Fishman Haygood Prevails in Louisiana Supreme Court

The Louisiana Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by thousands of New Orleans public school workers who were terminated after Hurricane Katrina.

Fishman Haygood representing the Orleans Parish School Board, along with co-counsel from Boykin, Ehret & Utley, PLC, successfully argued that the employees’ due process rights were not violated when they were let go after Hurricane Katrina when the school district’s facilities were unable to open.

A majority of the public schools in Orleans Parish – 102 of 126 — were eventually taken over by the State post-Katrina and transferred to the State’s Recovery School District. Of the remaining 24 schools, seven were closed and 12 became charter schools, leaving the School Board in need of employees for only five facilities.

Partner Brent Barriere and Associate Skylar Rosenbloom led the trial team at Fishman Haygood in the dispute.