Family suing judge who put teen in handcuffs for falling asleep in court during field trip

By Sara Powers

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    Michigan (WWJ) — 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 the courtroom.

“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 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.

According to the lawsuit, Goodman was participating in a vocational program through a nonprofit that employed teens to plant trees throughout Detroit and taught them how to succeed in the workforce.

“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.”

King’s 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.”

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