DETROIT – A 15-year-old girl, who is currently without a stable home, is suing a Detroit judge after he had her detained, put in handcuffs, and forced to wear a jail uniform just for falling asleep during a courtroom field trip.

The girl, Eva Goodman, and her mother initiated a federal lawsuit on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan against Judge Kenneth King of the 36th District Court. They assert that he violated her civil rights by acting beyond his authority when he detained her, yelled at her, and threatened her with incarceration.

“The facts clearly indicate that an adult was unnecessarily disturbed by a young girl, who he misjudged as a delinquent. In reality, she is a vulnerable teenager confronting a traumatic past during a previous court instance, which led to her shutting down during this recent event,” the lawsuit contends.

Eva and her mother, Latoreya Till, are being represented by attorneys James Harrington and Gary Felty from Fieger Law. Besides suing King, they are also taking legal action against the private security firm and two unidentified court officers present in King’s courtroom.

“This has been incredibly tough. Eva is afraid to go outside,” said Till during a press conference. Although her daughter was at the firm during the announcement, she chose not to speak.

“I want Judge King to acknowledge the humiliation he caused my daughter. I believe he owes her a public apology and much more than just that.”

Judge Temporarily Removed from Duties

King has not yet replied to requests for comments. However, he defended his actions in a prior conversation with the Detroit Free Press and acknowledged that legal action might follow. He has also mentioned receiving death threats.

Chief Judge William McConico has since temporarily removed King from hearing cases until he undergoes relevant training. McConico did not specify the duration of King’s absence from the docket, which is the schedule determining what cases judges will handle.

The training has been described as “vital to addressing the fundamental issues that contributed to this incident.”

During his absence, King will continue receiving his salary, which is reported to be nearly $170,000 annually according to a 2023 analysis by Michigan’s legislature.

Additionally, Wayne State University in Detroit has recently assigned King to temporary leave from two classes he was scheduled to teach in the fall.

Video Reveals Judge’s Interaction With Students

During a field trip on August 13, Goodman visited King’s courtroom with a nonprofit group. her mother mentioned that Eva was unaware of the trip beforehand and had never experienced being in a courtroom.

Initially, the group observed a hearing concerning a murder charge. The lawsuit claims that witnessing the proceedings triggered a traumatic memory for Goodman, leading her to “shut down” and subsequently fall asleep. Lawyers chose not to elaborate further on this event.

Between hearings, King interacted with the students, and prior video footage showed him pass his robe to a young man sitting in the judge’s chair, while he spoke. Upon noticing Goodman sleeping, he yelled at her to wake up.

After seeing her dozing off again, he ordered her to be taken away.

Goodman later recounted to her mother that court staff had her change into a jail outfit. She removed her hoodie but refused to take off other clothing, as per the lawsuit. After getting into the green jail uniform, they placed her in a solitary holding cell and secured her with handcuffs. Goodman informed her mother that there was a camera in the room and that she was all alone.

About two hours later, King summoned Goodman back to court. Video evidence shows him standing and berating her about being disrespectful, asking if she wanted to go to jail. A lawyer that King summoned to represent Goodman was present during this exchange.

The teenager reportedly felt fatigued and did not fully grasp the gravity of the circumstances.

Till later spoke to the Free Press, explaining that her daughter was exhausted due to the family lacking a stable living situation and that they had gone to bed late the night prior to Goodman appearing in King’s courtroom. King subsequently asked Goodman’s classmates to raise their hands to vote on whether to allow her to go free or to send her to jail.

Amidst nervous laughter, the majority agreed that he should be lenient, as shown in the video.

Lawsuit Claims Breach of Constitutional Rights

The lawsuit details a series of claimed violations of constitutional rights. This includes unreasonable searches and seizures, detention without due process, being forced to provide self-incriminating evidence, not having the option to select a preferred attorney, and being shielded from “cruel and unusual punishment.”

Harrington and Felty argue that King lacked the authority to detain Goodman, emphasizing that she was never charged with an offense. Even if he tried to charge her with contempt of court, the lawsuit claims that King exceeded his authority by disregarding the norms that stipulate when and how a judge can utilize contempt powers.

Importantly, the lawsuit notes that King was not in the midst of any court proceedings when he detained Goodman. He previously told the Free Press that court is in session anytime he is present in his courtroom. The lawsuit states, “(King) was acting as a teacher, not a judge when (Goodman) fell asleep, and Court was not active because there was no pending proceeding.”

Typically, judges benefit from immunity that protects them from lawsuits arising from their courtroom actions. However, Harrington contends that King’s behavior occurred outside of his judicial role.

“I can assure you with absolute certainty that there is no immunity for what transpired in court on that day,” Harrington stated. “Eva wasn’t a participant in the case. She wasn’t a litigant, witness, lawyer, or court officer. She was just there on a field trip.”

This reasoning also applies to the court officials mentioned in the lawsuit. Harrington and Felty assert that they acted improperly by adhering to unlawful orders.

The lawsuit further claims that King improperly compelled Goodman to disclose her name, age, and other private details during a proceeding streamed online.

The lawsuit seeks over $75,000 for each of the eight alleged violations.

Contact Dave Boucher at dboucher@freepress.com and follow him on X @Dave_Boucher1.