Former Baton Rouge mayor’s office employee named in lawsuit, accused of hitting man with chair

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — An employee for former Mayor-President Sharon Weston-Broome was named in a civil lawsuit after being accused of hitting a man with a chair.

According to court documents, Walter “Geno” McLaughlin arrived at a local bar, Sky Lounge, on Bennington Avenue to watch an NBA Finals game in June 2024. The city hosted a series of events for local, state, and national partners, beginning at Sky Lounge. Shortly after his arrival, McLaughlin and Courtney Scott agreed to discuss official city-parish business.

During the conversation, Scott became irate towards McLaughlin and was accused of committing several batteries, according to court records. Scott allegedly armed herself with a metal chair and struck McLaughlin in the face.

After the alleged incident, Broome announced Scott’s resignation after an investigation.

“This horrific incident was caught on camera,” the lawsuit states. “Undoubtedly, the irreversible harm caused by Ms. Scott, a city-parish employee, while carrying out her official governmental duties during a city-parish event will forever be etched into Mr. McLaughlin’s mind.”

McLaughlin’s lawyer, Ryan Thompson, filed the civil lawsuit against Scott and East Baton Rouge for damages and a trial. The lawsuit states Scott is responsible for battery, assault, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Thompson shared the following statement:

“The question can be posed, ‘Why didn’t Mr. McLaughlin call the police?’ Mr. McLaughlin doesn’t believe in the current criminal justice system and doesn’t believe in sending any black woman to jail. The state doesn’t have a long history of rehab; the only other recourse was to file a civil suit and seek civil recourse. It’s our position that until the criminal justice system is reimagined, the civil aspect of the situation is the remedy.

Should anyone in the public question or reach out to her or anyone from the city, any notions that Mr. McLaughlin somehow provoked her or was the aggressor are categorically false and aren’t supported by evidence.”
Ryan Thompson, Attorney at Law

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