LIVINGSTON — Livingston Parish President Randy Delatte released a statement on Friday after the Louisiana Supreme Court ordered the Livingston Parish government to pay over $37,000 in legal fees. 

A former board member of the Livingston Parish Convention and Tourism Board, Harold Marcell Parker Jr., filed a lawsuit against the Livingston Parish government and council member Joseph Erdey in May 2024, claiming that the council violated the state's open meeting law during two council meetings in March 2024 in an effort to remove him from the tourism board. 

The courts ruled in favor of Parker, stating the council violated open meeting laws when it addressed his removal in executive session. Court documents also state that the agenda item Parker referred to did not provide "reasonable specificity" as required by state law.

The Louisiana Supreme Court also ruled that the Livingston Parish government, along with councilman Erdey, must pay Parker's attorney fees totaling $37,042.