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There are new laws about using e-mail in Louisiana state court cases. If you have an email address you must now list it on all court filings.
The new rules start January 1, 2022.
This alert is only about Louisiana state courts.
This alert is not about federal courts (U.S. District Courts) in Louisiana.
If you can, try to find a lawyer to help you before taking legal action.
Go here or to this link to look for free legal help in Louisiana: https://louisianalawhelp.org/find-legal-help/directory.
Here are some important points.
Starting January 1, 2022, you must include your e-mail address on papers you file in court.
Your e-mail address goes in the place on the court papers with your signature, your printed name, your address and your phone number.
What if you do not use e-mail or have an e-mail address?
The address you list on court papers must be where you really live. It cannot be a post office box or someone else’s home where you receive mail.
If you can’t get mail where you really live, you must also give the court a mailing address.
The court or someone involved in your case might use your e-mail address to send or “serve” you with court papers.
“Serve” or “Service” are words for the official way court papers are delivered or sent.
Service by email still cannot be used to do the first service in a suit.
Courts and people involved in a case might use email for other important notices as well.
There are new rules about using e-mail to “serve” or deliver court papers.
This alert does not cover all of those details.
Again, these are new rules.
It may take time for courts and people involved in cases to get used to these new rules.
Always be very careful to keep up with any court matter you are involved with.
From now on it is very important for you to keep up with your e-mail. It is very important to keep up with your e-mail messages to any e-mail address you use for a court matter.
Here are some of the laws about the new rules for court papers:
Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Articles 863, 891 and 1313.
You can find Louisiana laws online: https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/lawsearch.aspx
Some new laws may not show up yet under the number for each law listed above.
The site of the Louisiana Legislature has information about how to find out about new laws.