother of a 15-year-old Detroit teenager put in handcuffs during a group trip is calling out the acting judge.

Latoreya Till condemned Judge Kenneth King for placing her daughter in cuffs after she fell asleep in the courtroom earlier this week, arguing that the family’s living situation has greatly impacted the young girl’s life.

Latoreya Till spoke about the matter during a phone interview, claiming that her daughter Eva Goodman is now afraid to return to work and face her peers following the incident. She stated:

“My daughter is hurt. She is feeling scared. She didn’t want to go to work. She feels like as if her peers went against her. She was real nervous and intimidated.”

She added about the family’s current housing situation:

“We have to bounce around currently because we don’t have a permanent address. And so, that particular night, we got in kind of late. And usually, when she goes to work, she’s up and planting trees or being active.”

Eva Goodman works with a local non-profit organization called The Greening Project, which works to improve the “green infrastructure” of the city. On Tuesday (August 12th), Goodman and others associated with the project attended 36th District Judge Kenneth King’s courtroom to watch proceedings and learn from the judge. However, Goodman allegedly fell asleep multiple times, which caused the judge to grow frustrated.

In Video footage, Judge King yelled at Goodman to wake up before claiming she’d be detained if she drifted off again. King then had officers take Goodman outside of the court where she sat for two hours before being allowed to return. The judge furthered the teen’s reprimanding by berating her for falling asleep and threatening jail time. It’s reported that he also asked her coworkers to raise their hands if they felt she should spend time behind bars.

In addition, the teen allegedly had to remove her clothes and put on a green jumpsuit, though it’s clarified no one was present while she undressed.

Judge King reaffirmed his decision in a separate interview, making it clear he doesn’t think he was “heavy-handed,” adding:

“Do I have any reservations?…No, I don’t because I’ll do whatever needs to be done to reach these kids and make sure they don’t end up in front of me. So that was my own version of scared straight.”

Judge Kenneth King

Till went on to state that upon watching footage of the incident herself, she doesn’t feel her daughter was giving King “attitude” as he claimed, and added that Goodman isn’t aware of courtroom etiquette as she’s never been inside one or in trouble.  Till is reportedly exploring legal action against King.

Do you think Judge King was wrong? Tell us in the comments below!

[VIA]