CAMPUS BRIEFS: Friday, February 21, 1997

Bicycle lawsuit set for April 16 court date Kim Song Suy, a former Community College of Philadelphia student, filed the complaint against Officer John Newton in September 1994. In February 1996, Suy, represented by attorney Peter Gardner, filed a civil action lawsuit against Newton and the University, claiming $50,000 in punitive damages as fair compensation for the incident. The complaint accuses the University of "negligence, gross negligence, recklessness, carelessness and wantonness" in training and supervising its police force. Newton "committed an assault and battery upon [Suy] without provocation," according to the civil action complaint. The trial is scheduled to be heard in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. University spokesperson Ken Wildes said Penn is "aware" of the lawsuit and "we are defending it vigorously." He declined to comment further on the matter. The incident allegedly started when a different officer stopped Suy at the top of the 38th Street bridge and ordered him to slow down. Suy said the officer had not informed him of rules banning the use of bicycles on Locust Walk. The ban, approved by University Council in 1992, prohibits bicycles from Locust, Smith and Hamilton walks during the day. At the bottom of the bridge, Newton allegedly knocked Suy off his bicycle onto the asphalt. Suy was treated at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania for minor arm wounds after the incident. -- Ali Feen