But to get his license back, Harris had to pay a fee. Harris applied to the Michigan Secretary of State’s office, the state’s motor vehicle regulator, and paid the $125 fee required to have her license reissued on Monday, a spokesman told The Post.
“You have to go through the process to get your license reinstated. It’s like you have to sign a check for it to be effective,” said Jeffrey Landa, a Michigan attorney who specializes in license reinstatements. “Courts often slip up here and there, so maybe nobody told him. But even if a judge orders the license suspension lifted, it won’t be effective unless he pays the reinstatement fee.”
Harris did not respond to The Washington Post’s request for comment, so it’s unclear whether she knew about the fees. She told WXYZ that the high-profile incident was “deeply embarrassing” and that she placed the blame on the Saginaw County Friends of the Court, which is tasked with assisting court administrators with custody, parenting time and child support issues.
“It was supposed to have been lifted two years ago but it wasn’t,” he told media, adding: “You always have to double-check behind the workers because they say they’ll do something but then they don’t actually do it.”
Harris’ attorney, Dionne Webster Cox, told WXYZ on Tuesday that Harris is a “law-abiding citizen.”
“Now that we know what’s going on, we are taking steps to resolve the issue,” she told the station.
Harris has deleted his social media accounts since the video went viral, according to WXYZ. “I’ve been assaulted, I’ve been followed, I’ve been laughed at, I’ve been mocked, I’ve been belittled,” he told the station.
The focus began last week after a video of Harris’ May 15 hearing in Washtenaw County’s 14th District Court began circulating on social media. Harris was charged in October with driving on a suspended license, a misdemeanor. But last month, Harris showed up to an online hearing while driving, telling an astonished judge that she was “on her way to the doctor’s office.”
“I’ve looked at his record, and he doesn’t have a license,” Judge Cedric Simpson said in the video. “He has a suspended license, and he’s just driving.”
“I have no idea why he would do that,” Judge Simpson said, revoking Harris’ bail and ordering him to report to the Washtenaw County Jail by 6 p.m. that day.
“I wasn’t thinking about my license being suspended” when he drove off to court, Harris told WXYZ, adding that he was “thinking about getting my wife medical help.”
Nevertheless, the video was aired on television and radio shows. Online, many netizens scrutinized Harris and turned her into a meme. On May 30, Harris was dubbed “Donkey of the Day” on Charlamagne Tha God’s popular radio show, The Breakfast Club.
Then details about his case started to emerge. On Friday, WXYZ published a story saying that Harris’ license suspension had been lifted by a Saginaw County judge in 2022. The outlet also reported that the Michigan Secretary of State’s office had not received the necessary permission from the county’s friend of the court.
On Monday, Charlaman the God retracted his “donkey” comment and apologized to Harris.
“As I’ve told you before on this radio show, there are some professions where there is no room for error. I have to add doctors, surgeons, police officers and now court administrators to that list,” he said. “Because this guy, Corey, had to go to jail and he was disgraced on the internet. He’s now a meme. … I’m sorry.”
On Reddit, some users who were initially critical of Harris have since changed their minds, with one user writing: “Note to self: don’t jump to judgement and don’t make fun of other people’s misfortune.”
Harris is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.
