A Louisiana man is fighting back after spending over four months in immigration detention due to what he claims was a wrongful arrest. Ezequiel Tale-Toc filed a complaint on October 29, 2025, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against Joseph Falvey and Sheriff Randy Smith. The complaint alleges that an unreasonable affidavit for arrest led to his unwarranted detainment.
The lawsuit details a troubling series of events that began on September 30, 2024, when Mr. Tale-Toc was wrongfully accused of a hit-and-run incident at a Home Depot parking lot in Covington, Louisiana. According to the complaint, Deputy Joseph Falvey from the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office executed an affidavit that led to Mr. Tale-Toc’s arrest without probable cause. Despite possessing video evidence exonerating Mr. Tale-Toc, Deputy Falvey allegedly omitted critical facts and fabricated others in his affidavit. The video reportedly shows that damage to a Corvette occurred before Mr. Tale-Toc arrived at the scene, yet this information was not included in the arrest warrant.
Mr. Tale-Toc’s legal battle is grounded in federal civil rights law under 42 U.S.C § 1983 for violations of his Fourth Amendment rights and state law claims of malicious prosecution against both defendants. His attorneys argue that Deputy Falvey’s actions violated established Fifth Circuit case law by initiating criminal charges without probable cause, thus infringing upon explicit constitutional protections.
The consequences of these alleged actions were severe for Mr. Tale-Toc and his family. He spent more than four months detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from January 12 through May 21, 2025, as a result of the misdemeanor charge instigated by the faulty affidavit. During this time, he suffered significant emotional distress and financial loss due to missed work opportunities while being separated from his wife and children who also experienced emotional hardships.
In response to these allegations, Mr. Tale-Toc seeks compensatory damages for past and future emotional distress, anxiety, wrongful incarceration/detention, lost earnings potential among other losses resulting from this ordeal. Additionally, he requests punitive damages against Deputy Falvey for what he describes as reckless disregard for his rights along with attorney fees/costs associated with pursuing justice through this litigation process.
Representing Mr. Tale-Toc are attorneys Garret S. DeReus from Bizer & DeReus LLC along with Justin Marquez from Marquez Law Firm based out of New Orleans; they have demanded trial by jury on all issues presented within their client’s case against Defendants Falvey & Smith under Case ID: 2:25-cv-02214-JTM-JVM presided over by Judge Jane Triche Milazzo (JTM) alongside Magistrate Judge Janis van Meerveld (JVM).
Source: 225cv02214_Tale_Toc_v_Favley_Complaint_Eastern_District_Louisiana.pdf
