A Michigan judge who had a 15-year-old girl handcuffed on a field trip to his courthouse has been demoted upon his return to court.
Judge Kenneth King has returned to courtroom duties following his suspension in August after he ordered 15-year-old Eva Goodman into jail clothing and handcuffs while she was on a field trip in Detroit, Michigan.
King is now being sued for $75,000 by Goodman and her family and is accused of violating her civil rights.
Judge King holds ‘no reservations’ for his actions and believes he acted in such a way to teach the children a valuable lesson
He ordered 15-year-old Eva Goodman into jail clothing and handcuffs while she was on a field trip in Detroit, Michigan
The teen was also threatened with time in a juvenile center, because she fell asleep in the courthouse and the judge believed she was showing ‘attitude’ while she was an informational trip organized by the nonprofit organization she works for, the Greening of Detroit.
Her mother, Latoreya Till, told Detroit Free Press: ‘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.’
Footage of the incident, caught on the court’s live stream, captured the moment King raised his voice to wake her up and said, ‘You fall asleep in my courtroom one more time, I’m gonna put you in the back, understood?’
Judge King then ordered the teen be handcuffed and threatened her with juvenile detention in front of the field trip group, saying: ‘I’m gonna go to sleep tonight while you’re sitting in the juvenile detention facilities.’
He also told the group: ‘One thing you’ll learn about my courtroom, is that I am not a toy, I am not to be played with.’
Till explained that the teen was likely tired due to her family not currently having a permanent place to live, as well as Goodman’s job at the nonprofit organization keeping her busy, reported Detroit Free Press.
She added: ‘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 was on a trip organized by the non-profit organization she works with, Greening of Detroit
King ordered the teen into handcuffs and a jail uniform after she fell asleep in his courtroom and displayed ‘attitude’ according to the judge
Goodman’s mother, Latoreya Till, said their living situation contributed to the teen falling asleep in the courtroom and the judge’s actions only made her feel worse
The judge later told WXYZ-TV: ‘That’s not something that normally happens but I felt compelled to do it because I didn’t like the child’s attitude… I haven’t been disrespected like that in a very long time.’
He also told the outlet that he realistically wasn’t going to put her in any juvenile detention center, saying he wouldn’t want to do that to a kid on a field trip, but easily could have.
A week later, her mother says she continues to struggle going outside or interacting with anyone outside of their family as well as struggling to sleep at night, according to the New York Post.
Her mother told WXYZ-TV through tears that the treatment of her daughter was belittling, she added that the judge telling her to sleep in her bed and not in the courtroom only made her daughter feel worse about their family’s living situation.
Judge King has returned from his suspension with a demotion after his ‘extreme and outrageous’ discipline toward a teen on a field trip
Till said her daughter ‘gets good grades, she don’t get into no problems’ and had barely gone outside and struggled to sleep since the incident
Goodman and her family are now suing the judge for $75,000 for ‘violating her civil rights’
King said: ‘That’s not something that normally happens but I felt compelled to do it because I didn’t like the child’s attitude… I haven’t been disrespected like that in a very long time’
King’s actions, according to the lawsuit, were considered ‘extreme and outrageous’ and intended to incite fear and emotional distress, reported the outlet.
The 36th District Court Chief Judge William McConico said King had resumed his duties after attending mandatory social-emotional training, reported the Telegraph.
The nonprofit’s chairman, Marissa Wood, released a statement to WXYZ-TV saying: ‘Although the judge was trying to teach a lesson of respect, his methods were unacceptable…the young lady was traumatized by the judge’s unnecessary disciplinary treatment and scolding.’
King’s return to work also came with a demotion where he would no longer be handling major felony hearings but instead working in the traffic division, handling speeding tickets, reported the outlet.
McConico also explained in a statement that he wasn’t able to remove King from the bench, although the temporary suspension and training were approved by the State Court Administrative Office.
King made no comment regarding his return other than he was ‘glad to be back’.
According to WXYZ-TV, he has ‘no reservations’ and does not think he was ‘heavy-handed’, saying actions were his way of helping children not be in his courtroom later in life.
He added: ‘That was my own version of scared straight.’
Till made it clear she didn’t think her daughter needed to be taught any lessons, and further said: ‘My baby’s been struggling, but she been holding on tight, she’s been going to school, she get good grades, she don’t get into no problems.’
King reportedly reached out to the family and offered mentorship to Goodman, which was declined.
Goodman’s mother set up a GoFundMe in August following the incident with a goal of $1,000 that has currently received over 200 donations.
