The lawsuit challenging Caddo Parish commissioners’ approval of a proclamation honoring Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders during his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour has been dismissed.
A judge has dismissed claims in a lawsuit filed by state Attorney General Liz Murrill alleging that Caddo Parish commissioners violated Louisiana’s Open Meetings Law when they approved a resolution last year honoring U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.
In a Jan. 16 decision by the First Judicial District Court in Caddo Parish, Judge John C. Davidson rejected Murrill’s allegations that seven commissioners violated the Open Meetings Law when they approved the resolution about Sanders, who in June of last year visited Shreveport as part of his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour.
Murrill
The Harper Law Firm in Shreveport, which represented the commission during the legal dispute, expressed satisfaction with Davidson’s decision.
“Judge John C. Davidson, specially appointed by the Louisiana Supreme Court to preside over this case, entered a detailed and thoughtful judgment dismissing all of the attorney general’s claims of Open Meetings Law violations brought against the Caddo Parish Commission …” the law firm said in a statement.
The ruling vindicates each of the seven commissioners named as defendants in the case, the Harper Law Firm said.
“Despite information provided by us to the attorney general proving that no violations occurred, the Louisiana attorney general persisted and filed lawsuits against us and the commission,” the statement said. “We believed that these actions were politically motivated but elected to not challenge the attorney general’s contentions in the press, but rather wait for our day in court.”
The lawsuit has been extremely costly for the parish taxpayers and should never have been filed, the law firm said. Davidson has granted the firm’s request for a hearing seeking reimbursement of the commission’s attorney’s fees and legal costs accumulated as a result of the attorney general’s litigation, according to the statement.
Murrill’s office issued a statement of its own, strongly disagreeing with the judge’s conclusions.
“The commission took action as the commission without having a meeting,” she said in a statement emailed to the Louisiana Record. “Either members conspired to act in violation of the Open Meetings Law by carrying out business without having a meeting when it’s required, or they had one that was not open, but either way it’s a violation of the law. We will appeal.”
The proclamation about Sanders was approved between June 19 and June 21 of last year outside of a publicly noticed commission meeting in violation of the Open Meetings Law, according to the lawsuit. It was not preceded by an agenda listing or an opportunity for the public to comment on it, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
The resolution honored the senator for his years of work in Washington, D.C., on behalf of working families.
“... Throughout his tenure, Senator Sanders has supported legislation and initiatives addressing critical national issues that impact Caddo Parish residents, including funding for community health centers, rural hospital projects, workforce training and expanded access to higher education …” the resolution stated.
An Open Meetings Law complaint that was filed with Murrill’s office was later forwarded to the Caddo Commission. Even so, two additional resolutions were adopted by commissioners without providing legally required notice to the public, according to the lawsuit.
