Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — Lafayette Parish Superintendent Pat Cooper has filed a civil lawsuit against three school board members over this year's budget disputes and their alleged bias against him.
The Advertiser reports (http://bit.ly/1vJgLxi ) Cooper's attorney, Lane Roy, filed the suit on Monday. No court dates have been set.
Cooper said the suit is almost identical to one filed by Cajundome Director Greg Davis earlier this year. The only substantial change is that Board President Hunter Beasley has been added as a defendant, along with board members Mark Babineaux and Tehmi Chassion.
The suit had asked the courts to have the district use 50 percent of its funds from last year as the board and administration try to work through a deficit for the 2014-15 fiscal year. In addition, it alleged that Babineaux and Chassion had an established bias against Cooper and should be removed from any termination proceedings against the superintendent.
U.S. District Judge Richard Haik dismissed Davis' suit in September, saying that the federal courts were not the proper venue, and that Davis was not the right person to file such a suit.
___
Information from: The Advertiser, http://www.theadvertiser.com
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
