The petition, the answer, and the exceptions filed in an incidental action may be amended or supplemented in the manner provided in Articles 1151 through 1155.
Art. 1156.Amended and Supplemental Pleadings In Incidental Action
Book II. Ordinary Proceedings · Title I. Pleading · Chapter 7. Amended and Supplemental Pleadings · Amendment history unavailable · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 1156 extends the amendment and supplementation rules of Articles 1151 through 1155 to the petition, answer, and exceptions filed in an incidental action, such as a reconventional demand or intervention.
Full Text of Art. 1156
Plain-English Summary
Louisiana procedure lets a party bring an incidental action — a reconventional demand, cross-claim, intervention, or third-party demand — inside an existing lawsuit rather than filing a separate suit. Article 1156 makes clear that the pleadings in that incidental action follow the same amendment and supplementation rules as the pleadings in the main action.
That means a party who filed a reconventional demand can amend it the way a plaintiff amends an original petition, and an incidental defendant's answer can be amended the way any answer can. The same relation-back protection under Article 1153 applies too, so a timely-filed incidental demand doesn't lose that timeliness just because a later amendment refines it.
The article also reaches exceptions filed within an incidental action, tying them to Article 1152's rules for amending declinatory, dilatory, and peremptory exceptions. Article 1156 avoids a separate set of amendment rules for incidental actions by pointing back to the rules that already govern the main demand.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as an "incidental action" under Louisiana procedure?
Reconventional demands, cross-claims, interventions, and third-party demands are the main examples — claims brought inside an existing lawsuit rather than as a separate suit.
Do the pleadings in an incidental action follow different amendment rules than the main petition?
No. Article 1156 applies the same rules found in Articles 1151 through 1155 to the petition, answer, and exceptions filed in an incidental action.
Does the relation-back rule apply to amendments in an incidental action?
Yes. Because Article 1156 incorporates Article 1153, an amendment to an incidental demand relates back to the incidental demand's original filing date under the same conditions.
Can exceptions filed in an incidental action be amended?
Yes, following the same rules Article 1152 sets for exceptions in the main action, including the tighter limits on amending declinatory and dilatory exceptions.
Source & verification. Article text is reproduced verbatim from
the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure (legis.la.gov). Enacted by the Louisiana Legislature.
Last verified July 30, 2026.
· Official source
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