Day: August 11, 2013

To understand the SLAPP suits filed by Aaron Broussard’s former business associates one must understand what the posts reveal……

This post is one Charles Leary, Vaughn Perret and gang at Trout Point Lodge took particular umbrage. In that post, I linked a Tripadvisor review on River Bend Lodge, one of several cottages and outbuildings Leary and Perret managed for Aaron Broussard in a way that was indistinguishable from the Lodge itself. Later the pair would sue the Times Picayune claiming the assertion made in a series of stories, now retracted, that Aaron Broussard owned Trout Point Lodge was somehow defamatory toward them.

And that Tripadvisor review I linked way back in August, 2011? It is now deleted but luckily for everyone I well excerpted it on Slabbed:

We rented River Bend which is a huge cottage. There were 3 couples traveling and this was perfect in size. Trout Point is about 35 to 40 minutes from any town, so you will want to bring food. When we open the front door there was mouse droppings, lots of it! Now we are out in the woods so we weren’t too upset but the Innkeepers could have swept it up before we arrived. The Innkeeper gave my husband the extension to call the front desk to make breakfast reservation. She gave us the wrong number! I had to drive back to the lobby to make the reservation. Breakfast was fine, nothing special, potato cakes, waffles and fresh fruit and 1 muffin that was very good. We were expecting more because of the culinary reviews. After breakfast we asked the cost for dinner. We were infomed that breakfast was $22.50 and dinner was $143.00 for two. We opted not to have dinner. Dinner in town for a full lobster and mussels runs about $30.00. The next day at check out we were hit with a 18% gratuity on the whole bill!!! and breakfast was $22.50 per person!! When I say whole bill, I mean including the lodging. No one ever came and cleaned our rooms when we were out. We stayed two days. So why the 18% gratuity on the lodging?? All the information we read about Point Trout never mentioned the 18% additional charge and I am in the process of contacting my credit card company to reverse that charge. If you have any questions about the area or about the Inn then you will have to look for the Innkeeper because they are never at the front desk.

We will not stay here again. It was a beautiful place but this place is very deceptive in their charges.

River Bend Lodge? Where have I heard that name before???? Oh yeah, it shows up in this court filing that I linked in a recent comment. Here is the salient screen capture: Continue reading “To understand the SLAPP suits filed by Aaron Broussard’s former business associates one must understand what the posts reveal……”

Sunday Coastal B’s: Bay Tech, Bentz and Bay St Louis broke?

Bay Tech controversy going to court ~ Geoff Belcher

Bentz’s replacement will be in a tough spot at Mississippi PSC ~ Da Noose

Bay city clerk decries rumors, says finances in good shape ~ Cassandra Favre

I was told City Clerk Kolf actually quit his job at the meeting, an action he later renounced. I’m reminded of the old phrase “Temperament for the trade” upon hearing such things from meeting attendees. And I’ll be frank in saying that if the City can’t remit it’s obligations to the Hancock County Solid Waste Authority then there is a major money problem at City Hall because the city is the collection agent for garbage fees.

Ms. Favre’s piece is chock full of BS and sophistry. I’m not blaming her because she snagged quotes from management and the City Council. Rather, I’m amused at Kolf trumpeting the 2012 audit when the preliminary copy obtained by Slabbed contains major internal control weaknesses identified including double payment of vendor invoices, which in turn means internal controls over non payroll disbursements are virtually nonexistent. Continue reading “Sunday Coastal B’s: Bay Tech, Bentz and Bay St Louis broke?”