> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.wbrindependent.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # A Letter From the Editor - URL: https://www.wbrindependent.com/letter-from-the-editor-the-lawsuit-is-over/ - Published: 2026-10-13T20:24:03.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-13T20:24:03.000Z - Description: The lawsuit the West Baton Rouge Parish government and fire district brought against me is over. Here's what these six months were like, and why I'm still here. - Author: John Summers - Tags: #save-the-heads, Announcements I'm writing to everyone today with news. The lawsuit that the West Baton Rouge Parish Government and the West Baton Rouge Fire Protection District No. 1 brought against me is over. For months, it was the one thing I felt like I couldn't talk about with anyone outside my close family and my lawyers. A giant weight of stress has finally been lifted off my family and me. In March, the parish government and the fire district sued me over my public records requests. That isn't typical; usually, it's the public records requester who sues the government for public records. We disagreed for almost six months. After many back-and-forths between the two sides outside the courtroom, we reached an agreement. It's a compromise, nothing more, nothing less. Compromise rarely leaves a sweet taste, and this one is no exception. Neither side got everything it wanted. In Army terms, it's a ceasefire, neither victory nor defeat, and I intend to keep it. That ceasefire covers the lawsuit. It doesn't change how I cover the parish. On Sept. 16, Judge Alvin Batiste Jr. signed a consent judgment between the two sides that ends the case for good. It can't be filed again. Because I was part of this case, I didn't feel I could report on it the way I would anyone else's. That's why this is a letter, not a news story. So why am I still here, running this paper after all of this? I was born and raised in West Baton Rouge. Not my parish, not your parish, but our parish. I started this paper because I felt our parish deserved better local news. I don't believe in fluff. I believe in covering our government and our community honestly. The only agenda I have is the pursuit of truth, and making sure our government keeps its end of the bargain by doing things right. It's not my job to tell officials what to do, only to make sure they do it legally and correctly. So I'll continue to cover the meetings, read the boring budgets, ask the questions, and do my favorite part, meeting and supporting this community. As many people now know, I'm stubborn, I'm a fighter, and I'm not afraid of an uphill battle. The last thing I want to share is what these six months were like. The lawsuit took a toll on my marriage, my sleep, and my wife's health and mine. There were days I seriously thought about closing the paper. The stories I couldn't tell, the self-doubt, the pacing, the sleepless nights, the awkward council meetings. To be honest, I don't know if I'll ever be completely over it. But I'm going to continue reporting on the parish. And West Baton Rouge will still have an independent voice. I want to thank my attorneys, Virginia Hamrick of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and Scott Sternberg of Sternberg, Naccari & White, who represented me at no cost. I couldn't have gotten through this without their help and determination. Thank you to my readers, and to the supporters behind the scenes. You know who you are. And to my wife, Courtney, who by her good graces still lets me run this paper. WBR Independent is growing. You've already seen some of it, and there's more coming in the next few months. I'll continue to cover the parish fairly, with documents, asking the same questions no matter who's in office. Seventeen months and one lawsuit later, I'm still showing up. See y'all at the next council meeting. I'll be the one in the back with the camera. **Principle, not politics.** John Summers Editor, WBR Independent