Man Charged for Paying Bill with Pennies
One has to wonder what kind of country we live in when a man can't pay his medical bills without being arrested for it, but that is exactly what happened to a Utah man who tried to pay his $25.00 bill at a local hospital with twenty-five hundred pennies. Apparently the hospital counter was not conducive to the reception of twenty five hundred pennies and some pennies managed to spill over onto the floor, causing the hospital staff to become upset and call the authorities. The authorities, deciding that such an act of terrorism could not go unpunished, charged the man with disorderly conduct which carries a fine of 14,000 pennies.
In an age where hospitals should just be happy they have individuals who are (at least somewhat) willing to pay them what they owe, it is a shame that individuals are getting arrested for trying to use legal tender to pay their debts. While there is no law that requires businesses to accept any particular form of payment for their services, there is also no law in most states that would allow a man to be arrested for paying a bill in pennies. A quick glance at Utah's statute reveals that it is much like Tennessee's statute in that to be charged with disorderly conduct, an individual must
"create a hazardous or physically offensive condition by any act that serves no legitimate purpose." Under this definition, several objections could be raised to the defendant's arrest in this scenario.
First, dumping twenty five hundred pennies somewhere does not create a hazardous condition unless you dump them on top of someone, in front of moving vehicles, or in a nuclear reactor. Second, there is nothing physically offensive about someone having to pick a few pennies up off the floor. Third, giving someone else several pounds of pennies so that you don't have to lug them around anymore seems like a legitimate purpose. Fourth, the authorities surely have more pressing matters at hand than arresting individuals for creative debt payment ideas.
The moral of this story is that seemingly good people are often arrested and charged for pranks, ill-founded ideas, or other actions that seem innocent but take a wrong turn somewhere. If that has happened to you or a loved one, consult an experienced East Tennessee criminal defense attorney for assistance with your case.
Source: http://www.minnpost.com/businessagenda/2011/06/09/28924/a_pile_of_pennies_does_a_business_have_to_accept_coins
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