The descriptive list of succession property authorized by Article 3136 shall be accepted as prima facie proof of all matters shown therein, unless amended or traversed successfully. The court may amend the descriptive list at any time to correct errors therein, on ex parte motion of the person filing it. Any interested person may traverse the descriptive list at any time, on contradictory motion served on the person filing it. If a descriptive list is amended, or successfully traversed a copy of the amended or traversed descriptive list shall be filed with the Department of Revenue. The court may order the reduction or increase of the security required of a succession representative to conform to the corrected total value of the property of the succession.
Art. 3137.Descriptive List Prima Facie Correct; Amendment Or Traverse; Reduction Or Increase of Security
Book VI. Probate Procedure · Title III. Administration of Successions · Chapter 1. Qualification of Succession Representatives · Last amended 1973 · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 3137 treats a filed descriptive list as prima facie proof of its contents unless amended or successfully traversed, lets the filer correct errors by ex parte motion, lets any interested person traverse it by contradictory motion, and lets the court adjust the succession representative's security to match the corrected property value.
Full Text of Art. 3137
Amendment History
Amended by Acts 1972, No. 326, §2, eff. 1/1/1973.
Plain-English Summary
A descriptive list filed under Article 3136 gets the same evidentiary standing as a formal proces verbal of inventory: it is accepted as prima facie proof of all the matters it shows, unless it is amended or successfully traversed. No separate approval proceeding is required to give it that effect.
Two different correction paths exist, and they are not interchangeable. The person who filed the list can move, ex parte, meaning without notifying an adversary, to correct errors in it at any time. Any interested person, by contrast, can traverse the list, a contradictory motion served on the filer that puts the list's accuracy in dispute rather than merely correcting a clerical slip.
When a list is amended or successfully traversed, a copy of the corrected version has to be filed with the Department of Revenue, mirroring the filing duty for a traversed inventory. And because the security a succession representative must furnish is often tied to the value the descriptive list shows, the court can order that security reduced or increased to match the property's corrected total value.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the person who filed a descriptive list correct a mistake in it later?
Yes. Article 3137 lets the filer move, ex parte, to correct errors in the list at any time, without needing to notify or serve another party first.
What is the difference between amending and traversing a descriptive list?
Amendment is the filer's own ex parte correction of an error. A traverse is a challenge brought by any interested person through a contradictory motion served on the filer, disputing the list's accuracy.
How does correcting the descriptive list affect the required security amount?
The court can reduce or increase the security required of the succession representative so that it conforms to the corrected total value of the succession's property.
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: descriptive list prima facie correct LouisianaArticle 3137 Louisianaamending or traversing descriptive listadjusting security after inventory correctionex parte correction of descriptive list