A federal judge in New Orleans has dismissed a lawsuit that two landlords filed against St. Tammany Parish government over a parish law that strictly regulates housing for registered sex offenders, after the parish and landlord indicated they had reached a settlement and “agreed to resolve this dispute amicably.”
Following the St. Tammany Parish Council’s April 2024 adoption of sweeping regulations of housing for registered sex offenders, landlords Abraham and Lorraine Williams sued the parish, arguing the requirements violated state law and the U.S. Constitution.
The regulations required annual fees, 24/7 on-site supervision and 6-foot fences for all housing where more than 15% of residents are registered sex offenders, along with a slew of other regulations.
Parish Council member Joe Impastato introduced the legislation in response to concerns about the number of registered sex offenders living in the Lacombe area, which is in his council district. The council passed it not long after the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office reported a deadly altercation involving a registered sex offender at a Lacombe laundromat.
U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter of the Eastern District of Louisiana said in her “conditional dismissal” on Dec. 8 that the parish and landlords had…

I’m glad that the lawsuit was cancelled because a settlement was reached. Not because…well…you know.
Interesting…being a bully to a local business because of one person does not compute. Do they do this to all local businesses they don’t like?