The Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal has upheld a trial court’s dismissal of Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s stalking petition against a French Quarter resident, ruling that the mayor’s claims violated the defendant’s First Amendment rights and were properly dismissed under the state’s anti-SLAPP statute.
The case stems from an incident on April 7, 2024, when Anne W. Breaud, a resident of the Upper Pontalba Apartments, photographed Mayor Cantrell and a member of her security detail dining on a balcony at the Tableau Restaurant across the street. A month later, Mayor Cantrell filed a restraining order petition and an official police report alleging that Breaud’s actions amounted to stalking and harassment.
Cantrell’s handwritten petition described Breaud as a threat to her safety and that of her family, accusing Breaud of “aggressively photographing and harassing” her during a private lunch.
The trial court initially issued a temporary restraining order but later reversed course. On June 18, 2024, it granted Breaud’s special motion to strike the petition under Louisiana’s anti-SLAPP law (La. C.C.P. art. 971), which is designed to prevent lawsuits that chill free speech in matters of public interest. The court awarded Breaud $15,393.52 in attorney’s fees and costs, prompting Cantrell to appeal.
On June 9, 2025, the Fourth Circuit affirmed the lower court’s ruling, siding with Breaud. The court held that taking photographs of public officials in public spaces especially by someone in her own residence falls squarely under First Amendment protections.
The court further ruled that the mayor failed to demonstrate a legal basis for her stalking claim, stating the petition was likely “designed to suppress, restrain and prohibit” Breaud’s rights to observe and document public figures. The appellate court also awarded Breaud an additional $8,000 in legal fees related to the appeal.
As public scrutiny of elected officials intensifies in the digital age, the Cantrell v. Breaud case may stand as a landmark moment in defining the legal protections and limitations surrounding citizen oversight and the right to document public life.
READ MORE: Court rules against Mayor Cantrell in high-profile stalking dispute
