New Orleans Judge Files Police Complaint Against WWL Over Investigative Report

NEW ORLEANS, La. — A New Orleans Criminal District Court judge has filed a police complaint against WWL Louisiana following an investigative report examining a $765,000 home she received from her former fiancé, creating a highly unusual dispute between an elected judge and a local news organization.

Judge Kimya Holmes filed the complaint with the New Orleans Police Department on September 11, alleging WWL revealed information about her home address and vehicle.

The complaint came weeks after WWL investigative reporter David Hammer published a report examining Holmes’ relationship with accountant Arthur Allen and a home Allen transferred to Holmes in 2025.

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Allen had been charged weeks before the transfer with fraudulently obtaining more than $712,000 in taxpayer funded COVID relief money.

Holmes told WWL she did not begin dating Allen until years after the conduct that resulted in his criminal case. She has also maintained that she did not learn about his charges until around the time Allen pleaded guilty in April, after their relationship had ended.

Dispute Over $765,000 Home

WWL’s investigation focused partly on the $765,000 home Allen transferred to Holmes while the two were engaged.

According to the reporting, Holmes continued living in the home while Allen continued paying the mortgage.

The accuracy of WWL’s reporting has not been publicly challenged by Holmes, according to Hammer.

Instead, the dispute escalated over information contained in the station’s reporting.

On September 10, the judicial administrator for New Orleans Criminal District Court sent WWL a letter demanding the station remove a public record displaying Holmes’ home address.

The letter also demanded removal of images showing the license plate of a Corvette leased by Allen that had reportedly been photographed while parked inside the courthouse garage.

Court officials also sought the identity of the person who photographed the vehicle.

WWL temporarily removed videos containing the information before reposting them with the address and license plate blurred. The station declined to reveal the identity of its source.

The following day, Holmes filed the police complaint.

Law Cited Had Already Been Changed

The legal issue surrounding the complaint has now become a major part of the story.

The law cited by the courthouse previously required third parties, including news organizations, to remove certain personal information involving judges after receiving a request from a judicial administrator.

Violating those provisions could previously result in misdemeanor criminal penalties.

However, the Louisiana Legislature repealed both the removal requirement and associated criminal penalties earlier this year.

Those changes became effective August 1, before WWL published its investigation and before the courthouse sent its demand to the station.

WWL later asked Holmes’ campaign about the legal basis for the complaint and whether Holmes knew the provisions had been repealed.

According to the station’s reporting, the response included an outdated version of the law from the Louisiana Legislature’s website that still showed the previous provisions.

A legislative spokesperson acknowledged that updates to laws displayed on the state’s website can take months and that the online information is not considered the official authoritative version of Louisiana law.

Police Investigation Remains Open

WWL’s attorney contacted New Orleans police and informed investigators about the changes to the law.

The station has asked that the investigation be closed.

As of Tuesday, however, NOPD said the investigation remained open.

The situation has also drawn attention from media law attorneys because it involves an elected judge using the criminal complaint process following investigative reporting about her.

Holmes is currently seeking reelection to the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court.

No determination has been made that WWL or any of its employees committed a crime.

The dispute now raises broader questions about press freedom, privacy protections for judges and how outdated versions of Louisiana law may have played a role in the complaint.

TRH News will continue following the case as additional information becomes available.

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