Career
He was accused about the same time of engaging in commerce, contrary to the canon law, and summoned to Paris for trial. But his defense was undertaken by the authorities in Martinique, and the matter was allowed to drop for the time. His conduct afterward was one of the causes that led to the downfall of his order.
His mission was heavily in debt, and to restore it to financial prosperity he made extensive purchases of land in Dominica, and engaged in various commercial ventures, borrowing large sums of money when these proved unsuccessful.
At last, in the spring of 1762, the fourth visitor, Father de la Marche, reached the island, and organized a tribunal of the principal fathers of the mission, before whom Lavalette appeared. Lavalette was condemned and suspended from all ecclesiastical functions until their report was laid before the general of the order in Rome.
Lavalette gave information to his superiors by which it appeared his debts amounted to 2,400,000 livres. The French Jesuits were making an effort to settle with the creditors when the case was brought before the courts, the whole Society was held responsible for the debt, and a decree was issued for the seizure of all their property.
This rendered the Society in France bankrupt, and led to the royal edict of November, 1764, which abolished the order in that country.