On November 29, 2019, at around 4 A.M., Mr. Monroe was returning home from his job
as a card dealer at a casino when he was detained, beaten, and unlawfully arrested by Louisiana State Police. En route to jail, Mr. Monroe suffered a heart attack in the police vehicle. After being booked at the jail, Mr. Monroe was thrown into solitary confinement and left unattended for hours. Upon his release, he was immediately hospitalized for his life-threatening injuries. Mr. Monroe was left permanently disabled from the encounter.

Ms. Alice Monroe overheard the police beating her son, Mr. Monroe, through the phone
during the encounter. After Mr. Monroe was released from jail and hospitalized, his mother remained by his side throughout his stay. The profound stress of the incident caused her to suffer a stroke and she passed away shortly thereafter on April 20, 2020.

The alleged reason for Mr. Monroe’s stop⏤speeding⏤was never pursued. Instead, Mr. Monroe was charged with misdemeanor resisting an officer and battery and convicted at a bench trial. Because of his criminal convictions, Mr. Monroe was barred from suing officers for violation of his civil rights under a federal judge-created rule called the Heck doctrine. Louisiana authorities also permanently revoked his gaming license, the means by which he obtained his livelihood.

Mr. Monroe’s case is emblematic of a broader pattern in the United States of unchecked police violence carried out against civilians, especially Black people. A 2025 report by the U.S. Department of Justice found that Louisiana State Police engaged in a statewide pattern of excessive use of force in violation of the U.S. Constitution. In states such as Louisiana, almost 80% of recorded misconduct allegations result in no recorded discipline against an officer.

What is the legal argument in this case?

This case seeks accountability under international human rights law for survivors and victims of police brutality. It asks the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for a declaration that the human rights of Mr. Monroe and his mother under the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man were violated by his unlawful arrest and beating by Louisiana police and the subsequent failure of Louisiana and federal authorities to hold those police to account.

It also identifies concrete legal reforms the Commission should instruct the United States to enact in order to protect the human rights of people subjected to police brutality. Examples include reducing barriers for private counsel in federal civil rights lawsuits, enforcing public records requests to streamline investigation of civil rights claims, reducing barriers to payouts for civil rights claims, eliminating federal court bars to civil litigation for people with criminal convictions like the Heck doctrine, and creating a nationwide database to track police killings and use of excessive force.

What is the status of this case?

Pending a response from the U.S. government to the petition.

May 14, 2025

Petition filed with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights