Rule Text
A. Although a policy of insurance may be admissible, the amount of coverage under the policy shall not be communicated to the jury unless the amount of coverage is a disputed issue which the jury will decide.
B. The existence of insurance coverage shall not be communicated to the jury unless any of the following apply:
(1) A factual dispute related to an issue of coverage is an issue which the jury will decide.
(2) The existence of insurance coverage would be admissible to attack the credibility of a witness pursuant to Article 607.
(3) The cause of action is brought against the insurer pursuant to R.S. 22:1892 or against the insurer alone pursuant to R.S. 22:1269(B)(1)(a) through (g).
C. The identity of the insurer shall not be communicated to the jury unless the identity of the insurer would be admissible to attack the credibility of a witness pursuant to Article 607.
D. Repealed by Acts 2024, No. 275, §2.
Amendment history: Acts 1988, No. 515, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1989; Acts 2020, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 37, §3, eff. Jan. 1, 2021; Acts 2024, No. 3, §3, eff. July 1, 2024; Acts 2024, No. 275, §2.
Plain-English Summary (for reference only — not a substitute for the rule text above)
This summary is not the rule. The rule text controls.
Juries generally aren't allowed to hear about insurance in a court case. This rule keeps details about insurance policies away from the jury so that the presence of insurance doesn't unfairly influence their decision. For example, jurors shouldn't know how much coverage a person has, whether they even have insurance, or who the insurance company is.
There are some exceptions. If the amount of insurance coverage is actually part of what the jury needs to decide, they can hear about it. The same goes for whether insurance exists at all: if that's a real factual dispute the jury must resolve, or if the lawsuit is specifically against the insurance company itself under certain state laws, the jury can be told about it. Insurance information can also come up if it's needed to challenge a witness's honesty or credibility under a separate evidence rule.
The name of the insurance company follows a similar rule. Jurors normally won't be told which company insures someone, unless that information matters for judging a witness's credibility. The goal behind all of this is to keep the jury focused on the facts of what actually happened, rather than letting them make decisions based on who has insurance or how much money might be available to pay a claim.
