Maryland Man Who Staged Banana Peel Suit to Get Psych Screening

A Washington D.C. judge has ordered a psychological screening for a Maryland man accused of staging a fall on a banana peel in a Metro station elevator.

The screening was ordered Tuesday after a request from an attorney for 42-year-old Maurice Owens of District Heights. Owens sued the transit agency for $15,000, claiming he injured his left leg and hip in a fall at the Potomac Avenue station in August.

Surveillance video shows Owens dropping a banana peel, stepping on it as the elevator door opens, then appearing to thrust himself forward and falling to the ground.

The claim against Metro was thrown out, and Owens has been charged with felony second-degree fraud. He is considering a plea deal and is set to return to court Friday.