Louisiana § RS 13:1450 - No trial by jury

§ RS 13:1450. No trial by jury

A.  There shall be no trial by jury in any case in a parish court.  

B.  Where a principal demand is commenced in a parish court in which the defendant otherwise would be entitled to trial by jury under the provisions of Article 1731 of the Code of Civil Procedure or under any other provision of law, the defendant may obtain trial by jury by transferring the action to the district court in the manner provided by Article 4873 of said code.  

C.  Where a principal demand commenced in a parish court is one in which the defendant is not entitled to trial by jury under the provisions of Article 1731 of the Code of Civil Procedure, a party who files an incidental demand in that court as authorized by Article 4846 of said code waives any right he may have to jury trial on such incidental demand.  

D.  A party entitled thereto under the provisions of this Section may transfer the action to the district court in the following manner:

(1)  Within the delay allowed for answer in the parish court, or within ten days after answer has been filed, he shall file a motion to transfer with the clerk of the parish court.  The motion shall include a declaration that the matter is one to which defendant would have been entitled to trial by jury if commenced in district court and that defendant desires trial by jury.  

(2)  If no opposition is filed within ten days after the filing of the motion to transfer, the judge of the parish court shall order the transfer to the district court.  If an opposition is timely filed, it shall be tried summarily.  

(3)  Where a transfer is ordered, the clerk of the parish court shall forward to the clerk of the court to which the action is transferred a certified copy of the record in the parish court, including pleadings, minute entries, and all other proceedings.  

The clerk of the district court shall file the action as a new proceeding in that court, upon payment by the defendant of a filing fee as provided by rule of the district court.  All costs accruing thereafter, however, shall be advanced in the same manner as though the action initially had been commenced by the original plaintiff in the district court.

(4)  When the matter is docketed by the clerk of the district court, the proceeding shall continue in that court as though originally commenced therein.  In the event transfer is effected prior to answer, defendant shall file his answer in the district court within the delays provided by Article 1001 of the Code of Civil Procedure, commencing from the date the transferred proceeding is filed in that court.  

(5)  The disposition of a motion to transfer and any opposition thereto shall not be appealable, but shall be reviewable by the court of appeal having appellate jurisdiction over the case through the exercise of its supervisory jurisdiction.  

E.  A motion to transfer pursuant to this Section shall constitute a demand by the removing party for trial by jury.  He may not subsequently withdraw the demand without the approval of the court and the other party or parties.  

F.  An order to transfer divests the parish court of jurisdiction over all claims and parties cumulated in the suit, and the entire suit is transferred to the district court.  

G.  The right of other parties to trial by jury in the district court shall be determined as if the suit had initially been commenced in that court by the motion to transfer.  

Added by Acts 1979, No. 328, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980.