Bad Pennies!

Grace

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Jan 29, 2011
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Penny offense: Man fined for paying fee in pennies | The Upshot Yahoo! News

Since when are pennies not legal tender???

No lucky pennies here: Police have charged Jason West, an aggrieved medical patient in Vernal, Utah, with disorderly conduct. His alleged crime? Attempting to pay a disputed medical bill of $25 entirely in pennies.

The story, reported in the Salt Lake City Deseret News, describes the "penny offense" this way: West, 38, did not believe he owed the medical clinic $25 but came in to pay the fee in person. He first asked the clinic staff if the facility accepted cash payments, and then dumped 2,500 pennies onto the counter and demanded that they be counted.
But West apparently hadn't counted on the clinic calling the police; the arresting officer contended that West's protest served "no legitimate purpose." The charge carries a fine that can go as high as $140--and there's no word as yet on what currency West will use to pay it.

West isn't alone in the ranks of penny protesters. A wise guy in Frederick, Maryland, showed up at the county clerk's office last summer with bags of cash to pay off his tax bill with $966.86 in change.

And a New Jersey school district a few years back punished 29 students who paid for their $2 school lunches in pennies--possibly as a prank--with two-day detentions. After parents protested, the students were pardoned. The school explained that the use of the small change slowed down the lunch line.
 
:lol:

My uncle used to own a small gas station. This was back when gas was around 30 cents/gallon.
A man came and got $5 worth of gas and laughed as he handed Dick a 100 dollar bill.
Uncle Dick quietly took the bill into his his office and returned with $95 in rolled coins
:D
(at least they were already rolled)
:lol:
 
:lol:

My uncle used to own a small gas station. This was back when gas was around 30 cents/gallon.
A man came and got $5 worth of gas and laughed as he handed Dick a 100 dollar bill.
Uncle Dick quietly took the bill into his his office and returned with $95 in rolled coins
:D
(at least they were already rolled)
:lol:

On the other side of that "coin" (so to speak), I recently checked out of a parking garage with nothing but a bunch of twenties in my wallet. The charge was three dollars. I handed a twenty to the jerk, apologizing as I did so and telling him all I had was a bunch of twenties. No response. He simply counted out seventeen ones and handed them to me. He had fives and tens in there - he just handed me seventeen ones.

I plan to return to that parking lot - care to guess how I plan to pay the three dollar toll next time?
 
My only complaint with this is that the guy should have rolled the pennies first. Now he's stuck with a $140 fine. He should pay that in wrapped coinage.
 
My only complaint with this is that the guy should have rolled the pennies first. Now he's stuck with a $140 fine. He should pay that in wrapped coinage.
That was the point of his paying the fine in pennies, to give them a hard time collecting it. It's a form of protest. Besides last I heard, pennies are legal tender.
 
Penny offense: Man fined for paying fee in pennies | The Upshot Yahoo! News

Since when are pennies not legal tender???

No lucky pennies here: Police have charged Jason West, an aggrieved medical patient in Vernal, Utah, with disorderly conduct. His alleged crime? Attempting to pay a disputed medical bill of $25 entirely in pennies.

The story, reported in the Salt Lake City Deseret News, describes the "penny offense" this way: West, 38, did not believe he owed the medical clinic $25 but came in to pay the fee in person. He first asked the clinic staff if the facility accepted cash payments, and then dumped 2,500 pennies onto the counter and demanded that they be counted.
But West apparently hadn't counted on the clinic calling the police; the arresting officer contended that West's protest served "no legitimate purpose." The charge carries a fine that can go as high as $140--and there's no word as yet on what currency West will use to pay it.

West isn't alone in the ranks of penny protesters. A wise guy in Frederick, Maryland, showed up at the county clerk's office last summer with bags of cash to pay off his tax bill with $966.86 in change.

And a New Jersey school district a few years back punished 29 students who paid for their $2 school lunches in pennies--possibly as a prank--with two-day detentions. After parents protested, the students were pardoned. The school explained that the use of the small change slowed down the lunch line.

There is no way this ever results in a conviction or requires the payment of any fine. This is not "disorderly conduct" - at least not on the facts as stated in the news article. Now if, in addition to trying to pay with pennies, the guy also spat on the counter or created a public scene or did something else that truly amounted to disorderly conduct, then maybe.

But on the facts as set forth in the article, there is no crime here.
 
Penny offense: Man fined for paying fee in pennies | The Upshot Yahoo! News

Since when are pennies not legal tender???

No lucky pennies here: Police have charged Jason West, an aggrieved medical patient in Vernal, Utah, with disorderly conduct. His alleged crime? Attempting to pay a disputed medical bill of $25 entirely in pennies.

The story, reported in the Salt Lake City Deseret News, describes the "penny offense" this way: West, 38, did not believe he owed the medical clinic $25 but came in to pay the fee in person. He first asked the clinic staff if the facility accepted cash payments, and then dumped 2,500 pennies onto the counter and demanded that they be counted.
But West apparently hadn't counted on the clinic calling the police; the arresting officer contended that West's protest served "no legitimate purpose." The charge carries a fine that can go as high as $140--and there's no word as yet on what currency West will use to pay it.

West isn't alone in the ranks of penny protesters. A wise guy in Frederick, Maryland, showed up at the county clerk's office last summer with bags of cash to pay off his tax bill with $966.86 in change.

And a New Jersey school district a few years back punished 29 students who paid for their $2 school lunches in pennies--possibly as a prank--with two-day detentions. After parents protested, the students were pardoned. The school explained that the use of the small change slowed down the lunch line.

There is no way this ever results in a conviction or requires the payment of any fine. This is not "disorderly conduct" - at least not on the facts as stated in the news article. Now if, in addition to trying to pay with pennies, the guy also spat on the counter or created a public scene or did something else that truly amounted to disorderly conduct, then maybe.

But on the facts as set forth in the article, there is no crime here.

I disagree. The article clearly says he dumped the pennies out on the counter. Who knows what transpired from dumping those pennies out all over the place, or what kind of problems that caused. Did they spill out onto the floor? Did they cause others to have to be delayed while he was being taken care of? I can CLEARLY see where this MIGHT be a non peaceful protest. Unless you believe that non peaceful only applies if things get violent.
 
Yea, I imagine 2500 pennies would make a helluva racket, and I'm sure he wasn't quiet and subdued when he "demanded they be counted"
:D
 
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If I were the clerk who the guy handed the pennies to, I certainly would have accepted payment. Kept him there the entire time that I SLOWLY counted said pennies and wrapped them. Then when I wrote out a receipt for payment I would have shredded it into a million pieces and handed it to the asshole.
 
If I were the clerk who the guy handed the pennies to, I certainly would have accepted payment. Kept him there the entire time that I SLOWLY counted said pennies and wrapped them. Then when I wrote out a receipt for payment I would have shredded it into a million pieces and handed it to the asshole.

Sounds like me. :lol:
 
ha!

when they were making the movie the Hustler, paul newman and jacke gleason played a game of pool for fun and 50 bucks....newman thought he was the shit, jackie cleaned his clock, paul was pissed, he came back the next day with $50 in a sack in nickels and dimes......:lol: true story..;)
 
Penny offense: Man fined for paying fee in pennies | The Upshot Yahoo! News

Since when are pennies not legal tender???

No lucky pennies here: Police have charged Jason West, an aggrieved medical patient in Vernal, Utah, with disorderly conduct. His alleged crime? Attempting to pay a disputed medical bill of $25 entirely in pennies.

The story, reported in the Salt Lake City Deseret News, describes the "penny offense" this way: West, 38, did not believe he owed the medical clinic $25 but came in to pay the fee in person. He first asked the clinic staff if the facility accepted cash payments, and then dumped 2,500 pennies onto the counter and demanded that they be counted.
But West apparently hadn't counted on the clinic calling the police; the arresting officer contended that West's protest served "no legitimate purpose." The charge carries a fine that can go as high as $140--and there's no word as yet on what currency West will use to pay it.

West isn't alone in the ranks of penny protesters. A wise guy in Frederick, Maryland, showed up at the county clerk's office last summer with bags of cash to pay off his tax bill with $966.86 in change.

And a New Jersey school district a few years back punished 29 students who paid for their $2 school lunches in pennies--possibly as a prank--with two-day detentions. After parents protested, the students were pardoned. The school explained that the use of the small change slowed down the lunch line.

There is no way this ever results in a conviction or requires the payment of any fine. This is not "disorderly conduct" - at least not on the facts as stated in the news article. Now if, in addition to trying to pay with pennies, the guy also spat on the counter or created a public scene or did something else that truly amounted to disorderly conduct, then maybe.

But on the facts as set forth in the article, there is no crime here.

That's how I see it. Pennies are legal tender. He could have counted them out one at a time. He should not have placed demands on anyone else.
 
the copper in those older pennies is worth more than our paper money...i'll take being paid in pennies any day of the week!
 

There is no way this ever results in a conviction or requires the payment of any fine. This is not "disorderly conduct" - at least not on the facts as stated in the news article. Now if, in addition to trying to pay with pennies, the guy also spat on the counter or created a public scene or did something else that truly amounted to disorderly conduct, then maybe.

But on the facts as set forth in the article, there is no crime here.

I disagree. The article clearly says he dumped the pennies out on the counter. Who knows what transpired from dumping those pennies out all over the place, or what kind of problems that caused. Did they spill out onto the floor? Did they cause others to have to be delayed while he was being taken care of? I can CLEARLY see where this MIGHT be a non peaceful protest. Unless you believe that non peaceful only applies if things get violent.

OK - yes, if he did something with the pennies as he was paying, such as throw them at someone or fling them wildly about, hitting other patrons, etc. My comment was based on the assumption that all he did was pay with pennies.

You have answered this question for yourself in your post, where you say "who knows" what transpired from dumping the pennies out, etc. You are right - who knows? Until we know, all he did was pay with pennies, and that is not a crime.
 

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