Man Tries To Pay Ticket With Pennies, Gets Roughed Up: Lawsuit

ROYAL OAK, MI – A man who tried to pay a traffic fine with pennies says he was roughed up by a pair of officers from the 44th District Court in Royal Oak. On Wednesday, Anthony Sevy, of Royal Oak, has filed a lawsuit against court officers Philip Barach and Harold Marshall in federal court.

Sevy, in his lawsuit, says the court officers assaulted him, unlawfully arrested him, and violated his right to free speech in what he considered a “symbolic protest” in paying an “unjustified” ticket, said his attorney Jonathan R. Marko in a statement.

Sevy went to the District Court on Feb. 13 to pay a ticket, according to the lawsuit. When he tried to pay the ticket for an undisclosed amount in pennies rolled in coin wrappers, Barach and Marshall approached him and told him he had to leave the premises.

They then followed him out of the building. The lawsuit say Barach grabbed Sevy from behind, choked him and then threw him to the ground. During the assault, Sevy defecated on himself, according to the lawsuit. He was then handcuffed and taken to a holding cell.

During the altercation, Sevy suffered head trauma, fright and shock, and was embarrassed by the officers’ actions against him. Marko, in his statement, said the entire incident was caught on video at the court.

The lawsuit does not indicate if Sevy was criminally charged after the altercation or how long he was in custody of the court. Marko did not immediately return a message left for him by Patch seeking further details on the lawsuit.

When contacted by Patch on Wednesday, court administrator Gary Dodge declined to comment on the lawsuit, and referred all questions to Royal Oak city attorney David Gillam. A message left for Gillam was not returned. Dodge also said that Barach and Marshall were not available to discuss the case.

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