BILYTHA LAFAYE DRUILHET v. MACE EUGENE COPELAND IV, Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit 25-707, Decided: July 02, 2026
Jul 02, 2026OUTCOME: Judgment of Trial Court Affirmed
I represented Ms. Bilytha Druilhet for her appellate court response when Mr. Mace Copeland filed to overturn the custody judgment granting Ms. Druilhet sole custody of their minor daughter. The issues ... the appellate court addressed are: (a) whether the trial court abused its discretion in its assessment of family violence and addressing custody and visitation in a protective order proceeding (appellate court found no merit), (b) whether the trial court improperly restrained Mr. Copeland's testimony at the hearing (appellate court found no merit), (c) whether the trial court erred in denying his motion for a new trial as well has his motion to recuse the judge (appellate court found no merit), and (d) whether the cumulative effect of legal errors demands reversal (appellate court found no merit). I did not put this in my briefing because it hadn't occurred yet in the part of the district court matter that was appealed, but Mr. Copeland's appellate brief and several subsequent district court filings were, in my opinion and discerning millenial eye, created using chatgpt or another AI/generative text software. As a result, the fact that this opinion came out with such meticulousness is disturbing to me because I don't believe it's the best use of the court's resources. Ultimately the appellate court upheld the trial court's decisions on all counts.
