Louisiana Supreme Court issued the following announcement on Aug. 31.
Supreme Court Chief Justice John L. Weimer, acting under the authority of Article V, Section 1 of Constitution of 1974, and the inherent power of this Court, and considering the devastation caused by Hurricane Ida, including road closures, damage due to high winds, and flooding, and the loss of power and water in many areas of the state, for the safety of the public and court staff issued three orders addressing closure of the Louisiana Supreme Court; emergency suspension of prescription and peremption and emergency suspension of abandonment; and emergency suspension of time limitations. The orders read in pertinent part as follows:
IT IS ORDERED THAT:
The Louisiana Supreme Court Offices and the Supreme Court Clerk of Court’s office will be closed Wednesday, September 1, 2021 thru Sunday, September 19, 2021. All filings due during this period of closure, shall be deemed timely filed if filed on or before Monday, September 20, 2021. However, during this closure, the Court will continue to handle emergency matters as necessary.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED THAT:
Cases scheduled to be heard on the September docket (September 7-9) are hereby postponed to the October docket, the week of October 18, 2021.
Additionally, Chief Justice Weimer, acting under the authority of Louisiana Civil Code Article 3472.1 and Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Article 562, and considering the state of emergency declared statewide by Governor John Bel Edwards as a result of then-Tropical Storm Ida in Proclamation 165 JBE 2021 on August 26, 2021 and the catastrophic damage that Hurricane Ida has caused in the state released the following Order:
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED THAT:
- Emergency suspension of prescription and peremption: All prescriptive and peremptive periods are hereby suspended statewide for a period of thirty days commencing from the Governor’s August 26, 2021 declaration of state of emergency.
- Emergency suspension of abandonment: All periods of abandonment are hereby suspended statewide for thirty days commencing from the Governor’s August 26, 2021 declaration of state of emergency.
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT:
Emergency suspension of time limitations. All time periods, limitations, and delays limitations pertaining to the initiation, continuation, prosecution, defense, appeal, and post-conviction relief of any prosecution of any state or municipal criminal, juvenile, wildlife, or traffic matter within the parishes of Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, Point Coupee, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Washington, West Baton Rouge and West Feliciana are hereby suspended for a period of 30 days commencing from August 26, 2021.
Original source can be found here.