Council removes offer-of-judgment items after public outcry over Brave Cave strip-search cases

The East Baton Rouge Metropolitan Council on March 12 voted to delete at least two offer-of-judgment items that would have resolved claims tied to off-site Baton Rouge Police Department detentions known in public testimony as the "Brave Cave" cases.

The actions came after hours of testimony by alleged victims, attorneys and community members who said the offers were inadequate and that the council should seek accountability rather than approve low payouts. The council first considered item 72 (an offer of judgment in Tournelle Brown v. Baton Rouge Police Department) and later item 73 (Lorenzo Gage v. Baton Rouge Police Department); the substitute motions to approve those offers failed and motions to delete carried on the council floor.

Why it matters: Public commenters described strip-searches and humiliating treatment at an off-site facility and called the facility a site of abuse. Many speakers said proposed monetary offers were deeply insufficient and accused the parish of failing to hold officers accountable. Several community leaders warned against repurposing the off-site facility while litigation…