Louisiana agrees to $4.8 million settlement in Ronald Greene wrongful death case
Louisiana officials have agreed to a tentative $4.8 million settlement with the family of Ronald Greene, a Black motorist who died during a violent roadside arrest carried out by five white officers.
Objective Facts
Louisiana officials have agreed to a tentative $4.8 million settlement with the family of Ronald Greene, a Black motorist who died during a violent 2019 roadside arrest carried out by five white officers. The settlement would end a federal wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Greene, whose death drew national attention after the AP in 2021 obtained footage showing Louisiana State Police officers punching, kicking and using stun guns outside the city of Monroe. For two years after Greene's death, the circumstances of the traffic stop following a high-speed chase remained shrouded in secrecy, with state police refusing to release footage of the arrest and initially claiming Greene died after crashing into a tree; video later obtained by AP showed that troopers had used stun guns on the unarmed Greene as he apologized for leading them on the chase. In the final days of President Joe Biden's administration in January 2025, the Justice Department found that Louisiana State Police engaged in a statewide pattern of excessive force during arrests and vehicle pursuits, but several months later, the DOJ under President Donald Trump rescinded these findings.
Left-Leaning Perspective
Civil rights advocates and investigative outlets documented extensive concerns about Louisiana State Police conduct. Members of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus, along with the ACLU, requested the DOJ probe in 2021 following a series of high-profile beatings of Black motorists and alleged coverups within LSP such as the Ronald Greene case. The federal investigation supported these concerns: the DOJ found that Louisiana State Police 'engages in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution' and 'uses excessive force, including unjustified uses of tasers, escalation of minor incidents, and use of force on people who did not pose a threat.' The ACLU argued that 'The DOJ under Biden found police were wantonly assaulting people and that it wasn't a problem of "bad apples" but of avoidable, department-wide failures,' and stated 'By turning its back on police abuse, Trump's DOJ is putting communities at risk, and the ACLU is stepping in because people are not safe when police can ignore their civil rights.' Progressive outlets and civil rights groups emphasized the severity of systemic failures: Department of Justice investigators found systemic problems from a culture of aggression, 'unchecked misconduct' and unusual tactics within State Police that encourage troopers to escalate interactions with citizens, contributing to a pattern or practice of excessive force that violates the constitutional rights of citizens. Left-leaning coverage stresses the disconnect between the settlement and the broader policing crisis. While the settlement provides financial resolution for Greene's family, civil rights advocates note that it does not address systemic accountability or police reforms. State leaders in Louisiana have shown little interest in embracing federal findings or recommendations regarding the State Police.
Right-Leaning Perspective
State officials under the Trump administration, particularly Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill and Governor Jeff Landry, characterized the federal investigation as politically motivated. Governor Landry and Attorney General Murrill stated that the report 'seeks to diminish the service and exceptionality of LSP' and declared 'We will not let that happen. The reputation of our men and women in blue is one of respect, admiration, and appreciation, and we will always have their back.' Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill wrote in a statement: 'This report was issued two days before inauguration, with one day notice to the Governor and me, and zero opportunity to even read it much less comment,' regarding the politically-motivated conduct of the Biden Administration's DOJ. The first Donald Trump administration was averse to the kinds of court-directed consent decrees that have governed law enforcement agencies nationally where the Justice Department has found ingrained lapses, and Gov. Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill have shared that aversion. Right-leaning leadership views the settlement as an opportunity to move past litigation filed under the previous administration. Murrill stated 'The State agreed that it was time to end this litigation, which arose under the prior administration, and put this matter behind us.' The administration's rescission of the DOJ's excessive force findings reflects skepticism about federal police oversight mechanisms and a preference for local control.
Deep Dive
The Ronald Greene settlement occurs within a significant shift in federal civil rights enforcement. The Justice Department found that Louisiana State Police engaged in a statewide pattern of excessive force during arrests and vehicle pursuits in January 2025, but several months later, the DOJ under President Donald Trump rescinded these findings. This represents a broader policy reversal: the Trump administration has pledged to halt federal oversight and has begun reversing course, including by rescinding near-final agreements in Minneapolis and Louisville and retracting findings in Arizona, New Jersey, Tennessee, New York, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. The factual record is stark about Louisiana State Police conduct. The DOJ found that Louisiana State Police engages in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the Fourth Amendment and uses excessive force, including unjustified uses of tasers, escalation of minor incidents, and use of force on people who did not pose a threat. Department of Justice investigators found systemic problems from a culture of aggression, 'unchecked misconduct' and unusual tactics within State Police that encourage troopers to escalate interactions with citizens, contributing to a pattern or practice of excessive force that violates the constitutional rights of citizens. However, despite its findings, the Justice Department opted to bring no federal charges against any of the officers involved in the Ronald Greene case. The settlement's adequacy remains contested. The $4.8 million payment provides financial compensation to Greene's family after seven years of litigation, but does not address systemic reform. The agency did implement some changes after public scrutiny tied to the Greene case, revising its use-of-force policy and establishing a Force Investigation Unit to review some violent incidents. Yet the DOJ report recommends a series of reforms to State Police training, tactics, policies and accountability mechanisms, though LSP is under no obligation to follow the recommendations. The Trump administration's rescission of findings removes external pressure for such reforms, and state leadership has shown resistance. State leaders in Louisiana have shown little interest in embracing federal findings or recommendations regarding the State Police.