A Metairie mother has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Archbishop Rummel High School and the Archdiocese of New Orleans after her 17-year-old son, Devon Shelton, died by suicide just hours after being expelled from the school. The suit, filed by Sara Brannon, accuses school officials and the archdiocese of negligent treatment and of ignoring policies that she says were designed to protect vulnerable students. Brannon is seeking damages for mental anguish and for physical pain and suffering.
What the lawsuit says happened
Brannon’s complaint, lodged in state court on March 17, 2026, alleges that Shelton was expelled following an incident he described as a shoving match with a campus bully and after staff claimed he arrived at band practice smelling of alcohol. According to the lawsuit, the principal accused Shelton of trying to start a fight and told the family, “We think it best if Devon finds another school to attend … [he] is not showing the improvement we want to see.” The suit states that Shelton died by suicide only hours later. Those details are drawn from the legal filing and reporting by The Guardian.
Handbook rules and how the expulsion was handled…