Detroit judge is sued after putting teen in handcuffs, jail clothes during field trip

DETROIT– Lawyers for a teenager who ordered in prison garb and handcuffs filed a lawsuit against a judge during a field trip to a Detroit courthouse on Wednesday, accusing him of humiliation, wrongful arrest and wrongful detention.

It is the latest fallout since Judge Kenneth King criticized 15-year-old Eva Goodman for falling asleep and misbehaving when she visited the 36th District Courthouse on Aug. 13.

King was relieved of his courtroom duties last week until he completes his training, which has not yet begun.

His actions were “extreme and outrageous and calculated to cause fear and severe emotional distress,” according to the lawsuit, which seeks more than $75,000.

Goodman was on a field trip led by a nonprofit organization, The Greening of Detroit, when she fell asleep. Her mother later said she may have been tired because they have no permanent address.

King said it was her attitude that led to the prison garb, handcuffs and stern words — all broadcast on livestreamed video from his courtroom. He also threatened her with juvenile detention in front of her peers before releasing her.

King “acted as producer, announcer, complaining witness, arresting officer, fact-finding investigator, judge, and disciplinarian,” attorneys Gary Felty Jr. and James Harrington said in the lawsuit.

A request for comment from King’s attorney was not immediately returned Wednesday.

“I wanted this to look and feel very real for her, even though the chances of me putting her in jail are slim,” King told a television station last week.

The teen’s mother, Latoreya Till, called the judge a “big bully.”

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