NEW ORLEANS — Mayor LaToya Cantrell, her chief of staff Clifton Davis and three New Orleans police officers are requesting a 21-day extension to respond to a federal civil rights lawsuit filed by a woman who took pictures of the mayor.
The information included Breaud's social security number, an old driver's license photo and a 2016 assault arrest in which the charge was dropped and expunged because Breaud showed she was actually the victim of domestic violence.
Cantrell filed a police report and requested a protective order after Breaud took pictures of her on the balcony of a restaurant with her former police bodyguard Jeffrey Vappie, who is now facing federal payroll fraud charges. Vappie is accused of collecting city pay for hours he spent engaged in a romantic relationship with the mayor, including the April 7 outing on the balcony of the Tableau restaurant that was photographed by Breaud from her own balcony.
The three officers who were allegedly involved in taking Cantrell’s report are defendants in the lawsuit. They are Leslie Guzman, who wrote the police report, Sgt. Victor Gant supervises the mayor’s security team, and Ryan St. Martin is assigned to the auto theft unit.
A municipal court judge dismissed Cantrell’s protective order and ordered the mayor to pay Breaud’s attorney fees.
Neither Cantrell nor the city have commented on the lawsuit. After it was filed, the city issued the following statement:
“The City of New Orleans will withhold any comment at this time due to the ongoing nature of this litigation. Our position will be communicated in our answer to the petition.”
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