Penny Offense: Man Fined For Paying With Pennies

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

Legal question- must pennies be accpeted? Sure, they're inconvenient, and nobody wants to deal with them, but isn't legal tender, legal tender?

news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20110606/od_yblog_upshot/penny-offense-man-fined-for-paying-fee-in-pennies

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.

[Deleted]

I saw this. Understand the guy's feelings. As far as I know pennies are still money.......

[Deleted]

I will say, though, when the banks were being tortured over no qualify loans by the "penny" people, that really pissed me off, and had bad consequences. Maybe I should think twice..........

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

I did some legal research on this once (because I was annoyed and wanted to pay someone in pennies) and it turns out that, for the most part, pennies can be rejected.

I was rather disappointed.

[EVT1]

I thought that United States currency was legal tender for all debts. Some businesses or governmental agencies say that they will only accept checks, money orders or credit cards as payment, and others will only accept currency notes in denominations of $20 or smaller. Isn't this illegal?

The pertinent portion of law that applies to your question is the Coinage Act of 1965, specifically Section 31 U.S.C. 5103, entitled "Legal tender," which states: "United States coins and currency (including Federal reserve notes and circulating notes of Federal reserve banks and national banks) are legal tender for all debts, public charges, taxes, and dues."

This statute means that all United States money as identified above are a valid and legal offer of payment for debts when tendered to a creditor. There is, however, no Federal statute mandating that a private business, a person or an organization must accept currency or coins as for payment for goods and/or services. Private businesses are free to develop their own policies on whether or not to accept cash unless there is a State law which says otherwise. For example, a bus line may prohibit payment of fares in pennies or dollar bills. In addition, movie theaters, convenience stores and gas stations may refuse to accept large denomination currency (usually notes above $20) as a matter of policy.]
www.treasury.gov/resource-center/faqs/Currency/Pages/legal-tender.aspx

I think it would depend on policy- if there is no policy and you show up to pay a debt it would be wise for them not to refuse payment.

I remember reading about a real estate closing where one of the parties showed up with cash and the other party refused to accept thereby breaching the contract.

[floridayankee]

While US currency/coins are legal tender for all debts, public charges, taxes and dues, there is no federal statute mandating a person or business to even accept cash of any kind.
Cashless businesses slowly catch on

We had a driver come in with payment for an invoice he had delivered. The payment included $110 in unrolled (and uncounted) quarters. He was still fairly new so I cut him a break...this time. I told him if he ever accepts that much unrolled change again, he better stop at the bank before he comes in to my office because I would not accept it again.

[ugonow]

VERNAL, Utah (AP) — A Utah man has been cited on a charge of disorderly conduct after paying for a disputed medical bill with 2,500 pennies.

The Deseret News of Salt Lake City reports Jason West went to Basin Clinic in Vernal on May 27 prepared to dispute an outstanding $25 bill.

Assistant Vernal Police Chief Keith Campbell says that after asking staff members whether they accepted cash, West dumped 2,500 pennies on the counter and demanded that staff count them.

Campbell says the incident upset staff because pennies were strewn about the counter and floor, and West's action served "no legitimate purpose".

Police later issued the 38-year-old West a citation for disorderly conduct. That carries a fine of as much as $140, or 14,000 pennies.



Read more: www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/In-for-a-penny_8975125#ixzz1OajM9DXv

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

Jun 7, 2011 7:11:05 GMT -5 ugonow said:

VERNAL, Utah (AP) — A Utah man has been cited on a charge of disorderly conduct after paying for a disputed medical bill with 2,500 pennies.

The Deseret News of Salt Lake City reports Jason West went to Basin Clinic in Vernal on May 27 prepared to dispute an outstanding $25 bill.

Assistant Vernal Police Chief Keith Campbell says that after asking staff members whether they accepted cash, West dumped 2,500 pennies on the counter and demanded that staff count them.

Campbell says the incident upset staff because pennies were strewn about the counter and floor, and West's action served "no legitimate purpose".

Police later issued the 38-year-old West a citation for disorderly conduct. That carries a fine of as much as $140, or 14,000 pennies.



Read more: www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/In-for-a-penny_8975125#ixzz1OajM9DXv

So, it wasn't merely that he paid with pennies, it was his overall conduct. That does actually make sense. Just because I accept pennies, doesn't mean you can throw them at me, or them all out all over my counter.

[jkapp]

He should pay his police fine in pennies too...

Of course, pretty soon I figure he's going to run out of pennies...

[fairlycrazy23]

Sounds like an A#$@hole

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

Sounds like a guy that's fed up with being abused by a health care system where the "process" is more important than the people.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

When I couldn't pay my bill in pennies, I paid in a nice stack of $1 bills.