OFFICE HOURS - Room 406

Monday through Friday
9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Phone: (504) 407-0210
Fax: (504) 522-3552

*Judge Hutabarat strictly enforces the Local Rules - Click Here

*No children allowed in the courtroom without prior approval.

* Printed legal forms are available at the Self Help Desk, located on the 1st Floor of Civil District Court, Room 101.

*A Domestic Violence Coordinator is located on the 1st Floor of Civil District Court, Room 101, to provide assistance with filing Petitions for Protection from Abuse.

* DO NOT fax over anything more than 15 pages exclusive of cover page.

DIVISION PROCEDURES:

GENERAL RULES:

Memoranda supporting or opposing motions or exceptions are due at least five (5) days prior to the hearing date. Failure to comply with this rule may result in forfeiture of oral argument. Please submit a tangible courtesy copy to chambers along with filing it in the record.

Reply memorandum If the mover or exceptor wishes to furnish the trial judge a reply memorandum, the reply memorandum must be furnished to the trial judge and served on all other parties so that it is received before 4:00 p.m. on a day that allows one full working day before the hearing. Please submit a tangible courtesy copy to chambers along with filing it in the record.

Exhibit Books: Each party should have an exhibit book for themselves, the opposing party, the judge, and the witness. If the hearing, or trial, is scheduled via Zoom Video Conference, a hard copy of the exhibits must be provided to the Judge's chambers no later than 5 days before the hearing or trial.

Video display systems are available for use in our courtroom. These services/tools are available for reservation for a small fee and should be reserved at least 48 business hours in advance of the event; all equipment and services are first come, first served. Should you wish to reserve a video display system, please contact the information technology helpdesk: Help Desk and complete the video request form on the Civil District Court website: Video Service Form

Rule 10, Section 1: No motion relative to discovery will be heard by this Court unless accompanied by a certificate of counsel for the moving party, stating that counsel have conferred in person or by telephone for purposes of amicably resolving the issues and stating why they are unable to agree or stating that opposing counsel has willfully refused to confer after reasonable notice.

CONTINUANCES:

For a hearing to be continued, the party requesting the rule must submit written confirmation via fax or email to Division B law clerks that the adverse parties have been contacted and have no objection to the continuance. The party requesting the continuance should also file a motion to reset along with service sheets and instructions. If there is an objection, a contradictory hearing will take place on the set rule date, or before.

Continuance of trials A written motion to continue trial must be filed with the court. The motion must contain a brief reason for the continuance, whether this is the first request for a continuance, and whether the opposing party objects to the continuance. It is within the judge's sole discretion to grant or deny the continuance. If the continuance is contested, the matter will be set for a contradictory hearing.

ZOOM:

Due to COVID-19 Safety Protocols and State Mandates, hearings scheduled in-person, have been staggered to reduce the number of people in our courtroom.

If you desire the Court to hold the matter via Zoom, you must confer with the opposing party and provide both parties' email addresses for the Court to send Zoom meeting ID and password information.

If the hearing is scheduled via Zoom Video Conference, the meeting ID and password will be provided in advance of the hearing.
The Court will hold status conferences, between two represented parties, via Zoom.

JUDGMENTS:

Attorneys are generally responsible for preparing typewritten judgments and orders; in cases where no attorney is enrolled, judgments and orders will be prepared by the Court. If a Written Stipulation has been executed, the typewritten judgment must be submitted within fifteen calendar days. All other judgments, whether a consent agreement or a considered decree, must be submitted within seven calendar days. Attorneys must abide by La. Dist. Ct. R. 9.5, even if the other party is not represented by counsel. If a dispute arises which causes a judgment to remain unsigned for more than ten days, the parties shall obtain a transcript of the oral judgment and either attach the transcript to the proposed judgment, or set the matter for an immediate status conference or rule.

After the judgment is signed, the original is filed in the record and a certified copy of the judgment and notice of signing of judgment will be mailed to all parties as per Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Article 1913. Additional copies of judgments may be obtained from the Clerk's Office. The division does not issue a notice of signing of judgment on consent judgments.

COURT COSTS:

All matters relating to court costs or judicial interest rates are to be directed to the Clerk's Office at (504) 407-0000.
All matters relating to service costs are to be directed to the Sheriff's Office at (504) 523-6143.

TRANSCRIPT REQUESTS:

Transcript requests should be directed to the Court Reporter, Rickey Marshall, via email at . Please include the case caption, case number, and date of hearing.

Rule 23.0:

All pleadings involving the award, increase, or decrease of child support (except where the State of Louisiana is providing child support enforcement services), custody/visitation, relocation of a child's residence, use of family home/community movables, or contempt of court must be accompanied by an affidavit similar to an Appendix 23.0B Family Law Affidavit with all pertinent portions completed by the party filing the rule or petition.

No hearing/trial date will be provided until the Affidavit has been filed. A copy of the Affidavit shall be served upon the opposing party.

Whenever any party requests joint custody (including a request made in the alternative to a request for sole custody), each party shall submit to chambers five days prior to the time fixed for hearing/trial a custody plan similar to those in Appendix 29.2A or Appendix 29.2B. In all proceedings involving the awards, increase, or decrease of spousal support and child support, counsel and/or the parties shall submit to chambers all documentation ordered by the Appendix 23.0C Hearing Information Order five days prior to the time fixed for hearing/trial.
https://www.lasc.org/rules/dist.ct/Title_IV/APPENDIX_23.0A.pdf

LINKS FOR FORMS:
Family Law Affidavit
Sworn Detailed Descriptive List
Louisiana District Court Rules