Lawyers could be paid more in Louisiana if they successfully defend fired first-responders

A Louisiana Senate committee advanced a bill Wednesday that would require municipalities to pay higher attorney’s fees when civil service boards reverse the terminations of police officers and firefighters.

Senate Bill 215, filed by Sen. Jay Luneau, D-Alexandria, would allow attorneys to collect up to $5,000 if they win an appeal to a local civil service board. 

Most cities and towns in Louisiana have a local police and fire civil service board that has the power to overturn disciplinary action and terminations of police officers and firefighters. The boards typically comprise five members, two of whom are active members of the local police department and fire department and are elected by their fellow first-responders.  

Under current state law, a defense attorney for a police officer or firefighter can be awarded up to $1,000 in legal fees if a civil service board reverses a termination or disciplinary action.

Civil service boards have attracted public scrutiny in recent years with high-profile cases of police misconduct and the subsequent challenges cities face to discipline or fire problem officers.  

Baton Rouge Police Cpl. Robert Moruzzi was reinstated to his job after being fired for pointing a gun at a downtown bar manager while off duty. Then in 2016, he was subsequently held liable by a federal jury for an excessive force incident in which he stomped on the back of a man’s head, knocking out his front teeth, according to reports by WAFB-TV.  

Despite his checkered past, Moruzzi’s fellow officers elected him to Baton Rouge’s civil service board – the governing body that gave him back his job in 2010. He was reelected to the board in 2020 but announced his resignation in January after several contentious meetings that drove the board attorney to quit, according to The Advocate. 

In an interview following Wednesday’s committee meeting, Luneau said his bill really has nothing to do with the politics surrounding civil service boards and is just to bring the legal fees in line with current costs. He said it’s difficult to find lawyers to take civil service cases because the statute hasn’t been updated in 27 years. 

“We’re talking about 27 years since there’s been an increase,” Luneau said. “What else hasn’t gone up in costs since 1995?”

Luneau said the $5,000 figure is not a guarantee but is simply the maximum amount that may be awarded.