Louisiana School Workers Fired After Katrina Lose Again

Louisiana’s Supreme Court has refused to reconsider its October dismissal of a lawsuit over the firing of thousands of New Orleans public school employees after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005.

The lawsuit could have resulted in damages being paid to more than 7,000 fired school employees, with estimated possible costs to the state and the New Orleans school board of over $1 billion. But the high court dismissed the suit in a 5-2 decision.

The court denied a re-hearing on Monday. There was no written opinion issued. The court record said Chief Justice Bernette Johnson and Justice Jefferson Hughes, the dissenters in the October decision, would have granted a rehearing.

In its Oct. 31 ruling, the Supreme Court rejected the argument that the fired employees’ due process rights were violated.