Art. 687 Person doing business under trade name

If you run a business under a made-up or trade name, like "Joe's Plumbing" instead of your own legal name, you still have to file a lawsuit using your real, personal name. You cannot sue as "Joe's Plumbing." The lawsuit has to be brought by the actual person who owns and operates that business.

This applies when the lawsuit is about something connected to that business, like getting paid for work you did or enforcing a contract you signed while operating under that trade name. The court wants to know exactly who is bringing the case, not just the name painted on a truck or listed on a sign.

In practice, this means if you own a business under a trade name and someone owes you money or breached a deal, you would file the case as yourself, such as "Joe Smith d/b/a Joe's Plumbing," rather than just "Joe's Plumbing." This keeps things clear about who is legally responsible for the case and who can collect if you win.