Former Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith is a defendant in a federal civil lawsuit alleging assault, injury and First Amendment violations.
A critic of a former Tammany Parish sheriff has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that defendant Randy Smith attacked him in a steakhouse, causing neurological impairment, a concussion and potentially permanent disfigurement to his teeth.
Bobby Couvillion, who criticized former Sheriff Smith on podcasts and blogs, filed the lawsuit September 11 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Couvillion alleges that while he was at the steakhouse in Madisonville to celebrate his birthday with his wife, an inebriated Smith attacked the plaintiff from behind using a chokehold and forced him to the floor, causing Couvillion to sustain injuries to the back and left side of his head.
“Specifically, Sheriff Smith came up behind Mr. Couvillion, placed him in a chokehold and slammed his head to the concrete floor before punching him,” the complaint states. It goes on to say that two bail bondsmen in Smith’s company, Gregory Saurage and Troy Sider, encouraged the attack by stopping customers from intervening or stepping on Couvillion.
Another defendant in the case is interim Sheriff Bret Ibert. The complaint alleges that the Sheriff’s Office is liable for the tort described in the lawsuit based on the doctrine that an employer bears responsibility for wrongful acts committed by an employee.
The lawsuit seeks declaratory relief, compensatory damages, special and punitive damages, attorney fees and court costs.
Couvillion’s attorney, William Most, declined to comment about whether a settlement might be possible in the litigation, but he said the defendant has yet to respond to the complaint.
In addition to alleging that Smith and Saurage are responsible for battery, assault and infliction of emotional distress, the lawsuit alleges the defendants are guilty of violations of the First and 14th Amendments, claiming the plaintiff was met with retaliation for expressing his free speech rights. The complaint also argues that Couvillion’s Fourth and 14th Amendment right of protection against excessive force and illegal seizures was violated.
The May 29 incident at the steakhouse was not the first time the former sheriff attacked a critic, according to the lawsuit.
“Early in his career as sheriff, Smith fired nearly a dozen deputies who supported his political rival,” the complaint says. “... Sheriff Smith fired his chief deputy for refusing to participate in the cover-up of officer misconduct. And Sheriff Smith ordered the illegal arrest of a federal agent who privately criticized a Sheriff’s Office investigation.”
The attack was also committed after Smith and Saurage drank enough alcohol to become intoxicated, according to the lawsuit. Smith, Saurage and two other companions were charged $346.21 for their meal at the restaurant, the complaint states, and that included the following: “five glasses of Walking Fool wine, four happy hour vodka martinis, seven Tito’s vodkas, one Tanqueray and one Ketel One Vodka.”
Citing an arrest warrant that was issued, the complaint said Couvillion’s two front teeth were dislodged from their usual positions in his mouth as a result of the altercation at the steakhouse. The arrest warrant also indicated that Smith lunged toward the plaintiff during the attack.
In June, Smith resigned from his position after pleading guilty to charges of second-degree battery and public intoxication.
