INDReporter

Gag order issued in suit against PD

by Leslie Turk

Both parties are prohibited from speaking to the media or using social media or the Internet to discuss the case involving a federal lawsuit former and current officers filed against the Lafayette Police Department in June.

The Advocate reported Wednesday that the parties involved in a federal lawsuit filed by a group of former and current Lafayette police officers against the police department were placed under a gag order by federal Magistrate Judge Patrick Hanna Sept. 5. The order appears to cover all manner of communication with outside parties, prohibiting not only talking with the media but also the use of social media or the Internet to discuss the case.

The high-profile case has been in headlines since early this year, and the plaintiffs have taken to their website to tell more of their side of the story. The suit, which alleges widespread corruption among some of the top brass in the department, was originally filed in district court in February; the federal suit, filed in June, involves allegations by 10 former and current officers.

The Advocate noted that the gag order came to light Tuesday during a Lafayette Fire and Police Civil Service hearing when attorney Michael Corry, who is representing Lafayette Consolidated Government, informed members of the Civil Service Board that he could not discuss several items on Tuesday's agenda since they concerned matters in the pending lawsuit.

An evidential hearing on the case is scheduled for Friday at 9 a.m. in federal court.

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