News

FIFTH CIRCUIT AFFIRMS CIVIL RIGHTS TRIAL VERDICT OBTAINED BY REID COLLINS RELATED TO POLICING INCIDENT

After a long road that included a trial and two separate appeals, Reid Collins has once again prevailed for client De’Shaun Johnson.

On July 17, 2025, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a Louisiana jury’s $185,000 damages award for De’Shaun’s cruel treatment at the hands of the St. Tammany Parrish Sheriff’s Office.
Mr. Johnson is the son of Teliah Perkins, who was violently arrested at her own home in Slidell, Louisiana in May 2020 in response to a minor traffic violation she did not commit. Reid Collins represents Mr. Johnson and Ms. Perkins pro bono in partnership with the ACLU of Louisiana’s Justice Lab initiative.

On May 5, 2020, officers Kyle Hart and Ryan Moring arrested Ms. Perkins while her son and nephew watched and tried to record the incident on their phones. Hart and Moring tackled Ms. Perkins to the ground and held their body weight on her as she told officers “You’re choking me!” As Johnson started to record the incident on his phone, Deputy Moring stepped in front of him to prevent him from capturing the incident. Moring pushed Mr. Johnson (14 years old at the time) in the chest and aimed his Taser directly at him. When Mr. Johnson objected “You can’t Tase a child,” Deputy Moring responded: “Watch me.”

Since the incident, Mr. Johnson was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and received treatment as a result.

In May 2024, an Eastern District of Louisiana jury, composed of citizens of the greater New Orleans area, awarded Mr. Johnson $185,000 for the intentional infliction of emotional distress by Moring. This marked the first jury trial-to-verdict victory for the ACLU of Louisiana’s Justice Lab (https://aclujusticelab.org/). Reid Collins is proud to be a part of the Justice Lab’s litigation campaign to challenge racially discriminatory policing practices and combat police violence against people of color. Congratulations to our trial team, Partners Keith Cohan and Ryan Goldstein and Associate Emma Culotta, on their ongoing success representing Mr. Johnson.

The case is captioned Teliah C. Perkins et al. v. Kyle Hart et al., U.S.D.C. Eastern District of Louisiana, Civil Action No. 2:21-CV-00879.

Press coverage of the 2024 trial verdict:

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.