Key facts
- A New Orleans judge filed a criminal complaint against CBS affiliate WWL Louisiana.
- The complaint cited a repealed law that no longer carried criminal penalties.
- The judge's then-fiancee was charged with fraudulently collecting over $712,000 in Covid-19 relief.
- WWL reported the judge received a $765,000 home donation from the fiancee.
- WWL blurred sensitive information after a judicial administrator's request.
- Legal experts believe the criminal complaint lacks merit and has no force.
A New Orleans judge has filed a criminal complaint against a local CBS affiliate, WWL Louisiana, over a news report that scrutinized a real-estate transaction involving her and a man accused of pandemic relief fraud. Judge Kimya Holmes invoked a section of Louisiana law that had been repealed and no longer carries criminal penalties.
Investigative reporter David Hammer published a story on August 24 detailing how Holmes received a $765,000 home donation in 2025 from Arthur Allen, her then-fiancee. Weeks prior, Allen had been charged with fraudulently collecting over $712,000 in taxpayer-funded Covid-19 relief. Holmes stated she did not begin dating Allen until four years after the alleged crime and learned of his charges only after they broke up.
On September 10, the judicial administrator for the New Orleans criminal courthouse sent WWL a letter demanding the removal of public records showing the home's address and images of a Corvette leased by Allen. The administrator cited a Louisiana law that made such violations a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. However, the state legislature had repealed these provisions and penalties on August 1, before Hammer's reporting and the administrator's letter.
In response to the letter, WWL took down videos containing the requested information on September 11 but later reposted them with the address and license plate numbers blurred. The station refused to disclose the source of the Corvette's photograph. On the same day, Judge Holmes filed a criminal complaint against WWL with the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) for allegedly revealing her home address and vehicle information.
Media lawyer Scott Sternberg, who previously lobbied for the repeal of the law in question, stated that the repealed sections were "wildly unconstitutional" and that he couldn't imagine a public official filing a criminal complaint for accurate reporting. He added that neither the judicial administrator's letter nor the police complaint had any legal force.
WWL inquired with Holmes' campaign spokesperson about the legal basis of the complaint and whether she was aware the law had been repealed. The spokesperson forwarded an email from state appellate court judge Tiffany Gautier Chase, sent on August 26, which notified judges of "protections against the dissemination of certain personal information" and included an outdated version of the law. A state legislature spokesperson noted that updating laws on the legislative website can take months and that the site carries a disclaimer about accuracy.
WWL's attorney, Mary Ellen Roy, informed the NOPD of the updated law and requested the investigation into the judge's complaint be closed. The NOPD stated on Tuesday that the investigation was ongoing.