NEW ORLEANS — A New Orleans woman who was the subject of a protective order by Mayor LaToya Cantrell is pushing back, filing a counter-claim accusing the mayor of filing false claims against her.
Anne E. Breaud admitted to snapping a photograph of Cantrell sitting with her New Orleans police bodyguard Jeffrey Vappie on the balcony of the Tableau Restaurant.
Based on the photo, the Metropolitan Crime Commission, a non-profit watchdog group, filed a complaint against Vappie with the NOPD’s Public Integrity Bureau. Vappie was subsequently placed under investigation and removed from the mayor’s protection detail.
Cantrell responded by filing the protection order against Breaud in Civil District Court, accusing Breaud of harassing her, taking other photos and videos of her at different times, and sending those images to the media.
Breaud admitted to taking pictures of Cantrell and Vappie on the balcony of the restaurant on April 7. But she stated in her petition that she did so from the balcony of her own apartment in the city-owned Upper Pontalba building, and never followed the mayor, took any other images, or provided any pictures to the media.
In contrast to Cantrell’s contention that she “aggressively photographed and harassed Cantrell,” Breaud counters that “Cantrell clearly has a smile on her face and does not appear to be expressing any sense of fear or consternation that she asserted under oath.”
In her petition, Breaud states that Cantrell’s claims “diverge from reality to such an extent that a reasonable, neutral third party would be justified in drawing the conclusion that they are delusional if not outright fabricated.”
Cantrell could not be reached for comment. A hearing on Cantrell’s petition and Breaud’s counter-claim is scheduled for Monday, May 20.
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