Jonathan Hernández-Zorrilla v. Ricardo Rosselló

Jonathan Hernández v. Ricardo Rosselló, et al. (Civil Case No. 3:19-cv-1397) and the consolidated case of Yadira Carrasquillo v. Ricardo Rosselló, et al. (Civil Case No. 3:19-cv-01414) are lawsuits filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. The complaints, filed in 2019, allege the use of excessive force by the Puerto Rico Police during protests. Jonathan Hernández, a street vendor, alleges that he was brutally attacked and shot with rubber bullets.

The plaintiffs are currently seeking to move the case forward, including by retaining an expert witness and continuing discovery. The lawsuit was stayed by the Bankruptcy Court in 2023 under PROMESA due to the Puerto Rico government’s bankruptcy proceedings. However, in late 2025, Judge Laura Taylor Swain lifted the stay after the ACLU of Puerto Rico raised constitutional challenges, including violations of due process and the Bankruptcy Uniformity Clause, as well as international human rights law. The Financial Oversight and Management Board — an undemocratic entity imposed by the federal government — appealed the judge’s order, and the matter is currently before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston.