Julie Lea, founder and captain of the Krewe of Nyx, is the subject of a lawsuit filed on behalf of former members, accusing her of using membership fees to live large.
The suit accuses Lea of, among other things, forcing members to buy supplies exclusively from her husband, refusing to refund dues of members who resigned, and inappropriately spending krewe income.
The Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate says the plaintiffs' attorney describes those actions as "racketeering." An attorney for Lea called the suit "light on facts and heavy on accusations."
Founded in 2011, Nyx quickly grew into the largest carnival parade in New Orleans in terms of membership. But that all came crashing down in the spring of 2020.
As protests took place around the nation in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a black man who died as he was detained by white Minneapolis police officers, Lea posted the message #ALLLIVESMATTER to both Krewe of Nyx and her personal social media accounts.
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"All lives matter" has been used to dismiss the message of the Black Lives Matter movement, formed in the wake of deaths of black persons where white culprits were either not charged or acquitted of charges.
Lea, a former NOPD officer, apologized for the post, but for some members, the apology wasn't good enough. They wanted Lea to commit to supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. As a result, hundreds of members quit, some forming other krewes.
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In 2019, controversy found the krewe when someone threw Confederate flag beads from one of the floats. Lea said such throws were not permitted.
More recently, Nyx caught heat when it held a "ball" at a Mississippi Gulf Coast hotel, and social media posts showed members maskless and standing close together in a manner that city of New Orleans officials said would have violated coronavirus pandemic restrictions had the event been held in the city.
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