Louisiana Civil Court Records

There are different levels of courts in Louisiana's court system. These courts handle civil and criminal cases by analyzing and applying the state's constitutional law.

The Supreme Court is the highest in Louisiana. It governs all courts and has administrative authority over matters, even those beyond the state's Courts of Appeals, which hear civil, criminal, and administrative agency appeals.

The Louisiana District Courts hear most civil matters and have jury trials in this state. It hears civil cases like arguments concerning real property, tort, and traffic violations. Additionally, it handles exclusive hearings for probate and estate claims, appeals in civil cases, and miscellaneous civil matters.

The City and Parish Courts, Family Courts, Juvenile Courts, Mayors Courts, and Justices of the Peace Courts also hear civil cases without jury trials.

Can you obtain copies of Louisiana Civil Court Records? Under the Louisiana Public Records Law, you can get a copy of these records in this state.

But some records that violate a person's constitutional rights, like the right to privacy, are not open to the public.

Louisiana Bankruptcy Records are any documents or information made by the court during bankruptcy proceedings in the state.

Each bankruptcy court handles these matters in this state with a clerk's office that handles filings and other queries.

In Louisiana, most people file for the following type of bankruptcy:

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

This bankruptcy record, also known as liquidation bankruptcy, settles debt by selling the debtor's assets and possessions.

Under Chapter 7 bankruptcy, the court appoints a trustee to oversee the sale of all assets and utilize the proceeds to repay creditors.

However, like other bankruptcy types, it does not suspend obligations like taxes, alimony, child support, personal injury debts, and school loans.

You must complete a means test to determine your eligibility for this kind of bankruptcy in Louisiana.

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

Only people with a steady income can file for this type of bankruptcy in Louisiana.

When filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, debtors typically don't have to deal with their creditors directly.

This type of bankruptcy in Louisiana lets debtors make a payment plan and send it to the trustee. The trustee also acquires the fees and gives them to confirmed creditors.

The duration of Chapter 13 repayment is between three and five years. In some situations, the court may prolong this reimbursement if there is sufficient cause.

But if the debtor's income is higher than the median, repayment could take up to five years. However, bankruptcy law prohibits reimbursements longer than five years.

In addition to Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy, Louisiana Bankruptcy Records may also contain Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

How To Find Louisiana Bankruptcy Records?

In Louisiana, it is possible to get paper copies of bankruptcy records.

You must visit the state's Clerk of Court office to get this data, which maintains information regarding bankruptcy cases. The courts also feature public access terminals where you can search records for free or print papers for a charge.

You can also use the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) service to look at bankruptcy records in Louisiana. On this website, you can get electronic access to the bankruptcy information you want.

Additionally, Louisiana allows access to closed bankruptcy cases. These records are available on the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) website.

When you get bankruptcy records in Louisiana, you will typically see the following information:

• Type of bankruptcy case
• The debtor's assets.
• Case number
• Case status
• Docket report
• Debtor's income and financial statements
• List of creditors

A property lien, a legal case over a person's property or an item for which they owe money, is also part of the Louisiana Civil Court Records.

To learn more about property liens in Louisiana, you can read the state's law that provides general information and procedures for property liens in this state.

In Louisiana, the following are the most prevalent types of property liens:

Judgment Lien

This property lien results from litigation when the filing party obtains a money judgment against the indebted party.

Most judgment liens in Louisiana are on real property. But a judgment creditor can get a judgment lien on a borrower's non-exempt private possessions by using a writ of fieri facias.

The judgment liens are legal for a total of ten years in Louisiana.

Mortgage Lien

In Louisiana, individuals use this type of lien to buy houses or cars without paying for them all at once.

If you are interested, you can study the law about mortgage liens, which contains legal analysis and procedure.

UCC Lien

A Louisiana UCC (Uniform Commercial Code) lien is an official claim on the collateral property of the person who borrowed money to secure payment.

In this state, a creditor submits a legal document to express interest in a borrowing party's personal or business property to get a UCC lien. Following approval, the creditor will place a lien on the property or inventory of the business as security or collateral until the debt's payment.

The UCC lien filings in Louisiana are valid for five years.

Along with the liens listed above, the Louisiana Property Lien Records also include mechanic and tax liens.

How To Check Louisiana Property Lien Records?

To check for Louisiana Property Lien Records, you can visit the office of the custodial agency. In this state, the parish recorder makes and keeps records of property liens, which you can look at for free.

Additionally, you can view these records through searchable databases offered by most municipal recording offices and the Secretary of State. However, visiting the agency's office in person is preferable to access the complete records.

Louisiana Civil Driving Violation Records document a person's minor traffic or driving infractions in the state.

These records contain a driver's personal and license details, as well as a list of traffic violations such as:

• Driving with no license
• Speeding
• Ignoring a red light
• Driving without car insurance

In this state, these violations are subject to a fine and don't lead to a criminal record. Even so, these offenses can still lead to severe consequences, such as probation and a license suspension.

How To Look Up Louisiana Civil Driving Violation Records?

In Louisiana, you can look up your civil driving violation records by sending a request through the Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV) online service.

You must visit OMV's website and follow the prescribed steps to view these records. Your personal information, driver's license number, and vehicle identification number (VIN) are necessary on this web page. You must also include your address and contact information.

Louisiana Legal Judgment Records contain information about how the court ruled a case.

In this state, legal decisions arrive in various formats and become effective only when a qualified judge issues the final ruling.

The Code of Civil Procedure details the legislation governing legal judgments in Louisiana. These laws govern the issuance of it, their admission into the legal system, enforcement, and the method for collecting a decision.

How To Look Up Louisiana Legal Judgment Records?

Contact the court clerk's office where the ruling occurred to view Louisiana Legal Judgment Records.

Most courts in Louisiana offer electronic access at courthouses, where you will use electronic devices such as tablets, smartphones, and computers to look up these records.

Typically, you must give case-specific information, such as a case number or name, to obtain results.

Additionally, you can remotely check legal judgment records using the case search tools on the website of Louisiana's courts. However, some records are unavailable for public inspection, depending on the circumstances.

If you want to look up other people's legal judgment records in the state, you can send a request via mail or email. Request forms and instructions are usually available on courts' websites.

When you obtain Louisiana Legal Judgment Records, you can anticipate the following:

• Names of the people involved
• The judge's name
• The judgment date
• The court's decision
• The parties' specific claims

In the small claims record of Louisiana Civil Court Records, you can find all the details about the case, including the parties, the amount of money at stake, and the verdict.

Small Claims Court is a branch of the Justice of the Peace Court in this state. The court is known for being easy to use, quick, and cheap.

In addition to handling small claims cases, this court also deals with:

• Evictions
• Disputes over money
• Repossession of personal belongings
• Poor quality products
• Failure to obtain compensation
• Deposit disputes

Anyone over 18 can sue in Small Claims Court in Louisiana. People under 18 can file a lawsuit but must do so through a guardian or parent.

In this state, you must file a small claims action in the court where the offender lives or has a place of business. Note that before submitting the case, you must contact the local court.

Also, before filing a small claims case, ensure you have the correct facts, including incident specifics.

How To Look Up Louisiana Small Claims Records?

The office of the court clerk managed and maintained these records. If you want to see these documents, you can go to the courthouse that handled your claim.

Also, some courts in the state have public records databases where you can find these records online.

In Louisiana, either you or your spouse must have lived in the state for six months before you can file for a divorce.

A fee is associated when you file for a divorce in this state. But the filing fees differ in each district, so check with the court clerk to find the exact amount.

For additional information on divorce in this state, you can check these brochures on community property and spousal support.

When you file a divorce, the following details will be part of the Louisiana Divorce Court Records, which can be in the form of the following:

Divorce Certificate

In Louisiana, a divorce certificate usually summarizes the case's final judgment. This type of divorce court record is a government document attesting to the dissolution of a civil marriage.

Included in a divorce certificate are the following:

• Names of both parties in the divorce
• The location of divorce
• The date of divorce

In Louisiana, the only people who can get a formal or certified copy of these divorce papers are the people involved.

Divorce Decree

This sort of Louisiana Divorce Court Record, also known as a divorce judgment, is a declaration the court gives at the end of a divorce case.

A divorce decree contains all the information mentioned in a divorce certificate. Aside from that, it includes pertinent information regarding the marriage dissolution and the settlement agreed upon by the parties.

In this state, a divorce decree usually has the following information:

• Visitation and parental rights
• Asset and property division
• Child support and alimony
• Debt responsibilities

In Louisiana, you can get this information from the Clerk of the Court that handled the divorce.

Divorce Record

This type of divorce paperwork enumerates the documents filed and generated throughout the divorce case. It is a comprehensive case file detailing the entire procedure that led to the dissolution of the marriage.

A divorce record contains all information in the divorce certificate and divorce decree. It also includes the following information:

• Financial statements
• Motions
• Reports
• Orders
• Assessments
• Court transcripts

You cannot obtain certified copies of Louisiana divorce records unless you fall into one of the following categories:

• The party that got divorced
• The divorcees' parents
• The divorcees' siblings
• The divorcees' grandparents
• The divorcees' adult children
• Representatives of the divorced parties in legal matters

How To Look Up Louisiana Divorce Court Records?

Louisiana, unlike other states, does not keep divorce court records in a central registry or database.

Therefore, the best option to get these documents is by submitting a request to the Clerk of Court that issued the divorce.

If you want to get these records, you can send a written request to the Clerk's office and pay the required fee.

Note, though, that this fee is non-refundable, regardless of whether you will find the record. The total price varies from parish to parish, so ask the court clerk's office ahead of time.

Include the following information when submitting the request to the Office of the Court Clerk:

• Divorce parties' full name
• Divorce case number
• Location of divorce
• Date of the divorce petition
• Date of the verdict

When requesting these records, it's also important to know that divorce court records in the state are only accessible to a particular group of people. To get these records, you must show official proof of a relationship to either of the people named on the form.

Each state, including Louisiana, has a judicial process for settling a deceased person's estate. However, Louisiana's probate laws are different from those in other places.

In this state, succession is the legal term for the probate procedure. It is the judicial process by which a deceased person's heirs or beneficiaries inherit their possessions.

However, succession isn't always essential in Louisiana. Also, some assets in this state immediately flow to the designated beneficiary without court intervention.

To understand more about succession in Louisiana, check this general information brochure.

Where can you find Louisiana Probate Court Records? In this state, you can get these records from each parish's Clerk of the District Court. These records are also accessible in the notarial records with the titles and mortgages.

The Clerk in the courthouse where a trial begins is in charge of creating and keeping Louisiana Civil Court Records.

You can visit the Louisiana Judicial Branch website to find the courthouse's contact information and address.

In this state, you can receive hard copies or digital copies of civil court records by visiting the court in person.

Upon request, you must produce a written request plus proof of identity. Other courthouses, however, require you to fill out a request form with the case's pertinent information to simplify the search.

You can also get these records online or through the mail. If interested, you can contact the parish court clerk to check if online and mail requests are allowed and how to make them.