Family of Sixteen-year-old Beauty Pageant Contestant Alexis Sluder Files Civil Lawsuit for Her Death While in Custody at Dalton, Georgia Elbert Shaw Regional Youth Detention Center

Teenager asked for medical help when she was arrested and died in the facility hours later

CHICAGO and ATLANTA (July 24, 2024) – Sixteen-year-old Alexis Sluder was a beauty pageant contestant who won “prettiest smile” but had struggles with her mental health, and needlessly died in the Dalton, Georgia Elbert Shaw Regional Youth Detention Center hours after being arrested. The facility was operated, maintained, and managed by the State of Georgia. During those six hours beginning on August 26, 2022, Alexis Sluder told the employees at the facility that she had diagnosed mental health conditions, had previously attempted suicide, and had taken dangerous substances right before she was arrested.  The employees at the facility did the exact opposite of helping her and, even as she began to writhe on the floor in pain and experience other symptoms of a medical emergency, denied her transport to a hospital or any other basic medical care, and rather kept her in custody without any medical care, where they watched her die a slow and painful death, asking for help and never receiving it. She was pronounced dead in the early morning hours of August 27, 2022, of methamphetamine toxicity.

Today, Romanucci & Blandin, LLC and The Boone Firm, P.C. announce the filing of a civil lawsuit for the wrongful death of Alexis Sluder. The complaint seeks to redress Alexis’ wrongful death and hold accountable those who had a responsibility to help her, depriving her of basic and necessary medical care in violation of her Constitutional rights. Their objectively unreasonable and deliberately indifferent decisions led to not only the death of Alexis Sluder but the extreme pain that she endured in the final hours of her life.   

The lawsuit was filed on July 23, 2024, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia – Rome Division.  Romanucci & Blandin, LLC Partner Bhavani K. Raveendran, Attorney Sam Harton and The Boone Firm, P.C. Attorney Harold Boone, Jr. represent the plaintiff.   

The plaintiffs are Alexis’ parents, Melanie Hogan Sluder and Ricky Shawn Curtis, individually and as administrators of Alexis’ estate. The defendants are Maveis Brooks, Rebecka Phillips, Monica Headrick, David McKinney, and Russell Ballard, individually and as an agent of the State of Georgia, Gilmer County, and Sharon Ellis in her individual capacity and as an agent of Gilmer County. 

Counts in the Complaint include a 42 U.S.C. Section 1983 – Fourteenth Amendment violations against each defendant.  The complaint demands a jury trial and asks that the jury determine a just and equitable judgment.   

“This is what happens when sworn officers fail to uphold their duty to protect and serve and when government entities fail to maintain processes that ensure the health and safety of the people in their custody. All she needed was to go to the hospital, and these government employees could not even bother to pick up the phone and call 9-1-1. They were unreasonable. They were indifferent. They were cruel. Alexis deserved better,” said Romanucci & Blandin, LLC Attorney Sam Harton. 

“The stated Mission of the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice is to transform young lives by providing evidence-based rehabilitative treatment services and supervision, strengthening the well-being of youth and families, and fostering safe communities. These are great words for any law enforcement agencies tasked with protecting juveniles to live by. But they are only worth the paper they are written are when you have officers like Maveis Brooks and Rebecka Phillips look a child in the eye, watch her suffer, watch her die, and do nothing. This kind of situation can never be remedied. A child is dead, and we cannot bring her back. As a father of two young girls, what we are seeking is accountability,” said The Boone Firm, P.C. Attorney Harold Boone.

“Lexie had hopes and dreams. She planned on becoming a teacher one day. She had started a naval air squad teenage division because she wanted to go into the military. I gave her a notebook where she would write down her short-term goals and long-term goals. And her favorite Bible verses. And would show me so proudly. Now this is what I’m doing for my daughter???? She was so full of life and curiosity. I didn’t get to watch her pick out her first car, go to the prom, or graduate this past year with her friends. Things she had been looking forward to. I am lost without her, and not a minute goes by that I don’t think about her and what she would be doing,” said Melanie Hogan Sluder, Plaintiff and Alexis Sluder’s mother.

“People say time will heal everything, but as time goes on, her not being here only hurts worse. There are so many things she will never get to experience. Many parts of that feel incredibly unfair. Anytime something funny or interesting happened to me my sister was one of the first people I would call. I wish every day that I could just pick my phone up and tell her everything or even just about my day. There will never again be a day that I don’t miss her radiant smile and amazingly goofy personality,” said Jaren Curtis, Alexis’ brother.

“Life has been quite confusing since she’s been gone. I think of her often and find myself talking to her in my head. I try not to reflect on the what-ifs because the damage is already done, and nothing will change that. I promise my kids will know who she was, and what she meant to me. I promise I’ll never stop saying her name,” said Kyle Sluder, Alexis’ brother.

To learn more, please visit our website www.rblaw.net.

To learn more about the Boone Firm, P.C., please visit our website: www.boonefirm.com. 

About Romanucci & Blandin, LLC  

Romanucci & Blandin is a Chicago-based national trial practice committed to fighting for victims of negligence, abuse and wrongful death through impact litigation. For more than 25 years, we have secured more than $1 billion in verdicts and settlements for our clients - many for millions of dollars or record-setting awards. Our experience ranges from mass shootings, civil rights and police misconduct to medical malpractice, sexual abuse, motor vehicle accidents or workplace injury cases involving individual or institutional negligence. Romanucci & Blandin is a valuable legal resource to individuals and groups of people who have been injured by others’ wrongdoing. Referring attorneys and clients say several factors distinguish our firm: Our record of success, depth of experience, talented and dedicated legal team, tireless preparation, and strategic use of communications to fight for the rights of those whose lives have been changed forever. We differ from other personal injury firms in that our work does not stop when a verdict or settlement is secured. Our clients’ experiences often inspire us to commit resources to transforming lives and communities. For more information about Romanucci & Blandin, please visit: www.rblaw.net. 

About THE BOONE FIRM, P.C.

The Boone Firm, P.C. is an Atlanta-based trial practice committed to fighting for victims who have been harmed through no fault of their own.  Since 2015, The Boone Firm, P.C. has recovered millions for our clients. With an expertise in premises liability and motor vehicle wrecks, we are an invaluable resource for our clients and referring attorneys. With a record of success, integrity and relentlessness we strive to obtain justice for our clients. For more information about The Boone Firm, P.C., please visit: www.boonefirm.com.