Judge Bernadette D'Souza
Division K
Bio
OFFICE HOURS - Room 206
Monday through Friday
9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Phone: (504) 407-0300
Fax: (504) 523-8193
Minute Clerk: Rita Mendoza Law Clerk: William S. Erocle
rmendoza@orleanscdc.com wercole@orleanscdc.com
Court Crier: Emma Hodgson Court Reporter: Christina G. Landreneau
ehodgson@orleanscdc.com clandreneau@orleanscdc.com
*The Judge strictly enforces the Local Rules - Click Here
*No children allowed in the courtroom without prior approval.
* Printed legal forms are available at the Self Help Desk, located on the 1st Floor of Civil District Court, Room 101.
*A Domestic Violence Coordinator is located on the 1st Floor of Civil District Court, Room 101, to assist with filing Petitions for Protection from Abuse.
* DO NOT fax over anything more than 15 pages exclusive of the cover page.
DIVISION PROCEDURES:
GENERAL RULES:
Memoranda supporting or opposing motions or exceptions are due at least five (5) days before the hearing date. Failure to comply with this rule may result in forfeiture of oral argument. Please submit a tangible courtesy copy to chambers along with filing it in the record.
Reply memorandum If the mover or exceptor wishes to furnish the trial judge a reply memorandum, the reply memorandum must be furnished to the trial judge and served on all other parties so that it is received before 4:00 p.m. on a day that allows one full working day before the hearing. Please submit a tangible courtesy copy to chambers along with filing it in the record.
Exhibit Books: Each party should have an exhibit book for themselves, the opposing party, the judge, and the witness. If the hearing, or trial, is scheduled via Zoom Video Conference, a hard copy of the exhibits must be provided to the Judge's chambers no later than 5 days before the hearing or trial.
Video display systems are available for use in our courtroom. These services/tools are available for reservation for a small fee and should be reserved at least 48 business hours in advance of the event; all equipment and services are first come, first served. Should you wish to reserve a video display system, please contact the information technology helpdesk: Help Desk and complete the video request form on the Civil District Court website: Video Service Form
Rule 10, Section 1: No motion relative to discovery will be heard by this Court unless accompanied by a certificate of counsel for the moving party, stating that counsel has conferred in person or by telephone for purposes of amicably resolving the issues and stating why they are unable to agree or stating that opposing counsel has willfully refused to confer after reasonable notice.
CONTINUANCES:
For a hearing to be continued, the party requesting the rule must submit written confirmation via fax or email to Division K law clerks that the adverse parties have been contacted and have no objection to the continuance. The party requesting the continuance should also file a motion to reset along with service sheets and instructions. If there is an objection, a contradictory hearing will take place on the set rule date, or before.
Continuance of trials A written motion to continue the trial must be filed with the court. The motion must contain a brief reason for the continuance, whether this is the first request for a continuance, and whether the opposing party objects to the continuance. It is within the judge's sole discretion to grant or deny the continuance. If the continuance is contested, the matter will be set for a contradictory hearing.
JUDGMENTS:
Attorneys are generally responsible for preparing typewritten judgments and orders; in cases where no attorney is enrolled, judgments and orders will be prepared by the Court. If a Written Stipulation has been executed, the typewritten judgment must be submitted within fifteen calendar days. All other judgments, whether a consent agreement or a considered decree, must be submitted within seven calendar days. Attorneys must abide by La. Dist. Ct. R. 9.5, even if the other party is not represented by counsel. If a dispute arises that causes a judgment to remain unsigned for more than ten days, the parties shall obtain a transcript of the oral judgment and either attach the transcript to the proposed judgment or set the matter for an immediate status conference or rule.
After the judgment is signed, the original is filed in the record and a certified copy of the judgment and notice of signing of judgment will be mailed to all parties as per Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Article 1913. Additional copies of judgments may be obtained from the Clerk's Office. The division does not issue a notice of signing of judgment on consent judgments.
COURT COSTS:
All matters relating to court costs or judicial interest rates are to be directed to the Clerk's Office at (504) 407-0000.
All matters relating to service costs are to be directed to the Sheriff's Office at (504) 523-6143.
TRANSCRIPT REQUESTS:
Transcript requests should be directed to the Court Reporter Kristen Hendry at the email listed above. Please include the case caption, case number, and date of hearing.
Rule 23.0:
All pleadings involving the award, increase, or decrease of child support (except where the State of Louisiana is providing child support enforcement services), custody/visitation, relocation of a child's residence, use of family home/community movables, or contempt of court must be accompanied by an affidavit similar to an Appendix 23.0B Family Law Affidavit with all pertinent portions completed by the party filing the rule or petition.
No hearing/trial date will be provided until the Affidavit has been filed. A copy of the Affidavit shall be served upon the opposing party.
Whenever any party requests joint custody (including a request made in the alternative to a request for sole custody), each party shall submit to chambers five days before the time fixed for hearing/trial a custody plan similar to those in Appendix 29.2A or Appendix 29.2B. In all proceedings involving the awards, increase, or decrease of spousal support and child support, counsel and/or the parties shall submit to chambers all documentation ordered by the Appendix 23.0C Hearing Information Order five days before the time fixed for hearing/trial.
https://www.lasc.org/rules/dist.ct/Title_IV/APPENDIX_23.0A.pdf
LINKS FOR FORMS:
Family Law Affidavit
Sworn Detailed Descriptive List
Louisiana District Court Rules