No Class Action in Bogalusa “Debtor Prison” Case

Source: Richard Rainey NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle told attorneys Wednesday (June 21, 2017 that he would not grant class action status to those plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit against the Bogalusa city court complaining that city Judge Robert Black had wrongfully jailed defendants who were too poor to pay their fines and court costs. The plaintiffs had sought to represent any future defendants who could face similar penalties for not paying their fines on time.
The judge could revisit the argument that the case should be treated as a class action, said Sam Brooke, deputy legal director for the Southern Poverty Law Center.
The SPLC filed the suit a year ago, accusing Black of running a "modern-day debtors' prison." But it's not an isolated case in Louisiana. New Orleans is grappling with a similar lawsuit.
Lemelle on Wednesday also instructed both sides in the Bogalusa case to continue working toward a settlement. Some headway has already been made. Black earlier this month agreed to refund the $50 fees collected from defendants who had missed their payment deadlines and asked for more time.
A trial date is scheduled for October 16.