BATON ROUGE - East Baton Rouge Metro Councilman Cleve Dunn testified at the 19th JDC on Tuesday in a long-running case to settle a dispute between him and his former neighbors.

The case stems from a lawsuit over a pool cabana and fence built without permits, which his neighbors at the time, Donna and Eugene Michelli, allege caused their home to flood in May, 2021.

Dunn was called to the stand just before 11:30 a.m. to testify about the pool cabana and fence he had built in 2020. He'd be on the stand for over three hours.

During that span, Dunn admitted that construction began without an approved permit, saying he believed he was replacing existing structures.

Dunn claims he started the permit process after inspectors flagged violations. However, he says it stalled because a lawsuit was filed, and there was heightened scrutiny due to his role as a councilman.

Dunn's attorney Edmond Jordan did say that the construction had several violations, but that's not what the case is about. Jordan says that the case is about whether Dunn's construction was the cause of the flooding.

Deric Murphy with Quality Engineering & Surveying, LLC, and Baton Rouge Transportation and Drainage Director Fred Raiford were called to the stand as witnesses to testify that historic rain totals during the May 2021 storm may be the cause of the flooding.

The defense argued that no matter where the structure was, water would flow the same direction and that Dunn should not be liable for damages.

Plaintiff attorney Charlotte McDaniel fired back, saying that since the structure has a concrete base, it did not absorb water as soil would.

In closing arguments, McDaniel said that because Dunn is a council member and was on the HOA board for the subdivision, he should've been aware of the rules and regulations when building.

The defense questioned the validity of Michelli's arguments, saying that on Monday, they did not have any receipts of payments that would justify $57,000 in damages.

"I thought today was good, it was a fight, it was a lot of fights and both sides fought as hard as they could." We believe that he will rule in our favor and that the Michelli's will be made whole and get what they deserve," Attorney Seth Dornier said.

It's now up to the judge to determine whether Dunn can be held responsible for tens of thousands of dollars worth of damages done to his neighbor's home. The ruling for this case will be decided on March 6.