Court Decision in Bogalusa Public Records Requests Case

Judge William H. Burris rendered a decision today (Monday, June 5, 2023) on the public records portion of the suit entitled Wendy Perrette vs. Tyrin Truong, individually and in his capacity as the Mayor of the City of Bogalusa, and the City of Bogalusa. Click here to read the suit.  Judge Burris heard testimony from several witnesses that included former Mayor Wendy Perrette and current Mayor Tyrin Truong and awarded Perrette $5000 in attorney fees and $5500 in civil fines plus court costs in an amount that is, as yet, undetermined.

Perrette alleged that she made 23 requests for public records and has been denied and characterized the Defendants actions as “capricious and arbitrary”. Judge Burris found that some of the responses to Perrette's requests were “capricious and arbitrary” and some were not.

In her suit, Perrette also alleges that she repeatedly requested payment for 20 hours of accrued sick days and 600 hours of vacation but her requests were denied. That part of Perrette's suit will be set for trial at a later date.

During the today's trial, Ton Truong, the Mayor's grandfather, was found using his cell phone to video the court proceedings. Any recordings of court proceedings are a breach of Louisiana Law. Judge Burris chastised Mr. Truong and fined him $1000.00.