A civil lawsuit filed in the 22nd Judicial District Court challenges the Town of Pearl River’s release of records that were later used in an APR St. Tammany report concerning police department complaints, disciplinary records and settlement related payments.
Amanda Dean and Francisco David Dean filed the lawsuit against the Town of Pearl River, Mayor Joe Lee, Mayor Pro Tempore Tim Moray, Aldermen Kristy Franatovich, Angela Galloway, Virgil Phillips and Cheryl Schultheis, and Town Attorney Timothy Mathison.
APR St. Tammany is referenced in the lawsuit as the media outlet that received and later published records involved in the dispute.
APR St. Tammany is not named as a defendant.
According to the petition, the plaintiffs allege documentation connected to complaints before the Louisiana Commission on Human Rights was released by Mathison while acting as Town Attorney and records custodian.
The lawsuit alleges the records contained identifying information and employment related allegations that should not have been released in that form. It further alleges the subsequent disclosure caused reputational and emotional harm.
Those are allegations contained in the plaintiffs’ petition and have not been established as facts by a court.
Records Were Provided in Response to a Public Records Request
The records at issue were provided directly by the Town through its public records process.
APR’s written request stated that it was being submitted “pursuant to the Louisiana Public Records Law.”
The request also instructed the Town that if any responsive material was withheld or redacted, APR wanted “the specific legal basis for the denial” and asked that any records being withheld or redacted be clearly identified in writing.
On April 22, 2026, Mathison emailed APR and wrote:
“Attached please find records responsive to your request dated 3/19/2026.”
Mathison also stated that additional responsive documents would be provided if the Town obtained them.
The lawsuit now challenges the release of some of the documentation provided through that process.
Lawsuit References APR’s Original Reporting
The records were later incorporated into an APR report concerning Pearl River Police Department related settlements, employment complaints and separate disciplinary documentation involving John Polk.
That original article distinguished between documented disciplinary findings and allegations contained in complaints or legal filings.
APR specifically wrote:
“APR is not stating that every allegation in every legal filing has been proven in court. Settlements are not always admissions of guilt.”
The article did not characterize the administrative allegations as criminal convictions or court findings.
Where the story discussed Polk’s previous discipline, it relied separately on a department disciplinary record stating that an internal investigation found violations of department policy and imposed an unpaid suspension and additional training.
The documents published with the story also contained redactions made by APR to conceal identifying information concerning alleged victims and complainants. The names of public employees identified in the records as subjects of allegations were not removed.
What the New Lawsuit Claims
The plaintiffs assert claims for invasion of privacy, defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The petition alleges Mathison improperly released the documentation and also alleges Mayor Lee authorized or later ratified the release. The lawsuit makes additional claims concerning the responsibilities of other Town officials named as defendants.
The plaintiffs are seeking compensatory damages, court costs, attorney fees where permitted by law and other relief. They have also requested a jury trial.
None of those allegations have been adjudicated.
APR Is Referenced, But Is Not Being Sued
Although APR St. Tammany and its publication of the records are discussed in the petition, the lawsuit does not name APR as a defendant.
The defendants identified in the petition are the Town of Pearl River and the Town officials named in the filing.
The lawsuit now places the circumstances surrounding the Town’s release of those records before the court.
A civil petition represents allegations made by the plaintiffs. Filing a lawsuit does not establish that the defendants violated the law or are legally responsible for the damages alleged.
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