A Michigan judge is facing a lawsuit after he ordered a teenager to wear handcuffs and a jail uniform for falling asleep in his courtroom during a field trip, per NBC News.
On Wednesday (August 21), a lawsuit was filed on behalf of the 15-year-old girl, who was visiting Detroit’s 36th District Court with Greening of Detroit, an environmental non-profit, earlier this month when Judge Kenneth King ordered her to put on a jail jumpsuit and handcuffs.
The lawsuit accuses King of malicious prosecution, false arrest, and false imprisonment among other allegations.
“This is a very troubling case,” James Harrington, one of the lawyers who filed the suit, said in a statement. “We had a member of our bench denigrate, humiliate, intimidate, and essentially incarcerate a 15-year-old kid.”
During the courtroom field trip, the 15-year-old teen “unintentionally expressed her disinterest in the proceedings by nodding off,” the lawsuit states. King then “publicly berated and humiliated” the teen, describing her as a juvenile delinquent, according to the suit.
The teen apologized before falling asleep again. The suit states King told her to use the bathroom “because of what he had in store for her.”
When the girl returned to the courtroom, she was ordered to put on a jail uniform and handcuffs and taken to a holding cell, where she was left for hours, according to the lawsuit. King held a mock trial with her peers and threatened to send the teen to a juvenile detention center.
The teenager’s mom said her daughter was tired during the field trip because her family had been jumping between housing.
Following an investigation, King was removed from his docket. Court officials also said King would have to undergo mandatory training.
The lawsuit seeks compensation for mental anguish, humiliation, and medical treatment.
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