diff --git a/backend/app/services/video_renderer.py b/backend/app/services/video_renderer.py
index 557badd..d24226b 100644
--- a/backend/app/services/video_renderer.py
+++ b/backend/app/services/video_renderer.py
@@ -511,10 +511,29 @@ class VideoRendererService:
         logger.info(f"Starting pause-insert render for {source_video_path}")
         placements = analysis.get("placements", [])
 
-        # Sort placements by pause_point time, with ad_cue_index as secondary key
+        # Defensive: enforce pause_point monotonicity in cue_index order before temporal sort.
+        # Whisper refinement or user adjustments can cause a later cue's pause_point to
+        # precede an earlier cue's, which would reorder cues in the rendered timeline.
+        cue_ordered = sorted(
+            [p for p in placements if p.get("pause_point") is not None],
+            key=lambda p: p.get("ad_cue_index", 0)
+        )
+        for i in range(1, len(cue_ordered)):
+            prev_pp = cue_ordered[i - 1]["pause_point"]
+            curr_pp = cue_ordered[i]["pause_point"]
+            if curr_pp < prev_pp:
+                logger.warning(
+                    f"Renderer monotonicity fix: cue {cue_ordered[i].get('ad_cue_index')} "
+                    f"pause_point {curr_pp:.2f}s < cue {cue_ordered[i-1].get('ad_cue_index')} "
+                    f"pause_point {prev_pp:.2f}s, clamping to {prev_pp:.2f}s"
+                )
+                cue_ordered[i]["pause_point"] = prev_pp
+                cue_ordered[i]["resume_from"] = prev_pp
+
+        # Sort by pause_point time, with ad_cue_index as secondary key
         # to ensure consolidated cues (sharing same pause_point) maintain VTT order
         sorted_placements = sorted(
-            [p for p in placements if p.get("pause_point") is not None],
+            cue_ordered,
             key=lambda p: (p["pause_point"], p.get("ad_cue_index", 0))
         )
 
diff --git a/backend/app/services/whisper_service.py b/backend/app/services/whisper_service.py
index 1dc10b4..2675042 100644
--- a/backend/app/services/whisper_service.py
+++ b/backend/app/services/whisper_service.py
@@ -515,6 +515,26 @@ class WhisperService:
             refined_placements, consolidation_threshold, warnings
         )
 
+        # Phase 3: Enforce monotonicity - pause_points must be non-decreasing in cue_index order
+        # Whisper's snap_pause_point() finds the nearest boundary independently per cue,
+        # which can move a later cue's pause_point before an earlier cue's.
+        for i in range(1, len(refined_placements)):
+            prev_pp = refined_placements[i - 1].get("pause_point")
+            curr_pp = refined_placements[i].get("pause_point")
+            if curr_pp is not None and prev_pp is not None and curr_pp < prev_pp:
+                refined_placements[i]["pause_point"] = prev_pp
+                refined_placements[i]["resume_from"] = prev_pp
+                refined_placements[i]["monotonicity_clamped"] = True
+                cue_idx = refined_placements[i].get("ad_cue_index", i)
+                prev_cue_idx = refined_placements[i - 1].get("ad_cue_index", i - 1)
+                warning_msg = (
+                    f"Cue {cue_idx}: Monotonicity violation - pause_point {curr_pp:.2f}s "
+                    f"was before cue {prev_cue_idx}'s pause_point {prev_pp:.2f}s, "
+                    f"clamped to {prev_pp:.2f}s"
+                )
+                warnings.append(warning_msg)
+                logger.warning(warning_msg)
+
         return refined_placements, warnings
 
     def _consolidate_close_cues(
diff --git a/backend/app/tasks/rerender_accessible_video.py b/backend/app/tasks/rerender_accessible_video.py
index bc03770..458bd2d 100644
--- a/backend/app/tasks/rerender_accessible_video.py
+++ b/backend/app/tasks/rerender_accessible_video.py
@@ -492,6 +492,20 @@ def _build_placements_with_adjustments(
             "pause_point_rationale": "User-adjusted during QC" if i in adjusted_pause_by_cue else "Original from VTT"
         })
 
+    # Enforce pause_point monotonicity - pause_points must be non-decreasing in cue order.
+    # User-adjusted pause points can cross over each other; clamp to maintain cue order.
+    for i in range(1, len(placements)):
+        prev_pp = placements[i - 1].get("pause_point")
+        curr_pp = placements[i].get("pause_point")
+        if curr_pp is not None and prev_pp is not None and curr_pp < prev_pp:
+            logger.warning(
+                f"Rerender monotonicity fix: cue {placements[i].get('ad_cue_index')} "
+                f"pause_point {curr_pp:.2f}s < cue {placements[i-1].get('ad_cue_index')} "
+                f"pause_point {prev_pp:.2f}s, clamping to {prev_pp:.2f}s"
+            )
+            placements[i]["pause_point"] = prev_pp
+            placements[i]["resume_from"] = prev_pp
+
     return placements