Lafourche courthouse could be closed for 3-4 months, DA says

With the closure of Lafourche Parish’s Courthouse, the parish judicial system estimates that it will be two to three months before regular courtroom proceedings will resume.

The 148-year-old courthouse was closed because of a mold-like substance that was discovered in the building. Lafourche Parish District Attorney Cam Morvant said the infestation has caused serious health concerns for those who occupy the building.

“The mold is not confined to one area. It has spread throughout the building like wildfire,” he said. “As a safety precaution for everyone, the building has been closed.”

The mold problem arose after Hurricane Gustav when the courthouse lacked electricity to cool the building. Morvant suspects that once the heat from the building made contact with the mold, it began to grow uncontrollably.

District judges Walter Lanier, John LeBlanc and Hugh “Buddy” Larose, and the parish’s Drug Court, all occupy the historic courthouse. The judges have been moved to the Courthouse Annex next door where they share courtrooms with district judges Bruce Simpson and Jerome Barbera.

The judges’ staffs and the parish’s Drug Court have been moved to the old district attorney’s office in downtown Thibodaux.

“The judges have worked well together to make this easier on everyone so that we can all move forward with our cases,” Morvant said.

However, the unscheduled closure of the courthouse has put a strain on the judicial system. The storm set the judicial system back nearly 1,000 cases, which included some pre-trail arraignments, several new cases and some felony jury trial cases.

In fact, last week one of the backlogged trials was moved between the two courtrooms three times before it was adjourned for the day.

Despite the hectic workload, the Lafourche Parish District Attorney’s Office is still taking on more cases. Morvant said, “This business never stops. Each day we are adding new cases as well as taking care of the ones we had to reschedule.”

It is estimated that nearly 15,000 cases will be processed through the parish court system by year’s end. The D.A. explained that some of those cases are carried over from 2006 and 2007.

Mother Duct Environmental Care of New Orleans has been contracted to restore the building at an estimated cost of $324,000.

Morvant finished reviewing the contract last week and made his recommendation to the parish government. Once the contract is signed, the remediation work will begin.

The estimated time of completion is nearly a month, depending on the extremities of the infestation.

“It’s a cycle,” the D.A. said. “We are trying to follow the proper channels so that we can get the work done. Until then things will be in disarray for a while.”

Though all the carpet and even judges’ robes will have to be discarded, officials are adamant that the building will be preserved.

Local historians figure that this is the second time the courthouse has been closed since it was remodeled in 1903. Then, the changes included moving the entrance, which had faced Bayou Lafourche, toward Green Street, and adding five squared-domed roof structures and a portico.