A Jefferson Parish contracting company is suing the parish and the parish sheriff, alleging unfair taxation.
Hollywood Door Company filed a lawsuit Oct. 7 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against Newell Norman, sheriff and ex officio tax collector for Jefferson Parish, and Jefferson Parish, alleging unfair taxation.
Hollywood Door Company purchases doors out of state and installs them throughout much of southeast Louisiana. According to the complaint, the company sued and won a case in 1985 over the sheriff that had ordered it to pay sales tax on doors regardless of whether they were installed in Jefferson Parish.
Then in 2010, the suit says, the sheriff assessed Hollywood Door with delinquency for failing to pay a sales tax rather than a use tax. The plaintiff says it paid the tax Oct. 10, 2010.
The plaintiff alleges Norman suddenly decided to levy this tax after many years of adhering to the previous ruling. Also, the same taxes were not levied on a direct competitor, the suit says. The suit says this tax is possibly being levied due to the plaintiff winning the previous case against the sheriff.
Hollywood Door seeks the removal of these tax requirements, a refund of $65,679.32 for the taxes paid under protest in 2010, litigation costs and any other relief deemed appropriate by the court. It is represented by attorney Sidney L. Shushan of Jonathan Marks Shushan in New Orleans.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana case number 2:15-cv-05018-SSV-JCW.