Bennett, Spruill join lawsuit amid questions about possible conflict of interest

Avoyelles Parish district judges William “Billy” Bennett and Kerry Spruill have joined the lawsuit challenging the expansion of Bunkie and Marksville city-court jurisdiction, according to records provided to Avoyelles Weekly by the East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court.

Judge Eboni Johnson-Rose signed an order Aug. 24 allowing both judges to be added as plaintiffs, individually and in their capacities as elected judges of the 12th Judicial District Court. The request was filed Aug. 21, and the clerk’s docket records the second amended petition on Sept. 16.

Bennett and Spruill joined original plaintiffs Bruce Coulon and Patrick Ryan, who filed the suit June 26. The case challenges Act 972 of 2026, formerly House Bill 1252, and was filed in the 19th Judicial District Court in East Baton Rouge Parish under docket number C- 780554.

The amendment adding the judges argues that the law would affect the district court’s authority to hear appeals from justice of the peace courts. In an Oct. 10 email, Bennett said his opposition to the law was based on concerns about its financial effects on the parish’s justice system. He said his position was not political and that he was not opposed to an expansion of the city courts “if it is done in a way that benefits all, not just some.”

District Attorney Charles “Charlie” Riddle III represented the four plaintiffs. In an Oct. 6 email responding to the newspaper’s questions, Riddle said that representation was “as an individual not as DA” and that he had “not charged any legal fees.”

Riddle also said he had been discharged and requested more time to provide additional information. His response did not identify who paid court costs or other litigation expenses.

In a Sept. 21 motion seeking permission to withdraw, Riddle addressed the relationship between his private representation of the judges and his position as district attorney. The motion said representing the judges created potential issues in criminal cases because he also served as the elected prosecutor.

The motion also cited a request to recuse Spruill in Dubea Farms, LLC v. Trent P. Clark, a separate Avoyelles Parish civil case, docket No. 2026-4619. According to Riddle’s filing, the defendant’s attorney sought recusal because Riddle represented Spruill in the city-court lawsuit. The newspaper has not obtained the underlying recusal motion or an order resolving it. An Oct. 1 order allowed attorney Cory Roy to withdraw and enrolled Michael F. Kelly as counsel for the plaintiffs. The records supplied to the newspaper Oct. 6 did not include a signed order granting Riddle’s withdrawal. A Sept. 29 order set Riddle’s withdrawal request for Oct. 14, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. in the 19th Judicial District Court. The docket supplied Oct. 6 also lists an exception hearing at that time. The records reviewed do not establish a hearing date for the separate Spruill recusal request. “To me, this is an obvious conflict of interest,” said Rep. Daryl Deshotel, the author of the legislation being challenged, in a written statement commenting on the representation arrangements described in court filings. “These relationships raise serious questions about impartiality and undermine public confidence in the integrity of our judicial system,” Deshotel said. The records supplied by the clerk on Oct. 6 included no ruling finding an ethical violation concerning those arrangements. Spruill had not responded by email to the newspaper’s request for comment as of Oct. 12. Editor’s note: This report is based on court records supplied Oct. 6 and written responses received through Oct. 12. Bennett declined to address specific questions about the pending litigation but later explained his opposition to the law. Riddle provided a brief response and requested more time. Their responses addressed the newspaper’s inquiries; Deshotel commented separately on the public filings. Deshotel is a co-director of Building a Better Avoyelles, the nonprofit that operates Avoyelles Publishing.