http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/06/06/man-pays-medical-bill-with-2500-pennies-gets-140-fine/
Out of 2,500 pennies, this Utah man didn't get one lucky one.
Jason West, 38, of Vernal, Utah, has been charged with disorderly conduct after trying to pay a $25 disputed medical bill entirely in pennies.
West didn't believe he owed Basin Clinic money, so decided to settle an outstanding bill by dumping 2,500 pennies onto the counter, an action that disrupted clinic routine and caused coins to spill across the counter and floor.
Assistant Vernal Police Chief Keith Campbell told the Salt Lake City Deseret News that the incident, "served no legitimate purpose." Do pennies serve any legitimate purpose? At least here they helped prove a point.
But it turns out that West's actions may cost him more than 2,500 pennies: his disorderly conduct citation could cost him up to $140. Is it okay to pay that with 1,400 dimes?
How the hell could this guy get fined for paying a bill with legal US tender? Maybe a lawyer on here knows, but I thought there's a law on the books that says if a creditor refuses legal US tender as payment, then the debt is considered voided.
My condo complex tried to pull this crap once, and I did the exact same thing. I pay some of my utility bills through my monthly HOA fees, so the amount fluctuates each month. About a year ago, they put letters on everyone's doors whose balances weren't up to date saying everyone's account needed to be brought to zero, and I had been carrying a negative balance of something ridiculous of something like $1.83 for a few months. I talked to the HOA manager and asked if I could just add it to next month's dues since it'd be ridiculous to take the time of writing out a check for that amount, and he insisted it had to be taken care of by such and such a date or I'd be considered in default. So, I grabbed 183 pennies out of my change jar at home and took it to the front desk in a plastic bag. The girl whined when she saw what I was doing, but whatever...it was legal tender, just like in this case.
Edit: Crap, meant to say cited in the subject, not arrested.
Out of 2,500 pennies, this Utah man didn't get one lucky one.
Jason West, 38, of Vernal, Utah, has been charged with disorderly conduct after trying to pay a $25 disputed medical bill entirely in pennies.
West didn't believe he owed Basin Clinic money, so decided to settle an outstanding bill by dumping 2,500 pennies onto the counter, an action that disrupted clinic routine and caused coins to spill across the counter and floor.
Assistant Vernal Police Chief Keith Campbell told the Salt Lake City Deseret News that the incident, "served no legitimate purpose." Do pennies serve any legitimate purpose? At least here they helped prove a point.
But it turns out that West's actions may cost him more than 2,500 pennies: his disorderly conduct citation could cost him up to $140. Is it okay to pay that with 1,400 dimes?
How the hell could this guy get fined for paying a bill with legal US tender? Maybe a lawyer on here knows, but I thought there's a law on the books that says if a creditor refuses legal US tender as payment, then the debt is considered voided.
My condo complex tried to pull this crap once, and I did the exact same thing. I pay some of my utility bills through my monthly HOA fees, so the amount fluctuates each month. About a year ago, they put letters on everyone's doors whose balances weren't up to date saying everyone's account needed to be brought to zero, and I had been carrying a negative balance of something ridiculous of something like $1.83 for a few months. I talked to the HOA manager and asked if I could just add it to next month's dues since it'd be ridiculous to take the time of writing out a check for that amount, and he insisted it had to be taken care of by such and such a date or I'd be considered in default. So, I grabbed 183 pennies out of my change jar at home and took it to the front desk in a plastic bag. The girl whined when she saw what I was doing, but whatever...it was legal tender, just like in this case.
Edit: Crap, meant to say cited in the subject, not arrested.
