A dispute over access to vocational education funding has led to a federal lawsuit alleging that state officials improperly denied both financial support and the right to a fair hearing, raising questions about procedural protections for benefit applicants. The complaint was filed by Lakendra Janele Moore in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana on April 13, 2026, naming Idell Woods Arnaud, Doris M. Weston, Rhonda Brown, Lorrie Briggs, and Susana Schowen as defendants.
According to the court filing, Moore began coursework at Louisiana State University in January 2024 with the goal of pursuing a career in Applied Behavior Analysis. She enrolled in several psychology and statistics courses required for graduate-level training in this field. In March 2024, Moore reports that her application for Strategies to Empower People (STEP) vocational education funding was denied by the defendants. After requesting a fair hearing regarding this denial, Moore states that defendant Doris M. Weston rejected her request on September 4, 2024, closing her case.
The complaint outlines that Moore completed eight specific courses at Louisiana State University—including Introduction to Psychology, Developmental Psychology of the Life Span, Psychological Tests and Measurements, and Applied Behavior Analysis—describing them as sequenced job-related training aligned with professional certification requirements. Upon finishing these courses in December 2024, Moore secured employment as a Registered Behavior Technician at The Emerge Center. She asserts that this demonstrates how her coursework directly provided job-related skills leading to immediate employment in her chosen field.
Moore alleges that she again sought funding and a fair hearing on June 11, 2025 but was once more denied by the defendants. A second denial of a fair hearing occurred on July 15, 2025. Despite providing policy language she believed demonstrated eligibility for benefits, Moore claims that no hearing or corrective action was provided by the defendants. As stated in the filing: “Defendants failed to provide any hearing or corrective action.” She further asserts that these actions resulted in financial harm, housing instability, and emotional distress.
The legal arguments presented include two main claims for relief: First, Moore contends that she was deprived of a protected property interest in vocational education benefits without due process when defendants denied her requests for meaningful hearings—allegedly violating her rights under the Fourteenth Amendment. Second, she claims that defendants acted arbitrarily and capriciously by denying benefits contrary to governing policy and misapplying eligibility standards without rational basis.
Moore emphasizes that her claims are timely under Louisiana’s one-year prescriptive period for such actions. She also notes that these issues were disclosed during Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings and subsequently abandoned pursuant to federal law (11 U.S.C. § 554(c)), giving her standing to pursue this case independently.
In terms of remedies sought from the court, Moore requests compensatory damages for harm suffered; punitive damages against individual defendants; declaratory relief recognizing violations; injunctive relief requiring changes or corrective action; costs and fees associated with litigation; as well as any further relief deemed just and proper by the court.
The complaint identifies Lakendra Janele Moore as representing herself (pro se) in this matter. The case is filed under Civil Action No. 3:26-cv-00391-SDD-SDJ.
Source: 326cv391_Lakendra_Janele_v_Idell_Woods_Complaint_Middle_District_of_Louisiana.pdf
