A. A final judgment may be rendered, even though it may not grant the successful party or parties all of the relief prayed for, or may not adjudicate all of the issues in the case, when the court:
Art. 1915.Final and Interlocutory Judgments; Partial Judgment; Partial Exception; Partial Summary Judgment
Book II. Ordinary Proceedings · Title VI. Judgments · Chapter 3. Rendition · Last amended 2025 · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 1915 lists six kinds of partial rulings that count as immediately appealable final judgments on their own, lets the trial court keep working on the rest of the case while one of those rulings is on appeal, and treats every other partial grant of judgment, summary judgment, or exception as merely interlocutory.
Full Text of Art. 1915
(1) Dismisses the suit as to fewer than all of the parties, defendants, third-party plaintiffs, third-party defendants, or interveners.
(5) Grants a judgment on the issue of liability when that issue has been tried separately by the court, or when, in a jury trial, the issue of liability has been tried before a jury and the issue of damages is to be tried before a different jury.
(6) Imposes sanctions or disciplinary action pursuant to Article 191, 863, or 864 or Code of Evidence Article 510(G).
B. If an appeal is taken from any judgment rendered in accordance with Paragraph A this Article, the trial court shall retain jurisdiction to adjudicate the remaining issues in the case.
C. Except as otherwise provided by law, when a court grants a judgment or summary judgment, or sustains an exception in part, as to one or more but fewer than all of the claims, demands, issues, or theories by or against a party, whether in an original demand, reconventional demand, cross-claim, third-party claim, or intervention, that judgment is an interlocutory judgment.
D. All judgments rendered in accordance with this Article shall be reduced to writing and signed by the court.
Amendment History
Amended by Acts 2025, No. 250, §3, eff. 8/1/2025, app. prospectively. Amended by Acts 2013, No. 391, §1, eff. 8/1/2013. Acts 1983, No. 534, §3; Acts 1992, No. 71, §1; Acts 1997, No. 483, §2, eff. 7/1/1997; Acts 1999, No. 89, §1; Acts 1999, No. 1263, §1, eff. 1/1/2000; Acts 2001, No. 553, §1.
Plain-English Summary
Most lawsuits involve more than one party, claim, or legal theory, and courts often decide pieces of a case well before the whole thing wraps up. Article 1915 answers the question that follows: when does resolving one piece produce a real final judgment that can be appealed right away, and when is it just an interlocutory ruling that has to wait for the rest of the case?
Paragraph A lists six situations where a partial ruling counts as a final judgment even though it leaves other issues unresolved: dismissing the suit as to some, but not all, of the parties, third-party plaintiffs, third-party defendants, or interveners; granting judgment on the pleadings; granting summary judgment on a claim or demand, but not a narrower summary judgment that decides only part of a claim or a particular issue or theory within it; granting judgment on a principal or incidental demand that was tried separately from the rest of the case; granting judgment on liability alone, when liability was tried separately from damages, including a case where liability goes to one jury and damages to a different one; and imposing sanctions or discipline. A judgment falling into one of these six categories is final and appealable on its own once it is signed, with no separate step from the trial court needed to make it so.
Paragraph B addresses what happens to the rest of the case while one of these partial judgments is on appeal: the trial court keeps jurisdiction over the issues that remain, so the case can keep moving below while the appellate court works through the appealed piece.
Paragraph C is the catch-all, and it is where the partial summary judgment distinction matters most. When a court grants judgment or summary judgment, or sustains an exception, as to some but not all of the claims, demands, issues, or theories in the case, that ruling is only interlocutory, not a final judgment a party can appeal on its own. A summary judgment that disposes of an entire claim or demand against a party falls under Paragraph A and is immediately appealable; a narrower summary judgment that decides only an issue or theory inside a claim, without resolving the claim itself, falls under Paragraph C and stays interlocutory. Paragraph D requires every judgment rendered under this article to be reduced to writing and signed.
Frequently Asked Questions
If a court dismisses one defendant out of several but the case continues against the rest, can I appeal that dismissal right away?
Yes. Article 1915(A)(1) makes a judgment dismissing the suit as to fewer than all of the parties a final judgment, appealable once it is signed, without waiting for the remaining claims to be resolved.
What is the difference between a summary judgment I can appeal immediately and one I cannot?
A summary judgment that fully disposes of a claim or demand against a party is a final judgment under Article 1915(A)(3) and can be appealed right away. A narrower summary judgment that decides only a particular issue or theory without resolving the whole claim stays interlocutory under Paragraph C.
If liability and damages are tried separately, can I appeal the liability ruling before damages are decided?
Yes, if the issue of liability was tried separately, whether by the court alone or by a jury while a different jury is set to try damages. Article 1915(A)(5) makes that liability judgment final and appealable on its own.
Does the trial court lose the ability to keep working on my case while a partial judgment is on appeal?
No. Article 1915(B) lets the trial court retain jurisdiction over the remaining issues in the case even after an appeal is taken from one of the partial judgments described in Paragraph A.
If a judge sanctions a lawyer in the middle of a case, can that sanction be appealed immediately, or does it have to wait until the case ends?
It can be appealed immediately. Article 1915(A)(6) makes a judgment imposing sanctions or disciplinary action a final judgment on its own.
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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