Louisiana Revised Statutes 13:5201 – Small claims divisions
Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes 13:5201
- Clerk of court: An officer appointed by the court to work with the chief judge in overseeing the court's administration, especially to assist in managing the flow of cases through the court and to maintain court records.
- Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
A. Each city court, now in existence or hereafter created, is authorized to establish by court rule one or more small claims divisions.
B. Such small claims divisions may be established in such areas of the territorial jurisdiction of the court as the judge or judges thereof deem appropriate to best serve the small claims litigants within the jurisdiction. Evening and Saturday hours of operations of a small claims division may also be established.
C. A small claims division so authorized is provided for the filing of matters within its subject matter jurisdiction as provided in La. Rev. Stat. 13:5202(A). A plaintiff filing suit on a claim within the jurisdiction of the division is authorized to file such suit in the division instead of on the regular civil docket of the court.
D. The clerk of court shall maintain a docket for the record of cases filed in the small claims division. At his option, small claims so identified may be entered in docket books maintained for the ordinary civil docket.
E. In the City Court of East St. Tammany, parties shall participate in the Online Dispute Resolution Pilot Project Program process pursuant to La. Rev. Stat. 13:5213 et seq.
Added by Acts 1977, No. 710, §1. Amended by Acts 1979, No. 46, §3, eff. Jan. 1, 1980; Acts 1987, No. 256, §1; Acts 2021, No 281, §1.