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City Lawyer Scoffs At $3 Million Unicycle Lawsuit
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 18, 2011
Modified Mar 18, 2011
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By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 18, 2011
Modified Mar 18, 2011
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Attorneys for the city are determined to roll over a local unicyclist who won't backpedal on a $3 million lawsuit. You'll recall that Kyle Peterson, a professional circus performer, was issued a disorderly conduct ticket in 2007 for riding his unicycle on the sidewalk at 3 a.m. in Bed-Stuy. Peterson—who we assume was out in search of an ass-kicking, not a summons—was undeterred, and he was ticketed yet again in November of last year for the same offense. Days later, he filed a $3 million lawsuit against the city, arguing that although bicycling on sidewalks is illegal, there's no law against unicycling.
And he's right; according to New York Code: "The term 'bicycle' shall mean a two or three wheeled device upon which a person or persons may ride, propelled by human power through a belt, a chain or gears, with such wheels in a tandem or tricycle, except that it shall not include such a device having solid tires and intended for use only on a sidewalk by a child."
But the city has tired of Peterson's suit, and filed a motion to dismiss it this week. "The difference between a bicycle and a unicycle is negligible," city lawyer Vicki Zgodny wrote in the motion, which was obtained by the Daily News. "It goes without saying that a bicycle and a unicycle are capable of traveling at high speeds. The riding of a unicycle should be reserved for the circus, and not the streets of New York City." Gee, it sounds like someone had a traumatic experience with a clown when she was a little girl.
Both of Peterson's summonses were ultimately dismissed, and in an interview with WPIX, he recalled that as one cop wrote him a ticket, the officer reassured him that it would simply be thrown out. "I think the cops should not be issuing tickets they know are bogus to begin with," says the sweet, earnest Peterson. The segment is worth watching for the segue at 1:07 from juggling to reporting:
Tagged
clowns
kyle peterson
lawsuits
unicycle
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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