Four police officers needlessly killed Ryan LeRoux, a 21-year-old African American suffering a mental health crisis, by shooting him 23 times.
The Disability Rights Section of the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division (Civil Rights Division) filed a Statement of Interest supporting the lawsuit against the Montgomery County Police (MCPD) for the death of Ryan LeRoux. Attorneys Kobie Flowers and Eve Hill filed the lawsuit on behalf of Ryan’s parents. Kobie and Eve are partners with Brown Goldstein & Levy, LLP (BGL). The lawsuit seeks to hold accountable Montgomery County and four of its police officers for the unnecessary July 2021 killing of Ryan at a McDonald’s drive-thru, while Ryan was suffering a mental health crisis.
Instead of trying to solve MCPD’s problem of killing black people suffering from mental health crises, as indicated in its own 2021 Use of Force statistics, MCPD doubled down by filing a Motion to Dismiss Ryan’s case. The Civil Rights Division, in its 18-page Statement of Interest, explained that, under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), MCPD must do more than simply dismiss Ryan’s case.
The Civil Rights Division stated, “Courts have also made clear that [the ADA] does not allow public entities to claim ignorance in the face of apparent signs of a person’s disability. . .” As Ryan’s lawsuit alleges, the MCPD knew or should have known of Ryan’s disability (i.e., his mental health crisis). Instead of protecting and serving Ryan, MCPD shot and killed him, in violation of the ADA. This case now continues with the Civil Rights Division and BGL on Ryan’s side.
Founded in 1982, Brown, Goldstein & Levy is a 22-lawyer law firm based in Baltimore, Maryland, with an office in Washington, DC. The firm has maintained a thriving national practice handling cases of every stripe, from commercial litigation and civil rights to criminal defense and complex family law. Above all else, Brown, Goldstein & Levy is a client-centered law firm and has decades of experiences bringing passionate, effective advocacy to our clients’ fights for justice.
LEARN MORE ABOUT KOBIE FLOWERS
Kobie Flowers is one of the nation’s preeminent trial lawyers, with over twenty years of courtroom experience. He has litigated cases in federal and state courts throughout the United States and internationally in military commissions in Guantanamo Bay. His first-chair trial experience in building cases for the government as a federal civil rights prosecutor and in fighting the government’s efforts as an assistant federal public defender provides him with an uncommon insight into trial practice.
LEARN MORE ABOUT EVE HILL
In February 2017, Eve Hill, one of the nation’s leading disability rights attorneys, joined Brown Goldstein & Levy, where she continues to pursue her devotion to civil rights. Her wide-ranging experience complements the firm’s dedication to high-impact disability rights cases and its advocacy on behalf of individuals with disabilities and their families. Eve is leader of Inclusivity, BGL’s Strategic Consulting Group.
please find news coverage below
“DOJ: Lawsuit in Maryland over fatal police shooting should not be dismissed yet.” | The Washington Post (October 16, 2022)
“DOJ supports family’s lawsuit against Montgomery County police.” | Fox5 Washington DC (October 14, 2022)
“DOJ files statement of interest in lawsuit over police shooting of Ryan LeRoux.” | DC News Now (October 20, 2022)
“Department of Justice Supports Lawsuit in Death of Ryan LeRoux.” | Montgomery Community Media (October 20, 2022)
“DOJ says lawsuit over fatal county police shooting of Ryan LeRoux should not be dismissed.” | Bethesda Beat (October 19, 2022)