Art. 1458.Interrogatories to Parties; Procedures For Use
Book II. Ordinary Proceedings · Title III. Production of Evidence · Chapter 3. Discovery · Last amended 2018 · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 1458 sets the mechanics for answering interrogatories -- each question answered separately under oath or objected to with stated reasons, signed and verified by the person answering, and served within thirty days, or fifteen days in family law cases.
Full Text of Art. 1458
Text size
A. Each interrogatory shall be answered separately and fully in writing under oath, unless it is objected to, in which event the reasons for objection shall be stated in lieu of an answer. The written answer or reasons for objection to each interrogatory shall immediately follow a restatement of the interrogatory to which the answer or objection is responding. The answers are to be signed by the person making them. When interrogatories are served on a specific party, that party shall verify he has read and confirmed the answers and objections. The party upon whom the interrogatories have been served shall serve a copy of the answers, and objections if any, within thirty days after the service of the interrogatories, except as set forth in Paragraph B of this Article. The court may allow a shorter or longer time. The party submitting the interrogatories may move for an order under Article 1469 with respect to any objection to or other failure to answer an interrogatory.
B. The delay for serving a copy of the answers to interrogatories in family law cases, including divorce, custody, spousal and child support, community property, and matters incidental to family law proceedings, shall be fifteen days after service of the discovery, unless the interrogatories are served with an original petition, in which case the party who has been served shall have thirty days from the date of service to serve a copy of the answers to interrogatories.
Once interrogatories arrive, Article 1458 controls how the response has to look. Each question gets answered separately and fully in writing, under oath, unless the responding party objects -- in which case the reasons for the objection take the place of an answer. The response has to restate each interrogatory immediately before answering or objecting to it, so a reader can follow question and answer side by side rather than flipping back to the original set of questions.
Signatures matter here. The person who answered signs the responses, and when interrogatories are directed at a specific party, that party has to verify that they read and confirmed the answers and objections. That verification is what turns a written answer into sworn testimony a party can be held to later.
The clock runs thirty days from service of the interrogatories, though the court can shorten or lengthen that deadline. Family law cases -- divorce, custody, spousal and child support, community property, and related matters -- get a faster fifteen-day deadline, unless the interrogatories came bundled with the original petition, in which case the ordinary thirty days applies. If the other side won't answer, or objects without a real basis, Article 1469 is the remedy: a motion to compel.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to answer interrogatories in Louisiana?
Thirty days after service, unless the court sets a different deadline. In family law cases the deadline is fifteen days, unless the interrogatories were served with the original petition, in which case it's thirty days.
Do I have to answer interrogatories under oath?
Yes. Each answer must be sworn, and the party to whom the interrogatories were directed must verify that they read and confirmed the answers and any objections.
What if I object to a question instead of answering it?
State the reasons for the objection in place of an answer, immediately after restating the interrogatory the objection responds to.
What can I do if the other side won't answer or objects improperly?
Move for an order compelling discovery under Article 1469, which lets a court force a response and can shift the expenses of the motion to the party who caused it.
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
Also known as:interrogatory answers30-day deadlineverify interrogatory responsesobjecting to interrogatories