Cool and Unusual Punishment | Tragic Comedy

Scott Hardie | December 9, 2002
In the news: In Roxbury, Massachusetts, an 18 year old man was in court on charges of disorderly conduct and trespassing at the high school. When the judge reprimanded him, it wasn't for breaking the law -- it was for embarrassing his mother and making her take a day off from work to appear at the courthouse. The judge asked the kid, "What does your mother do for you?" The kid answered slowly, "Laundry, cooks, everything, I guess." The judge replied, "And you embarrass her here today? You ought to be ashamed of yourself." Then he asked the mother what her favorite restaurant was. Surprised by the question, she answered, "Legal Sea Foods." The judge then told the kid that he wasn't going to have to pay the $100 fine to the court -- instead, he had to take his mother to lunch at Legal Sea Foods. He told her to eat well and told the boy to tip well. They did as they were told and went to lunch, where she ordered crab legs and two appetizers, and her son paid the bill. Afterwards, the kid brought the $90.34 receipt back to the judge, who let him go.