Summary proceedings are those which are conducted with rapidity, within the delays allowed by the court, and without citation and the observance of all the formalities required in ordinary proceedings.
Art. 2591.Proceedings Conducted With Rapidity
Book V. Summary and Executory Proceedings · Title I. Summary Proceedings · Chapter 1. Summary Proceedings · Amendment history unavailable · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 2591 defines a summary proceeding as one conducted with rapidity, within whatever delays the court allows, and without citation or the full set of formalities that ordinary proceedings require.
Full Text of Art. 2591
Plain-English Summary
Article 2591 opens Book V by drawing the line between Louisiana's two accelerated procedural tracks and the ordinary proceeding that governs most civil litigation elsewhere on this site. A summary proceeding is built for speed: the court decides it within delays — Louisiana's term for a set time period, not a postponement — of its own choosing, rather than the longer answer periods and discovery timelines built into an ordinary lawsuit.
That speed comes from cutting two things away. First, a summary proceeding skips citation, the formal document that starts an ordinary proceeding by directing the defendant to respond within a fixed number of days. Second, it drops the observance of all the formalities ordinary proceedings require, letting the court hear the matter on shortened notice and a leaner set of pleadings. Later articles in this chapter fill in exactly what replaces citation and what the shortened notice looks like.
None of this makes a summary proceeding an ordinary lawsuit's low-cost substitute for every dispute. Article 2592 fixes the boundaries of when a matter belongs on the summary track, so a moving party cannot claim rapid treatment just because a faster resolution is convenient. What Article 2591 supplies is the definition; the articles after it supply the guardrails.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a summary proceeding different from an ordinary lawsuit in Louisiana?
A summary proceeding moves within delays the court sets, skips citation, and does not observe every formality an ordinary proceeding requires, so it reaches a decision faster than the standard lawsuit process covered elsewhere on this site.
What does 'delays' mean in Article 2591?
In Louisiana civil procedure, a delay is a set period of time, not a postponement. Article 2591 lets the court fix delays for a summary proceeding rather than following the longer timelines that apply in an ordinary proceeding.
Does a summary proceeding require citation?
No. Article 2591 dispenses with citation, the document that starts an ordinary proceeding by directing a defendant to answer. Article 2594 explains what is served instead.
Can any dispute be brought as a summary proceeding just because it would be resolved faster?
No. Article 2591 defines what a summary proceeding is, but Article 2592 limits which matters qualify for it. A dispute cannot be routed onto the summary track only for the sake of speed.
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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