Billy Broussard files complaint against St. Martin Parish Attorney Lee Durio alleging three specific acts of unethical conduct.

Attorney Lee C. Durio, appearing to make himself at home at the Chamber meeting facility of the St. Martin Parish Government (SMPG), and against whom Billy Broussard filed a formal complaint with the Louisiana Office of Disciplinary Counsel alleging three (3) unethical acts which Broussard asserts Durio committed during his pursuit of him on behalf of his client, SMPG.

On Thursday, November 10, 2022, Billy Broussard continued his legal fight with St. Martin Parish Government (SMPG).  This time Broussard filed a formal complaint with the Louisiana Office of Disciplinary Counsel against St. Martin Parish Attorney Lee Durio.  In the following video, Sound Off Louisiana founder Robert Burns accompanies Broussard to explain the three (3) core elements of Broussard’s complaint:

11/10/22:  Burns accompanies Broussard mere moments after he filed an ODC formal complaint against SMPG Attorney Lee Durio.

Before we look at the core contents of Broussard’s complaint, we need to stress one thing.  Normally, proof of “irreparable harm” is a requirement for obtaining the type of injunctive relief Durio sought in the form of a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO).  However, Durio asserted that, because Broussard was “breaking the law,” he indicated that the requirement was “being dispensed with.”  That background will provide the full context of Broussard’s first accusation of unethical conduct on the part of Durio.

Now, let’s take a moment to review the three (3) ethics violations Broussard asserts in his complaint:

Mr. Durio filed a Temporary Restraining Order against me on August 19, 2021 which I have enclosed as part of this complaint. Then, when he realized that he was going to go down in flames at a court hearing set for Tuesday, September 14, 2021, made the proposal to Parish President Chester Cedars, who is the representative for his client, the St. Martin Parish Government, that the hearing be continued, that the TRO be permitted to dissolve on its own, and that I simply resume “violating the law.” I contend that, as an officer of the court, it is a clear and unequivocal ethics violation for Mr. Durio to, on the one hand, claim I am “violating the law,” then turn right around and tell me, “We decided it’s okay for you to violate the law, so resume doing it!” I enclose the written agreement that Mr. Durio proposed to memorialize for the ODC him having done so.

As if that was not bad enough, his own client, St. Martin Parish Government, contacted me in mid-February of 2022 and asked if it was okay with me for THEM to haul in debris onto my property, which was the very activity for which Mr. Durio filed the TRO (which had been dissolved by operation of law some 160+ days prior). Rather than doing the ethical act, which would have been to advise his client that it could not engage in the same “illegal act” for which it was pursuing me, Mr. Durio instead posed no opposition whatsoever to his client hauling in the debris. I have extensive cameras installed on the 33-acre property, and I provide as evidence to the ODC color time-stamped, date-stamped photos of his client hauling in such debris. I contend that is the absolute epitome of unethical conduct to be pursing someone on behalf of a lient for alleged “illegal acts” and turn right around and permit his own client to engage in that same “illegal act” on the defendant’s (me) property!

Finally, I contend that Mr. Durio has acted unethically when my resumed activities caused neighbor complaints, and rather than telling those complainants that, “We have given him permission to engage in these acts,” he instead encouraged the filing of complaints with the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office, and I enclose just one of those many complaints.

Broussard is also concerned about the extensive past and present law-enforcement officers who are working together entailing Broussard.  Specifically, Durio is a former police officer, as is SMPG Chief Administrator Calder “Pop” Hebert, as is Louisiana State Police Trooper Scott Lopez, all of whom Broussard has alleged have worked hand in hand, along with SMPG Deputy Baily Romero, at engaging in acts which he asserts are targeted at him to “build a case where none exists.”

Broussard even submitted the following 18-second video clip of Romero attempting to make a call right after a callout to Broussard’s property and, when there is no answer, the phone clearly shows the “Law Office of Lee C. Durio” on prominent display.  Here’s that 18-second video:

March 4, 2022 call by SMPG Deputy Baily Romero which, upon no answer being obtained, the phone clearly shows “Law Office of Lee C. Durio” on prominent display.

Here’s a still photo of what Broussard references:

March 4, 2022 screenshot of Baily Romero’s phone showing him potentially calling the “Law Office of Lee Durio” immediately after he’d completed investigating a complaint filed by the owner of property next to Broussard’s 33-acre farm, Blake Dubroc.

As we indicated in the video, we’ll update our subscribersip and casual site visitors with the ultimate outcome of Broussard’s formal complaint against Durio once it has been fully investigated and any decision made by the Louisiana Office of Disciplinary Counsel.

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