A Louisiana nonprofit group is challenging the proposed sale of a Girl Scout camp near Independence, arguing that the 600-acre site is ecologically unique and should be preserved.
Although Friends of the Longleaf Pines (FLLP) filed its challenge in state court in Jefferson Parish, Girl Scouts Louisiana East (GSLE) this month countered with a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, arguing that the nonprofit group lacks legal grounds for its lawsuit. State Judge Ellen Kovach issued a temporary restraining order on the sale on Nov. 4.
At the center of the legal sparring is Camp Whispering Pines, which FLLP contends is part of one of the last remaining longleaf pine forests in Louisiana. The camp, which is the largest of Girl Scouts Louisiana East’s holdings, is the home of endangered trees and species, according to FLLP.
FLLP, which consists of current and past Girl Scouts delegates, members and alumni, sought information on the chapter’s recent decision to accept an undisclosed offer to purchase the camp, the Friends lawsuit states. The chapter has not provided FLLP information on the sale, in violation of shareholder rights to obtain such information, according to the complaint.
The sale was carried out by the GSLE Board of Directors and officers, but all members of the scouts chapter were entitled to have a say about the sale, the lawsuit says. The Camp Whispering Pines site has been assessed at $2.45 million.
“GSLE’s by-laws state that members include delegates, but substantially all of the delegates were not invited or allowed to vote on the sale of Camp Whispering Pines,” the complaint states. “... The vote to sell Camp Whispering Pines included members of the Board of Directors only and did not include (more than) 100 delegates of GSLE membership, represented by Friends.”
Attorney Leonard Fisher, who represents FLLP in the lawsuit, called the Board of Directors’ management of the chapter’s properties reckless.
“The board has refused members’ requests for information about the decision to sell ... so we asked a court to give us access to records so the council can be informed and take a legal vote on what to do with the camp,” Fisher said in an email to the Louisiana Record.
The case is not about the federal Endangered Species Act, but the defendants are using this argument to seek a dismissal in federal court, he said.
“Ultimately … we look forward to discussing the merits of the state law claims – federal or state,” Fisher said. “... This is a case of members of GSLE taking issue with the board and officers’ operation of GSLE, including their single largest asset, Camp Whispering Pines.”