Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans Filing Rules

If rental reimbursement is at issue, the filer must provide proof.

An administrative-stay request must be presented to the Duty Judge by verified petition of appeal or supporting affidavits establishing immediate irreparable injury and certifying the efforts made to give notice or explaining why notice could not be given.

Cases ordinarily are tried in assignment order, but judges may call dockets and dispose of matters in any order they deem proper.

A Joint Pre-Trial Outline is due 10 days before trial.

The party preparing a judgment must circulate it and attach a 9.5 certificate.

Opposition to a summary-judgment motion must be filed at least 15 days before the hearing.

Supporting and opposing memoranda are due eight days before the hearing.

If a dispute leaves a judgment unsigned for more than ten days, the parties must obtain a transcript of the oral judgment and set an immediate status conference or seek a ruling from the presiding judge.

A reply memorandum in support of a summary-judgment motion must be filed and served at least five days before the motion hearing.

The pretrial memorandum is due in chambers five days before trial and may be sent by fax or email to the law clerk.

For a document requiring service without citation, the filing party must obtain an extra certified copy and give it to the Constable for the return of service.

Certain discovery materials must be served on opposing counsel or parties but generally are not filed unless a judge orders filing; the serving party must retain the original.

If the person is absent from the domicile, the person with whom service is made may be interrogated to obtain the necessary service information.

Summary-judgment motions must be served on all parties at least 65 days before trial.

A self-employed person or qualifying closely held business employee must deliver the second-paragraph documents to the opposing party, and to the court or clerk if required, at least five days before the hearing, excluding holidays.

Ordinary and unfinished summary cases must be continued to a later date at the judge's discretion.

A written motion to continue a trial must be filed with the court.

Failure to comply with the Case Management Order does not constitute good cause to continue or reset a scheduled trial.

A trial continuance requires a written motion stating the reason, whether it is the first request, and whether the opposing party objects.

A continuance application must be written, state whether the opposing attorney or litigant opposes it, and specify the reason for the continuance.

Questions about court costs or judicial interest rates should be directed to the Clerk’s Office at the stated telephone number.

A notification email containing call-in information is sent to all entered email addresses, and support staff may be included.

Minute Clerk Dwayne Mallet may be contacted at dmallet@orleanscdc.com during the listed Division E office hours.

Chambers may be contacted by fax at (504) 304-1694.

Chambers may be contacted by fax at (504) 523-8193.

A copy of the page-line designations must be emailed to the Division I law clerk.

A tangible courtesy copy of the motion and memorandum must be provided to division chambers before a hearing date is set.

Each party should prepare an exhibit book for itself, the opposing party, the judge, and the witness, and counsel must deliver the tabbed hard-copy bench book to the Court at least seven days before trial.

A courtesy copy of the supporting or opposing memorandum must be submitted to chambers when it is filed.

A courtesy copy of the joint pretrial outline must be delivered to chambers by hand or U.S. mail and filed in the record within 10 days before trial; fax and email are prohibited.

For a jury trial, the deposited funds are used to pay jury costs, and the court may require an additional deposit when needed.

The standard deposit schedule applies only to a standard venire, and the Court may require additional posted costs when more jurors are needed.

If the court receives written notice 30 days before trial that the case is resolved or will proceed to a bench trial, all deposited funds except $1,500 will be refunded.

No original suit, proceeding, or subsequent pleading may be filed or docketed until all applicable filing fees are paid to the Clerk of First City Court, except for pleadings filed under Rule 6A.

Exhibits must be labeled according to agreed or disputed status and placed in binders.

Exhibits must be labeled and organized in binders, with an exhibit list included and objections identifying admissibility, authenticity, or both.

All pleadings must bear original wet signatures.

All pleadings, motions, and other court papers must be typed or printed, double spaced, in English, on legal- or letter-size paper, with two-inch top margins and one-inch side and bottom margins; exhibits may be other sizes unless prepared for court use, when they must be letter size.

The electronic copies of proposed special jury charges and jury interrogatories must be submitted in Word format by email at least 10 days before trial.

Suggested jury interrogatories must also be submitted electronically.

Judgments may be submitted by email to the Division F email address or by delivering a hard copy to chambers.

Jury charges and jury interrogatories may be submitted electronically on a disc.

The video request form on the Court’s website must be completed to reserve courtroom technology.

Exceptions, motions, and orders to set a rule to show cause may be filed electronically or by fax, subject to the stated copy requirements.

Counsel must promptly and in good faith confer concerning all discovery disputes.

The mover's attorney must sign the motion and certify an in-person conference with represented parties, except that no conference is required for a pro se party and an attorney outside the greater New Orleans area may confer by phone.

A motion to set a case for trial must be submitted by a party, certify that trial counsel for all parties conferred in person, and establish that the case is ready for trial; no conference is required with a pro se party.

The attorney filing a motion to set a case for trial must certify that trial counsel for all parties conferred in person to confirm that the case is trial-ready; no conference is required with a pro se party, and out-of-area attorneys may confer by phone.

Materials faxed to chambers may not exceed 15 pages, excluding the cover page.