Bloomfield Hills — Court proceedings are moving forward against a Birmingham homeowner who allowed a raucous pool party to be held at his home and now faces a misdemeanor charge.
Judge Diane D’Agostini of Bloomfield Hills’ 48th District Court on Wednesday morning granted a motion for attorneys representing Alexander Simpson, the homeowner, and the city of Birmingham to examine video footage and police reports related to a June 13 pool party at his residence on Westchester Way. Video and photos show partygoers spilling into the street and dancing provocatively on top of cars.
Simpson, who allegedly let his house be rented for the party, has been charged with a misdemeanor noise ordinance violation, disturbing the peace, breach of peace, gathering of disorderly persons and two counts of use of a private pool, according to court records. Records did not indicate when his next court date is on Wednesday.
He faces 90 days in jail, a $500 fine or both if convicted.
City Attorney Dena Keller told the judge there is “a voluminous amount” of discovery to be done in the case, referencing the amount of video that would have to be examined.
Simpson, who represented himself in court on Wednesday, requested the media not record the hearing to protect himself and his family. He previously claimed his children have been doxxed following the party.
“The recordings have gained national attention,” Simpson said.
D’Agostini denied Simpson’s request and told him he would need to file a request with the court if he wished to bar the media from his court appearances.
Simpson told D’Agostini he would have an attorney represent him at future court dates.
The man who allegedly hosted the pool party, Rodney Harrington, also appeared in court Wednesday. He has been charged with gathering of disorderly persons and two noise ordinance violations.
Simpson is barred from hosting guests through services like Swimply or AirBnB while his case is in litigation. Harrington is barred from renting from these services or hosting events through them.
Simpson has publicly disagreed with how the city has handled the case against him.
mbryan@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Birmingham pool party case moves forward in court
Reporting by Max Bryan, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Max Bryan, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
