James Bourgeois Contractor, Inc. v. Anderson

CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Louisiana
DecidedAugust 19, 2025
Docket3:25-cv-00472
StatusUnknown

This text of James Bourgeois Contractor, Inc. v. Anderson (James Bourgeois Contractor, Inc. v. Anderson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
James Bourgeois Contractor, Inc. v. Anderson, (M.D. La. 2025).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT MIDDLE DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA

JAMES BOURGEOIS CONTRACTOR, CIVIL ACTION INC. VERSUS JOSEPH ANDERSON, ET AL. NO. 25-00472-BAJ-SDJ

RULING AND ORDER Before the Court is Plaintiffs Motion For Temporary Restraining Order And/Or Preliminary Injunction (Doc. 3, the “Motion). Defendants oppose the Motion. (Doc. 12). Plaintiff filed a Reply. (Doc. 28). The Court held a Status Conference with the Parties regarding Plaintiffs request for a temporary restraining order (“TRO”), during which Defendant agreed to reschedule an Administrative Hearing while the Court considers Plaintiff's request for a preliminary injunction. (Doc 11). The Court denied without prejudice Plaintiffs TRO request and set a briefing schedule regarding Plaintiffs request for a preliminary injunction. (Doc. 10). Plaintiffs remaining request for injunctive relief asks the Court to enjoin Defendants from moving forward with an Administrative Hearing concerning the status of Plaintiffs contractor licenses. (See Doc. 3-1 at 12-18). In its Order following the Status Conference, the Court specified that it would only consider injunctive relief regarding the upcoming Administrative Hearing and will not consider on an

expedited basis any reinstatement of Plaintiffs licenses or the constitutionality of the statutes in question. (/d.). Oral argument is not necessary. For the reasons that follow, Plaintiffs Motion will be DENIED. I. BACKGROUND This case arises out of an investigation into Plaintiffs contract work by Defendant Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (“Defendant LSLBC’). (Doc. 1 at [| 5-12). Though there are some minor fact discrepancies between Plaintiff and Defendants’ versions of the facts, the Court accepts the following facts, largely supplied by Plaintiff, as true for purposes of resolving Plaintiff's Motion: On September 27, 2024, Defendant Laurie LaRose (“Defendant LaRose”), an investigator for Defendant LSLBC, emailed Plaintiff requesting documentation and other information regarding the status of work to construct a camp in Golden Meadow, Louisiana. (/d. at 5, 7). Plaintiff allegedly never received this email message. (/d. at § 7). On October 4, 2024, Defendant LaRose sent Plaintiff a letter via certified mail to Plaintiff with the same request, but Plaintiff allegedly did not receive the letter in part because Plaintiff was away attending to a relative who suffered from a serious illness. (/d.). The letter was returned to Defendant LSLBC on November 15, 2024. Cd.). On October 24, 2024, Defendant LaRose successfully served a subpoena on Plaintiff demanding the documentation and information about the Golden Meadow camp construction project within 72 hours. Ud. at { 8; Doc. 12 at 4). On Octboer 26, 2024, within 48 hours of receiving the Notice, Plaintiff hand delivered

documents to Defendant LSLBC. (Doc. 1 at 8). Plaintiff asserts that an internal email by Defendant LSLBC confirms Defendant LSLBC’s receipt of these documents, though Plaintiff has not yet produced this alleged email message. (See id.). The Parties agree that one of the Defendants notified Plaintiff that Plaintiff did not sufficiently respond to the Notice, but they disagree on who said this and when: Plaintiff asserts that Defendant Joseph Anderson (“Defendant Anderson”), another investigator for Defendant LSLBC, notified Plaintiff on or about December 10, 2024, that additional documents received on that date were “[s]till not enough.” Defendants, however, contend that on the same day in October that Plaintiff provided documents to Defendant LSLBC, Defendant LaRose informed Defendant that Plaintiff had not provided all requested information. (See id.; Doc. 12 at 4—5). On March 25, 2025, Defendant LaRose successfully served upon Plaintiff a “Notice of Violation and Hearing,” (the “Notice”) which notified Plaintiff that Defendant LSLBC “has reasonable grounds to believe that [Plaintiff] has violated ... Section 129(A) of the Rule and Regulations: Contractors must maintain adequate records and provide such to the Board within 72 hours upon request.” (Doc. 1 at { 8). The Notice did not provide factual assertions to support Defendant LSLBC’s allegations against Plaintiff. (Id.). The Notice included a Summary Suspension Order, which suspended Plaintiffs contractor licenses pending an Administrative Hearing set for April 17, 2025. Ud. at § 10; Doc. 12 at 6). On April 9, 2025, at Plaintiffs request, Defendant LSLBC rescheduled the Administrative Hearing to June 19, 2025. (Doc. 12 at 6). On May 12, 2025, Defendant

LSLBC provided over 200 pages of documents to Plaintiff, which Defendant LSLBC contends constitutes all materials Defendant LSLBC will use against Plaintiff at the Administrative Hearing. ([d.; Doc. 1 at § 15). Plaintiff submitted interrogatories and a set of 18 requests for document production to Defendant LSLBC, which as of June 2, 2025, the date that Plaintiff filed the Complaint in this case, had gone unanswered. (Doc. 1 at § 15). However, on July 1, 2025, Defendant LSLBC issued responses to Plaintiffs interrogatories and requests for production which Defendant LSLBC claims further articulate the nature of Plaintiffs alleged violations. (Doc. 37-1 at 6-7). Plaintiffs Complaint listed the aforementioned Defendants, each in their respective official capacity, as well as Shannon Sagona (“Defendant Sagona”), who is Defendant LSLBC’s Enforcement Coordinator, Governor Jeff Landry (“Defendant Landry”), Brad Hassert (“Defendant Hassert”), who is Defendant LSLBC’s Executive Director, Lee Mallett (“Defendant Mallett”), who is Defendant LSLBC’s Commercial Board Chairman, and Elliot J. Temple (“Defendant Temple”), who is Defendant LSLBC’s Residential Board Chairman. (Id. at { 2). Plaintiff broadly alleges that “Defendants are secking to conduct a trial by ambush in violation of Plaintiffs constitutional and civil rights.” (Ud. at J 15). Plaintiff alleges that (1) Defendants have provided constitutionally insufficient notice in violation of Due Process rights under the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of Louisiana, (2) the denial of a hearing before suspending Plaintiffs contractor licenses violates federal and state constitutional Due Process

rights, as well Louisiana state law, (8) Defendant LSLBC’s consolidated roles of investigation, prosecution, and adjudication of Plaintiff violate principles of Due Process, (4) the Louisiana state statutes which Plaintiff has allegedly violated are unconstitutionally void for vagueness, and (5) Defendants’ prosecution of Plaintiff constitutes a fundamentally unfair process in violation of Plaintiffs Due Process rights under the color of state law. Ud. at ¢§ 13-88). Plaintiff seeks a preliminary injunction “enjoining any hearings or prosecution of the accusations of violations by the Defendants-Respondents pending cure of the deficiencies in the Notices, vacating the Summary Suspension of Plaintiffs licenses and reinstating those licenses until there is a lawful notice and pre-suspension hearing, and delaying any further proceedings pending a judgment by the Court on Plaintiffs request for a declaratory judgment determining the constitutionality of Rule 129(A) and La. R.S. 37:2158(A)(11).” (Doc. 3-1 at 18). Plaintiff also requests declaratory judgments with respect to each of its claims, as well as “compensatory and punitive damages in the amount of twenty million dollars, attorneys’ fees, [and] all costs.” (Doc. 1 at 4] 40-42). On August 12, 2025, the Court granted Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s (“Intervenor Murrill”) Unopposed Motion to Intervene for the Limited Purpose of Defending Petitioner's Constitutional Challenge to a Louisiana Statute. (Doc. 38). Intervenor Murrill submitted a Motion to Dismiss (Doc. 36), and all Defendants filed a separate Motion to Dismiss (Doc. 37), which are not yet fully briefed by the Parties.

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James Bourgeois Contractor, Inc. v. Anderson, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/james-bourgeois-contractor-inc-v-anderson-lamd-2025.