

A disrobed Maryland judge who ordered a bailiff to remotely shock a defendant in court with a 50,000-volt charge is now being sued on allegations of civil rights violations. While facing a weapons charge, the defendant was acting as his own attorney when then-Charles County Circuit Court Judge Robert Nalley ordered a deputy to remotely engage the man's ankle-bound "stun cuffs" for about five seconds.

Further Reading Judge who ordered man to be shocked must take anger management classes

Courtroom video shows Delvon King—who despite the judge's orders won't stop talking—falling to the ground and screaming in pain during a hearing about what questions should be submitted to prospective jurors. According to the video of the 2014 episode, the judge told the courtroom deputy, "Mr. Sheriff do it, use it."

King then hit the floor and screamed in agony, according to the video.

"All right we're gonna take five and I'll be back," the judge said before he left the courtroom. All the while, King was on the ground and moaning.

"During this proceeding, Defendant Nalley ordered a deputy sheriff to torture and electrocute Mr. King by activating the 'stun-cuff' Mr. King was wearing," according to the civil federal civil rights lawsuit (PDF) filed Monday. "Defendant Nalley was aware that Mr. King was wearing the stun-cuff and that the activation of same would cause complete incapacitation and extreme pain."

Stun cuffs are often used in courthouses and detention centers to reduce the risk of violence by prisoners and the degree of physical force needed by officers to control them. The cuffs are remotely activated with a transmitter and cost around $1,700. They are about the size of a deck of cards. Some models shock at 80,000 volts.

The authorities said King was wearing a stun cuff because they said he had fled from an earlier court proceeding.

"Mr. King presented no danger to Defendant Nalley or others present in the courtroom, made no aggressive movements or threatening statements, and posed no threat to himself, Defendant Nalley, or anyone in the courtroom," according to the suit. The suit, which seeks more than $5 million in damages, said King, "still suffers from panic attacks and severe anxiety."

Nalley, who pleaded guilty to civil rights violations in connection to King being shocked, was sentenced last year to a year of probation and was ordered to attend anger management classes. King, meanwhile, agreed to a two-year sentence on charges of having a loaded handgun during a police stop.

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