Man sues agent of Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control claiming assault and battery

NEW ORLEANS – A New Orleans attorney alleges he and his client have suffered death threats, murder contracts and an assault in connection with a case being pursued by the Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control.

Scott G. Wolfe Jr. filed suit against Troy Hebert as Commissioner of the Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control (ATC) and Jeffery Barthelemy as agent of ATC and individually in the Orleans Parish Civil District Court on Sept. 5.

The plaintiff claims he is entitled to damages in connection with an incident involving the defendant, Barthelemy, who attempted to serve documents to Scott Wolfe Sr. requesting his presence at an ATC hearing. The plaintiff, acting as attorney for Scott Wolfe Sr., found no evidence that the ATC had “authority to subpoena a non-applicant and non-permittee to appear before a hearing” and so declined to accept the service.

According to the case filing, Barthelemy, in uniform and armed at the time of the incident, refused to take the paperwork back and said to the plaintiff, “If you get close to me, you’ll be sorry.” Wolfe alleges that Barthelemy “was predisposed to expressing this kind of aggression toward Wolfe Jr. given the tenaciousness of pending litigation and continuous investigation and struggles with his employer, the ATC.” Wolfe claims he feared for his safety due to the aggressiveness and arm injury he allegedly received from the defendant.

Wolfe also alleges that WWL-TV reporter David Hammer has been investigating the ATC’s treatment of and violations between Robert Harvey, Omar Hamdan and Scott Wolfe Sr. The plaintiff claims that there were “death threats and specific contracts for murder placed on the life of Wolfe Sr. related to these events and the on-going litigation.”

The defendants are accused of assault and battery and infliction of emotional distress.

An undisclosed amount is sought for damages, costs of the proceedings and attorney’s fees.

The plaintiff is represented by Sean Sullivan of Wolfe Law Group LLC.

The case has been assigned to Division I Judge Piper D. Griffin.

Case no. 2013-08404.