A lawsuit filed in federal court alleges that a long-serving football coach was retaliated against by his school district after reporting concerns about illegal activity and misconduct within the athletic department. The complaint was submitted by Jonathan Landry on March 31, 2026, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana against the Avoyelles Parish School Board and several individual defendants.
According to the filing, Landry served as an employee and football coach at Marksville High School for over ten years before raising concerns in July 2024 about various practices within the school’s athletic department. These included allegations of drinking on school property, misappropriation of funds, coaches transporting players while intoxicated, use of racial and homophobic slurs by coaches, tobacco and alcohol use on campus by staff, neglect of athletes, cheating on exams required for coaching certification, unauthorized administration of medication to students, falsification of official documents, questionable financial practices regarding coaching stipends, condoning illicit drug use among athletes, and allowing physical altercations without proper reporting or consequences.
The complaint states that Landry initially reported these issues to a school board member before escalating them to Principal Kristin Dufour Lemoine in November 2024. Despite providing documentation to support his claims during Thanksgiving break that year, Landry alleges that Principal Lemoine was reluctant to include evidence against certain staff members due to personal relationships. When it became clear that not all evidence would be considered internally, Landry provided information directly to the school board.
Landry claims that after his complaints were disclosed to others within the district in February 2025—including Superintendent Karen L. Tutor and Assistant Superintendent Thelma Prater—he was removed from his coaching position without explanation. He also describes experiencing verbal abuse from colleagues following this disclosure. The complaint details how other coaches allegedly ostracized him with derogatory language such as being called a “snake,” while one coach told him to “go f**** [himself]” as he left the fieldhouse.
Further retaliation is alleged in connection with Landry’s attempts to report sexually explicit rumors circulating about Principal Lemoine among other coaches. After submitting a sealed written report about these rumors directly to her on March 5, 2025, Landry says he was banned from campus due to her discomfort over receiving this information. He was subsequently transferred first to Marksville Elementary School and then later informed he would be moved again—to Louisiana School for Agricultural Science (LASAS), which does not have a football team—despite assurances there would be no further retaliation.
The lawsuit asserts that these transfers were punitive actions taken because of Landry’s complaints rather than legitimate personnel decisions. According to the filing: “Defendants admitted to Mr. Landry that he was being moved because of the controversy of his complaints but attempted to frame it as protecting him during an active investigation.”
Landry also alleges ongoing harm after leaving Avoyelles Parish schools; he claims defendants continued contacting other schools where he applied for positions and made false statements accusing him of misconduct similar to what he had reported.
The legal arguments outlined in the complaint include counts for retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; deprivation of First Amendment rights under federal law; retaliatory harassment resulting in a hostile work environment; as well as violations of related Louisiana statutes. Specifically cited are Title VII (42 U.S.C.A §2000e-3), La. Stat. Ann. §23:303; La Stat Ann §23:967; 42 U.S.C §1981; and 42 U.S.C §1983.
Landry seeks compensatory damages including back pay and front pay or reinstatement as teacher and coach at Marksville High School; reasonable attorney fees; damages for emotional distress; loss of enjoyment of life; medical bills; increased travel expenses incurred due to reassignment outside Avoyelles Parish; statutory penalties; legal interest from date of judicial demand; costs associated with proceedings; any other relief deemed appropriate by the court; and requests a trial by jury.
The attorneys representing Jonathan Landry are Jacques F. Bezou Jr. and Payton S. Lachney from The Bezou Law Firm based in Covington, Louisiana (Case ID: 1:26-cv-01027).
Source: 126cv01027_Jonathan_Landry_v_Avoyelles_Parish_Complaint_Western_District_of_Louisiana.pdf
