PHILADELPHIA -- A federal judge has dismissed the suit of a man who charged an armored car company was to blame for his becoming insane after he found $1.2 million, kept the money and later was arrested for theft.
Joey Coyle, acquitted of criminal charges, sued Purolator Armored Inc. of Piscataway, N.J., charging the firm with negligence for not properly securing the money, but a federal judge ruled his mental injuries were caused by Coyle's own 'weak' character.
U.S. District Court Judge John Hannum dismissed Coyle's $20,000 suit against Purolator Monday, but his decision was not released until Tuesday.
Coyle, 30, found two sacks of money on the street Feb. 26, 1981. He never denied taking the money and was arrested in New York by FBI agents a week later when he tried to flee the country with $105,000. He allegedly spent $196,000 of the money in a six-day spree before his arrest.
Coyle's attorney, Harold Kane, filed suit in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court last April asking for minimum damages of $20,000. The suit later was transferred to federal court because the matter crossed state lines.
