Judge rules Lafayette/Vermilion boundary lines will remain as is

The boundary line dispute between Lafayette and Vermilion parishes will not be changing anytime soon, based on Judge John Trahan’s ruling on Monday.
Judge Trahan heard arguments from Lafayette and Vermilion Parishes on where the west-end parish line should be located.
The dispute is over 1,400 acres of land near the Indian Bayou area.
In 2002, Vermilion and Lafayette parishes reached an agreement with where the boundary line is. However, in 2013, the Lafayette City Parish Council voted to reject the parish line adopted in 2002.
Attorney Paul Moresi III represented the Vermilion Parish Police Jury, while attorney Gary McGoffin represented Lafayette Parish.
McGoffin’s entire argument on why the boundary line was wrong in 2002 was because of a survey done by a Mr. Campbell in 1842 versus a survey done by a Mr. Bernard in 1931.
In Mr. Campbell’s survey notes, he speaks about a group of trees along a coulee where a certain survey point starts.
Almost 100 years later, a Mr. Bernard did a survey in determining the official parish boundary lines. Not once in Mr. Bernard’s survey did he write anything using a tree or a group of trees as a reference point.
Because Mr. Bernard’s survey does not mention Mr. Campbell’s trees as a reference point, then his survey is wrong, argued McGoffin.
Surveyor Mike Mayeux explained to the judge about the survey done in 1842. It was his opinion that this was the correct Lafayette/Vermilion parish boundary survey not the one done by Mr. Bernard in 1931.
When a survey was done by the state’s land office in 2002, the Mr. Bernard survey was used as a reference point and not the survey of 1842.
Judge Trahan said no error was done by the state survey in 2002, by using the Bernard survey, thus the 2002 agreement between Lafayette and Vermilion parish stands.
The judge also ruled Lafayette Government waited too long to challenge the 2002 survey findings.
Lafayette Parish is also responsible for the court costs.
McGoffin said he will check with Lafayette-Parish Government to see if they want to appeal Judge’s Trahan’s ruling.