BATON ROUGE — Gov. John Bel Edwards has signed House Bill No. 5 (HB5), amending an existing article to address how settlements impact voluntary dismissals and interruption of prescription.
Sponsored by state Rep. Patrick Connick (R-Marrero), HB5 amends Civil Code Article 3463 which is related to interruption of prescription. HB5 expounds on the article, stating, "A settlement and subsequent dismissal of a defendant pursuant to a transaction or compromise shall not qualify as a voluntary dismissal pursuant to this Article."
The bill received 35 "yeas" and 0 "nays" in the state Senate and later received 89 "yeas" and 0 "nays" in the state House.
With Edwards' signature on May 23, HB5 becomes Act No. 443 and will take effect on Aug. 1.