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M o n d ay, J u ly 28, 2025
SCHOOL STYLES
Shopping for uniforms can be complex task
$2.00X
Builder challenges ruling on lawsuit Judge says contracts youngsville couple signed with D.R. Horton not enforceable
BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer
STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD BOWIE
Employee Maggie Seymour, right, helps April Box, second from right, as she shops for school uniforms for her sons, Mason, left, and Nathan at Uniformity on Thursday. BY JOANNA BROWN
Staff writer
It’s one of the busiest, most underrecognized times of the year: backto-school shopping season. Parents take to the stores in droves this time of year, navigating school supply lists, uniform regulations and the opinions of their children on tailoring and style. There are no holiday events as payoff for all of the errands and expenditure — just dwindling shelves as families race to get their kids outfitted before school starts. In Lafayette and surrounding parishes, students attend a mix of public, private, parochial and charter schools. This only enhances the complexity of uniform shopping, since each system has different regulations for their students — not to mention the different styles, col-
gating what schools want, against what the student in question is willing to wear. Her daughter, who is 7, avidly prefers uniform dresses to pants or shorts, and Aucoin takes that into account when shopping sales for her. “It may be interesting transitioning to later grades, when uniform dresses are phased out. They’ve opened the door to jeans, which is Employee Avery LeBlanc, right, a relief for a lot of parents, but not assists Laura Breaux as she something normally in her closet,” shops for school uniforms with she said. her daughter, Blakelyn Breaux, on “That’s kind of the nature of uniThursday. forms — the limitation in choice. But at some point you run up against orways and patterns associated with what’s most comfortable for your child.” individual schools. Janice LeBlanc, owner of UniforLafayette resident Hope Aucoin has a daughter in the Lafayette Par- mity in Lafayette, sees thousands of ish school system, and says that one families pass through her shop this of the biggest challenges for parents ä See STYLES, page 4A in purchasing uniforms can be navi-
When the chief judge of East Baton Rouge Parish’s district court last week rejected the arbitration contract a Youngsville couple signed before buying their home from residential developer D.R. Horton, it was the first pivotal domino in a series of potential developments for a lawsuit against one of the nation’s largest homebuilders. The July 22 ruling made by 19th Judicial District Judge Donald Johnson preserves plaintiffs West and Alicia Dixon’s right to pursue their lawsuit against D.R. Horton in state court. There, a jury could one day render the final verdict on whether the mold, humidity and water intrusion issues that persist in their four-bedroom home derive from a faulty HVAC system the Texas-based builder had installed in the residence when it was erected. If the company is held liable, a jury would also determine how much D.R. Horton should pay the family in damages to fix the problems. D.R. Horton has insisted for the last three years that an arbiter should make those decisions in a different forum — an arbitration proceeding under construction industry rules. While arbitration is generally considered a cheaper and faster option than court, plaintiff attorneys say the construction industry arbitration is “prohibitively expensive” and could cost the Dixons well over $10,000 in fees and filing costs. Attorneys for D.R. Horton will continue to press the issue, despite Johnson’s finding that the sales contracts the Dixons signed were not binding nor enforceable. The contracts included arbitration and delegation clauses that said all legal disputes would be settled by a private arbitrator, not in a court’s jurisdiction.
ä See BUILDER, page 5A
Study indicates downtown hotel would be profitable
An 83-room hotel planned for downtown Lafayette could be a market leader in leisure travel as the most unique hotel in the region, a feasibility study indicates. The $19 million Hotel Lafayette, a 32,000-square-foot full-service boutique hotel planned for the corner of Taylor and Vermilion streets, can leverage its location and proximity to restaurants and event venues and its unique offerings when it opens, possibly in September 2026, according to a
WEATHER HIGH 95 LOW 75 PAGE 10C
to n
Acadiana business editor
Jo hn s
BY ADAM DAIGLE
report from HVS Consulting and the region, the report indicated. Valuation of New Orleans. The hotel is also likely to limit The ownership group discounts group, downtown because its room LAFAYETTE officials and other count is smaller Ga n rfie public figures will than other hotels. r so l d e Co ff hold a groundBut the hotel is ng Je res r s expected to offer b r e a k i n g c e rylo Parc a T Sans special-event rentemony at 5 p.m. Souci Wednesday. als of the pool area Ve rm The hotel’s affiliand restaurant that ilio n could promote it as ation with Bayou Main Planned an attractive outlet Teche Brewery, Hotel for meetings and which is expecte. v A Lafayette special occasions, ed to open in a e Le the report indi4,500-square-foot event space, will cated. Staff map also make it a Actual projecdraw, the report tions for the hotel indicated. were redacted, but the business Among commercial travel, how- should reach a stabilized level of ever, the hotel’s lack of a national ä See HOTEL, page 4A brand could put it behind others in Polk
Groundbreaking is Wednesday for boutique lodging
PROVIDED RENDERING
The $19 million, 83-room hotel will be built at the corner of Lee Avenue and Vermilion Street and include a unique restaurant space, an outdoor pool and 2,500-square-foot event spaces.
Classified .....................5A Deaths .........................4B Nation-World................2A Comics-Puzzles .....7C-9C Living............................5C Opinion ........................2B Commentary ................3B Metro ...........................1B Sports ..........................1C
101ST yEAR, NO. 28