Judge Who Handcuffed Teen Girl for Falling Asleep in Courtroom Insists He's Immune from Lawsuit: 'At The End of the Day He Is a Judge'

By
Judge Kenneth King
Judge Kenneth King defends his actions. YouTube

A Detroit judge who handcuffed a teenager for falling asleep in a courtroom has argued for immunity in a federal lawsuit, claiming he was acting in his official judicial capacity.

The incident gained national attention after a 15-year-old girl named Eva Goodman visited Detroit 36th District Court Judge Kenneth King's courtroom on a field trip. There, Goodman was detained by the judge for dozing off in the court, prompting her mother to file a lawsuit alleging multiple violations of constitutional rights, as reported by the Detroit Free Press.

In response, Judge King filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, asserting that his actions, even during a recess, were within his judicial authority. Meanwhile, the plaintiff argued that the judge was acting outside his role when engaging with the girl.

"We believe that he is protected by being a judge and acting as a judge, notwithstanding how people may perceive what he did," Todd Perkins, King's attorney, told the Detroit Free Press. "At the end of the day, he is a judge."

The girl's mother claimed in the suit that the teen was sleepy because the family did not have a place to live at the time and that the homicide case being discussed led her to relive old trauma, causing her to dissociate.

"[King] was acting as teacher, not judge when [Goodman] nodded off, and Court was not in session because there was no proceeding pending," the lawsuit stated, according to the Detroit Free Press.

The case is ongoing and a hearing is scheduled for January 2025.

Originally published on Latin Times.

Tags
Michigan, Judge, Arrested
Join the Discussion
More Law & Society
Trump Mulled Pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell Over Worries She Would 'Say

Trump Considered Pardoning Epstein Accomplice Over Concerns She Would 'Say Anything' About His Relationship With Epstein, Author Claims

Kearra Thomas reportedly said she swerved and crashed

Suspect in Fatal Hit-and-Run Killed in a Separate Car Crash Weeks Later

Trump Epstein Files_04182025_1

Trump Doesn't Want to Release Epstein Files Because People's Lives Will Be 'Destroyed,' Ex-Fox Host Says

SoCal gardener arrested by ICE while working outside medical clinic

ICE Ignored Clinic Staff's Requests for Identification While Detaining Man Inside California Surgery Center, Lawyer Says