GONZALES — Over the past few years, three towing companies — Donaldsonville Glass and Body Works, Southern Towing and Transport, and Gonzales Towing and Repair — sued the city of Gonzales seeking a place on the Gonzales Police Department's rotation list to haul away vehicles.

In federal court Wednesday night, a jury ruled in favor of Gonzales Towing and Repair. 

In their lawsuits, the companies said they were unfairly left off a list of companies the Gonzales Police Department can call.

"This case was never about the money from the beginning. It truly was about justice. It truly was about holding elected officials in a town liable," Jill Craft, the attorney representing the towing companies, said. 

After using a list managed by the Ascension Parish Sheriff, Gonzales created its own list in 2022. Complaints began almost immediately. 

According to testimony, the city didn't solicit bids before making the list. Later, the towing companies left out alleged they were ignored because their owners hadn't supported the police chief's re-election.

"Here I am, 27 years, with no strikes against my business, and I'm not on the list. So a competitor company, Donaldsonville Glass and Body Works, filed a lawsuit against them. So we sat back and watched," Gonzales Towing and Repair's Yancy Ball said. 

This is the outcome the companies wanted from the start, Craft said,

"They wanted to know if there will be a towing and rotation list within the city of Gonzales, and it needs to be administered without regard to whether or not somebody makes political donations or engages in political patronage," Craft said.

On Wednesday, a federal jury said the city violated the First Amendment rights of Gonzales Towing, which has been in business for 27 years. 

However, the jury decided against Southern Towing, which opened in 2021. The jury is not required to give a decision as to why they decided against Southern Towing. Donaldsonville Glass was dropped from the lawsuit. 

The court awarded Gonzales Towing only $2,500, saying it couldn't prove other damages. 

Attorneys representing the city of Gonzales told WBRZ there are still additional proceedings in this case that have not been determined yet and that they're starting discussions for their next step. They say everything is on the table, including a possible appeal. 

Craft says the court has set a deadline for them to file some pleadings as it relates to a declaratory judgment and an injunction to essentially shut down the list.