Thibodaus, LADistrict Judges have ruled in favor of a Galliano-area woman who filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office, after an unfortunate incident led to the fatal shooting of her infant son.
In May 2007, the Lafourche County Sheriffs forcibly entered the home of an assault suspect named Albert Dodge without a warrant, engaging in a shootout that claimed the lives of both Dodge and his 7-month old son. A Deputy Sheriff was also shot.
In a decision reached earlier this month, a Lafourche district judge awarded the child's mother roughly $102,500 in damages for the death of her infant son, and an additional $7,500 for her wrongful imprisonment.
"Certainly, Mr. Dodge's lifestyle contributed greatly to this situation, and I do not make this award lightly," Hugh Larose, the judge who presided over the case, tells the Daily Comet. "But I feel, based on the case law I've reviewed, I am required to do so."
The Sheriff's department has criticized the child's mother for not warning officers that Dodge was armed or that their child was sleeping inside.
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