Art. 4901 Pleadings in parish and city courts

Parish and city courts normally require both sides to put their claims and responses in writing. This gives everyone a clear record of what each side is saying in the case.

There's an exception for smaller cases. If the amount of money being disputed is $2,000 or less, the court can allow people to state their claims out loud instead of in writing. Each court decides for itself whether to allow this, and if it does, the court sets its own rules for how these spoken statements should be presented.

So if you're involved in a small claims-type case in one of these courts, check with the court to see if you can explain your case verbally or if you need to file something in writing. The dollar amount of your dispute will determine which option applies to you.