ABBEVILLE, KATC - In a significant legal ruling, a judge has sided with Abbeville police officers in a year-long dispute over pay.
Attorney Chris Landry, who represents the officers, said the decision reaffirms that law enforcement should be compensated fairly for their work. In a statement sent to KATC, he said
We recently argued a Motion for Partial Summary Judgment on the issue of whether or not the current pay schedule for Senior Abbeville Police Officers violates state law. After argument between counsel for the Officers and the City of Abbeville, the Court found in favor of the Officers ruling that the current pay schedule violates La. R.S. 33:2212(F). We are pleased with this recent ruling; however, the City of Abbeville still has the right to appeal the Court’s ruling. We believe that should this matter proceed to an appeal, that we again will prevail. We look forward to moving the case forward and obtaining a just resolution on behalf of the Abbeville Police Officers.
The case, originally filed in December 2023, involved eleven senior officers who sued the city, claiming that its pay scale violated state law. The officers argued that the city’s pay structure, which set the starting salary for officers at $40,000 annually, failed to account for adjustments to the pay of senior officers.
On Monday, the court ruled that the city had indeed violated the pay schedule, favoring the officers’ claims.
"They just want to be paid according to their pay scales," Landry said back in January 2024. "They always thought that if the starting salary was going to change, then their starting salary would change. They just want what’s right. They just want to follow the law."
The lawsuit alleges that while the city adjusted the starting salary for new officers, it failed to make corresponding adjustments for the pay of senior officers, despite their entitlement to higher wages based on the new scale.
At the courthouse, there were no additional filings as of yet, but Landry expressed satisfaction with the ruling, which he said was a significant win for his clients.
KATC contacted the City of Abbeville for a statement, but officials declined to comment on the pending litigation. The city has 30 days to decide whether to appeal the ruling.
