Henagan v. Lafayette City-Parish, et al.

Over 15% of Lafayette Parish’s population lives below the poverty line. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Acadiana Regional Coalition on Homelessness & Housing estimates the Parish’s homeless population nearly doubled between March 2020 and October 2020. Instead of making efforts to address the growing housing crisis and rising poverty levels, city officials undertook a campaign to criminalize poverty through the unconstitutional enforcement of municipal ordinances and state law.  

George Henagan, a homeless man who supports himself through donations from the public, is a victim of that campaign. While exercising his protected speech to ask for donations, Mr. Henagan was cited twice for misdemeanor offenses by the Lafayette Police Department. 

The MacArthur Justice Center, alongside Mills & Amond LLP, represented Mr. Henagan in his lawsuit against Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government (LCG) seeking damages, as well as protection from further citation while exercising his First Amendment right. 

UPDATE: In September 2022, the federal court denied motions to dismiss by the city, the Mayor, and individual LPD officers. In December 2022, LCG settled with Mr. Henagan for $42,000. The settlement does not prevent further claims on behalf of anyone else similarly cited and arrested by LCG.