Dr. Brian Salvatore has filed a lawsuit against Dr. Robert Smith, in his official capacity as Chancellor of Louisiana State University (LSUS), and Mr. Carlton (Trey) Jones, in his official capacity as Deputy General Counsel for the LSU Board of Supervisors. The case was filed in the United States District Court, Middle District of Louisiana under the court case ID 3:24-cv-00270-BAJ-RLB on April 4, 2024.
The plaintiff, Dr. Salvatore, is a tenured university professor at LSUS who alleges that his rights secured by the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution were violated by the defendants. He claims that his outspoken stance against hazardous environmental waste in northwest Louisiana led to an abrupt change in attitude towards him from university officials and denial of well-deserved awards and opportunities for promotion.
In addition to this, Dr. Salvatore also accuses prominent families in northwest Louisiana with economic interests in burning hazardous materials at Camp Minden of being displeased with his exercise of free speech. His actions included speaking out against plans to keep the burn system at Camp Minden permanently and trucking in millions of pounds of additional hazardous materials from throughout the nation.
Dr. Salvatore is seeking declaratory relief, injunctive relief, and a temporary restraining order from the court. He hopes to redress the deprivation of rights he believes he suffered due to his vocal advocacy for safer alternatives to handling hazardous chemicals.