LAKE MARTIN, La. (KLFY) – St. Martin Parish has responded to a lawsuit filed against them by Lafayette Consolidated Government (LCG). Over a dozen pages submitted by St. Martin Parish attorneys claim Lafayette’s lawsuit should not go before a Lafayette Parish judge and moreover LCG doesn’t have a claim to sue in the first place.
“It sounds to me for like somebody just didn’t do their homework and now it’s time to make restitution for that,” expressed Walt Adams, one of the citizens living and operating businesses around Cypress Island.
He sides with their Parish leaders in a response against a lawsuit by Lafayette Consolidated Government. Firstly, because they’ve experienced extreme flooding firsthand in 2016.
“The water was up for three weeks. It was almost up to the top steps,” Adams told News 10.
Secondly, the arguments made in St. Martin Parish’s response to the lawsuit make sense to him and other residents. A motion for improper venue claims since the spoil bank removal work to alter flooding patterns happened on the St. Martin Parish side of the Vermilion River, so should the court hearing.
Adams agreed stating, “It’s obvious. I mean it occurred here, and it should be tried here.”
Wendy Thibodeaux, who operates Louisiana Swamp Tours on Lake Martin asked, “Why are they (LCG) even going after something they can’t actually accomplish. It’s another reason to prolong and stop people.”
St. Martin Parish attorneys also state multiple reasons why LCG’s lawsuit should be dismissed altogether, including LCG’s and its Mayor-President Josh Guillory’s alleged violations of state and local ordinances.
“I don’t think he did it to help Lafayette Parish. He did it to help Lafayette,” Thibodeaux asserted. “I think it was his master plan to get it, do it, and not get stopped in what he was doing, and now he accomplished it. He achieved it, and now it will take a long time to fix it.”
Lafayette studying $3.5M drainage project to remove Vermilion River spoil banks
Citizens can only wait and see what consequences the change has when the rain comes and flooding follows. Due to both parishes being on opposing sides, Walt Adams is unsure if the spoil bank removal will hurt or help him.
“Anything that would alleviate that possibility we’re for, and anything that might impact it negatively, we certainly want to resist,” Adams concluded.
Lastly, St. Martin’s response asks if the lawsuit is not thrown out that an “exception of vagueness” is granted which will require LCG to amend its petition with greater detail as to how it followed all legal requirements in its actions.
These arguments will have to go before 15th Judicial court judge to decide whether the suit should be moved or dropped altogether. Once that date is set, KLFY will let you know.
You can read St. Martin Parish Government’s response to LCG’s spoil bank removal lawsuit in full below.
