BATON ROUGE — The yearslong boundary dispute between a Metro Council member and his onetime neighbors hit another snag Wednesday after the politician's lawyer questioned whether the neighbor's lawsuit can continue because they've sold their property.

The dispute between Eugene and Donna King Michelli and Councilman Cleve Dunn dates to 2020, when Dunn encroached on the Michellis' property with a driveway, fence and cabana. 

In March 2023, a judge gave the fence to the Michellis and ordered Dunn to pay the Michellis $57,000.

He never paid, and on Wednesday the couple's lawyer said Dunn had offered to settle the matter for $5,000 _ or less than 9 cents on the dollar from Judge Beau Higginbotham's initial ruling. Dunn also asked for a non-disclosure agreement; the home in question is not in the Metro Council district he represents.

"I've tried a lot of cases, I've never seen anybody do it this bad. Ever!" lawyer Seth Donier said.

The case has been covered extensively by 2 On Your Side since it began.

The matter had been set for a hearing Wednesday, but Dunn's attorney, Edmond Jordan, asked what should happen now since the Michellis moved in the fall of 2023. The Michellis say they are still owed damages because Dunn's improvements washed away his land, pushed dirt onto a sidewalk and required him to install a sump pump to control flooding.

Separately, city-parish code officers noted a number of violations on the property that were not addressed.

Higginbotham reset the case for a trial Jan. 29. Filings are due Oct. 20 and a pretrial hearing was set for Dec. 10.

Proceedings in the case have also been delayed as Dunn's lawyer claimed an automatic continuance to accommodate his work as a state lawmaker, and also after Dunn claimed in 2023 that Higginbotham was a racist and biased against him.