B&B sues church over fired that burned down both buildings

A bed and breakfast is suing a church and its bank after a six-alarm blaze that took down the church spread and destroyed the hotel next door, according to a suit filed in Orleans Parish Civil District Court.

New Orleans attorneys Raymond Landry and Kendall Rathburn filed the petition on behalf of Show and Tell of New Orleans LLC on Jan. 18. The suit names the First Missionary Baptist Church and First NBC Bank as defendants.

The plaintiffs allege that First Missionary allowed "its property to fall into a state of disrepair, prior to the time that the fire occurred." The suit claims that "vagrants frequently slept inside and outside the" church, and that the building was cited in 2007 by the City's Safety and Permits Department.

The lawsuit claims that Show and Tell property sustained in excess of $500,000 in damages and that Fellowship Missionary "is responsible and liable to Petitioner for the significant and substantial damage the fire caused."

A Times-Picayune report the day after the fire noted that more than 100 fire fighters were called in to fight the blaze, which persisted through the night and completely destroyed the church.

Orleans Parish Case 2001-00481