Michigan Judge Sued for Jailing Teen Who Nodded Off While Watching in Court
In an amended complaint filed in federal court for the Eastern District of Michigan on December 30, 2024, the mother of a 15-year-old girl accused a state judge of violating the child’s civil rights when he ordered her handcuffed and jailed after she fell asleep in his courtroom.
The incident occurred on August 13, 2024, when the girl was on a summer field trip with a local nonprofit tree-planting group. According to the complaint, the girl, identified as “ELG,” was tired when she began dozing during a court hearing; the family was homeless, and the teen had had trouble sleeping in different locations. Additionally, the group of students had sat in on a homicide hearing before the judge’s planned educational presentation, which brought back traumatic memories of a homicide the girl had witnessed earlier in life, her mom said.
At that point, 36th District Judge Kenneth J. King “publicly berated and humiliated” the teen, calling her a “juvenile delinquent,” the complaint said; he also threatened to send her to a juvenile detention center, which he described with graphic details including feces smeared on the walls. That prompted stinging criticism from the nonprofit that organized the field trip, the Greening of Detroit. Undeterred, King had the girl arrested. She was ordered to put on a jail jumpsuit and handcuffed. Taken to a holding cell, she remained in detention for several hours while King held a mock trial with a jury that included her fellow students.
Making matters worse, the incident was allegedly livestreamed on YouTube from the courtroom and possibly uploaded to the judge’s Facebook page. During the mock trial, the girl was forced to give personal information about herself, violating her right to privacy, the complaint noted. Her mother, Latoreya Till, said that the teen was devastated by the events. “It’s hard for her to sleep at night,” the upset mom declared. “She’s asking me, ‘Why did the judge do me like this, out of all the kids?’”
The suit accuses King of malicious prosecution, false arrest and false imprisonment, along with other allegations. It seeks compensation for mental anguish, humiliation and medical treatment, among more than $75,000 in damages. Gary Felty Jr. and James Harrington, the attorneys representing the teenager, said in the suit that King’s actions were “extreme and outrageous and calculated for the purpose of inflicting fear and severe emotional distress.” Felty also emphasized that King had no judicial immunity in the incident because “court was not in session when the judge violated the teenager’s rights.” See: Till v. King, USDC (E.D. Mich.), Case No. 2:24-cv-12195.
King has served as a judge in the district court since 2006 and is presiding judge of its criminal division. He was removed from his docket and ordered to undergo mandatory training. Officials at Wayne State University, where King is a part-time faculty member, said his classes had been reassigned.
Additonal sources: ABC News, NBC News, New York Times, Washington Post
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Related legal case
Till v. King
| Year | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Cite | USDC (E.D. Mich.), Case No. 2:24-cv-12195 |
| Level | District Court |
| Conclusion | Default |