France News

A hearing date is set and Mayor LaToya Cantrell will have to attend if she wants an Orleans Parish Civil Court judge to extend the protective order she got against a French Quarter woman.The mayor claims the woman has been taking harassing pictures of her in public.First, the mayor is not using a lawyer she is representing herself and filed the petition for the restraining order by herself.The mayor must appear in court and take the stand herself if she wants to have the protective order extended.Cantrell says she fears for her safety.Late Friday, the mayor went into Civil Court right across the street from city hall and filed a petition seeking a protective order against a French Quarter woman Cantrell feels is taking harassing photos of her.The order was signed by Judge Paulette Irons, which is not uncommon in situations like this.According to her filing, the mayor claims the woman, whose address is the Pontabla Apartments, where the mayor used a city-owned apartment for months, was taking aggressive photos of her and harassing her while she ate lunch.”Look, photographing someone in a public place is not illegal,” said Scott Bickford, a local attorney not attached to this case.But a spokesperson for the mayor claims she has a right to protect her safety, saying in a statement issued over the weekend: ‘The mayor deserves the same respect she shows to others, and the opportunity to pursue a good quality of life as she continues to serve the people of this city.”The burden of proof to get the protective order extended is on the mayor and she will have to testify at a hearing set for next week.”Not many elected officials will want to put themselves in that position,” Bickford said.