REID COLLINS DEFEATS SUMMARY JUDGMENT MOTION IN LOUISIANA FEDERAL COURT, MOVING PRO BONO DISCRIMINATORY POLICING CIVIL RIGHTS LAWSUIT CLOSER TO TRIAL
On July 26, 2022, Reid Collins obtained a key ruling on behalf of Teliah Perkins, a Black woman from Slidell, Louisiana, who was violently arrested at her own home in response to a minor traffic violation she did not commit. (Reid Collins is representing Ms. Perkins pro bono in partnership with the ACLU of Louisiana’s “Justice Lab” initiative.) The Hon. Wendy B. Vitter of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana denied the bulk of the motion for summary judgment of the defendants, two St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies. The Court held that the deputies are not entitled to qualified immunity on excessive force and First Amendment claims, as the facts and testimony show the violation of multiple, clearly established constitutional rights, including the right to be free from unreasonable force, and the right of a minor child to peacefully record the police in his own driveway without the threat of physical harm.
Click here to view Judge Vitter’s summary judgment opinion.
Click here to view the Perkins complaint.
Click here to learn more about the Justice Lab project.
Click here to see prior Associated Press coverage of the case.
Click here to see Texas Lawyer coverage of the ruling.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.