Woman fined $40,000 for bathroom fight

A St James woman who got into a fight with a co-worker over the use of a bathroom at their workplace, wound up having to pay a $40,000 fine when she appeared in the St James Parish Court on Wednesday.

Monique Maxwell pleaded guilty with explanation to two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm, when her case came up before presiding Judge Kaysha Grant-Pryce. While the date of the incident was not disclosed, the court was told that Maxwell went into a storeroom at her workplace and went to use the bathroom, where the complainant was. Shortly afterward, an argument developed between the two women, during which Maxwell pointed a finger in the complainant's face, then grabbed the complainant's hand, hit her in her face, and kicked her in the stomach.

"I am not guilty with explanation," Maxwell said when asked to enter a plea.

"Nuttin nuh go so, Ma'am. If you are not guilty, we will try the matter," Grant-Pryce responded. "You are alleged to have done some very bad things to somebody else, so you are charged on two counts of assault."

"I am guilty with explanation," Maxwell amended her plea a moment later.

The defendant then told the court that the fight started because she asked the complainant to use a different bathroom at the premises, and that the complainant took offence.

"I was in the bathroom, and she [complainant] was blowing her nose in the sink. There are two bathrooms there, one downstairs and one upstairs. I told her to go to the one downstairs and she went mad and crazy," said Maxwell. "I was seeing my period and she kicked me in the stomach. I even showed the officer the footprint on my uniform. I was bleeding for three weeks straight."

"Today you will pay a fine in relation to one charge, $40,000 or 20 days. In relation to the second count, you are admonished and discharged," Grant-Pryce told Maxwell, in disposing of the case.