NEW ORLEANS — When a judge threw out Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s lawsuit against a woman who photographed her having a four-hour lunch with her bodyguard, the mayor’s office issued a statement that almost sounded like a declaration of victory.
Tuesday, a judge tossed Mayor Cantrell’s frivolous lawsuit against a woman who photographed her having a long lunch on a French Quarter balcony. The judge also ordered Cantrell to pay her opponent’s legal fees. Cantrell’s team later issued a statement saying, quote, “Today the overall objective was achieved, bringing needed attention to the threats and aggressive behaviors toward the mayor.”
More likely the mayor’s objective was to abuse the legal system to punish French Quarter resident Anne Breaud for taking the photo. The mayor didn’t even show up for yesterday’s court hearing. Judge Bernadette d’Souza correctly tossed the case and hit Cantrell with legal fees.
That was the worst possible outcome for Cantrell. Claiming it achieved her objective says a lot more than the mayor probably intended.
*Clancy DuBos is a WWL Louisiana Political Analyst and Gambit columnist
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