Council authorizes settlement authority after two executive sessions

The Lafayette City Council on March 24 authorized the City-Parish Attorney to execute settlement documents and make contingent budgetary adjustments following executive sessions on two pending lawsuits.

City-Parish Attorney Robert A. Mahtook, Jr. explained why each matter required closed deliberations. On Docket No. C-20237251 (Melanie Richard v. David Leblanc and Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government) the Council voted to accept the recommendations of Risk Management and the City-Parish Attorney; the motion carried with Broussard, Naquin, Hooks and Chair Kenneth Boudreaux voting yes and Hebert absent. Mahtook repeated the same procedural explanation for Docket No. C-20253466 (Mackenzie Brashier v. Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government and Clinton Joseph); after returning from executive session the Council again approved the recommendations and authorized settlement execution and contingent budget adjustments, with the vote recorded as unanimous of members present.

The Council recorded motions both to enter and to exit executive session before taking the settlement-authorizing votes. The motions to approve settlement authority direct the City-Parish Attorney to include such search terms and provisions as he deems necessary in settlement documents and permit appropriate budget changes contingent on execution of those documents. No further details—such as settlement amounts, terms, or effective dates—were disclosed in open session.