Lawyer Sues After Police Take Him to Psych Ward for Smoking on Window Ledge
A trial lawyer who takes cigarette breaks while sitting on his window ledge has sued New York police for taking him to a psych ward because of worries he was suicidal.
Mark Moody’s apartment is on the second floor, and the window ledge is only 12 feet above the ground, the New York Post reports. “If I was going to commit suicide, this would be a pretty dumb place to do it,” the 40-year-old lawyer told the newspaper. “If I jumped from here, I’d just sprain my ankle.”
The incident occurred in August. When police arrived on the scene, Moody refused their demands that he come downstairs, explaining that he was just having a cigarette, according to the story. He was surprised when an officer entered his apartment and forcibly removed him from the window. Moody reports that a hospital psychiatrist apologized and quickly discharged him.
A police spokesman told the Post that Moody was taken to the hospital for observation after officers saw him sitting on the ledge and talking erratically.
The URL for the Post story deems the incident a “pane in the butt.” Moody is seeking $400,000 in damages.
