ACLU of Indiana Files Two Lawsuits Over Medical Neglect and Mistreatment of ICE Detainee at Miami Correctional Facility

INDIANAPOLIS – The ACLU of Indiana today filed two lawsuits on behalf of Andranik Grigoryan, a former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainee who suffered a severe seizure after not receiving prescribed medication at Miami Correctional Facility, then was pepper-sprayed by correctional officers while still recovering from his injuries.

Grigoryan, a New York resident, was detained at Miami Correctional Facility from December 30, 2025, until May 15, 2026. As a civil detainee, he was entitled to constitutionally adequate medical care and protection from unjustified force.

On January 22, 2026, the facility failed to have medical staff present to give Grigoryan his morning dose of epilepsy medication. Hours later, he suffered a severe seizure, hit his head and was found lying in a pool of blood. He was taken to the hospital, where doctors treated the wound and glued it closed.

Shortly after returning to the prison, correctional officers told Grigoryan that he would be moved to another unit. Still confused, injured and struggling to stand after the seizure, he asked why he was being moved. He did not threaten the officers or resist them and remained locked inside his cell.

Officers then opened a small port in the cell door and sprayed him directly in the eyes with pepper spray. The spray blinded him, caused intense burning and made it difficult for him to breathe. Before he could adequately wash it from his face and body, officers entered the cell, handcuffed him and removed him. He was not given a shower, leaving the chemical on his skin and prolonging his pain.

The first complaint against Centurion Health of Indiana, the private company responsible for medical care at the facility, alleges that staffing shortages repeatedly disrupted Grigoryan’s access to his prescribed medication. The missed dose on January 22 was not an isolated incident. At other points during his detention, he went without medication because staff were not present or because the facility had run out.

The second complaint is against the Indiana Department of Correction officers who pepper-sprayed Grigoryan while he was injured and disoriented. It alleges they used force without justification and failed to let him wash the spray from his face and body. Both complaints allege that Grigoryan’s treatment violated his due process rights under the Fourteenth Amendment, including his right to adequate medical care and protection from unjustified force.

“What happened to Mr. Grigoryan was cruel and unconstitutional,” said Ken Falk, Legal Director at the ACLU of Indiana. “He had gone nearly a year without a seizure, but staff failed to give him the medication that kept them under control. From then on, he had to worry every day that it would happen again. To then pepper-spray him while he was still injured is indefensible.”

The complaint against Centurion Health is available here. The complaint against the correctional officers is available here.