A harrowing incident involving a minor student has led to a significant legal battle against several institutions in Louisiana. On November 28, 2024, My Thi Nhu Tran filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against the Jefferson Parish School Board, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, Children’s Hospital, and Louisiana Children’s Medical Center d/b/a LCMC Health.
The case revolves around a distressing event that occurred on December 1, 2023, when a thirteen-year-old honors student at C.T. Janet Elementary School made an offhand remark that was misinterpreted as a threat. Despite school administrators determining there was no credible risk, the child was detained and subsequently transported to a hospital by police and EMS personnel. This action was taken without informing her parents, who have limited English proficiency (LEP), or providing them with language access. The complaint details how the child spent three days under observation at the hospital without any explanation or justification provided to her or her family.
Plaintiffs My Thi Nhu Tran and Tung Duc Vo allege multiple violations of civil rights under U.S.C. §§ 1983 and 1985, including false arrest and imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. They argue that their daughter was unlawfully detained without parental consent or medical justification and that their rights were violated due to inadequate procedural safeguards and discriminatory practices based on national origin. The plaintiffs claim that the defendants conspired to interfere with their civil rights by unlawfully detaining their daughter both at school and later at the hospital.
The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages for emotional distress, financial injuries related to loss of work, medical expenses, legal costs, as well as declaratory relief to address alleged violations of civil rights policies by the defendants. The plaintiffs are represented by attorney Vladimir Thomas from the Law Office of Vladimir Thomas in Gretna, Louisiana. The case is presided over by Judge Donetta W. Ambrose with Magistrate Michael B. North under Case ID: 2:24-cv-02777-DJP-MBN.