Service of citation and a copy of the petition in a concursus proceeding shall be made in the same form and manner, and the delays for answering are the same, as in an ordinary proceeding.
Art. 4655.Service of Process; Delay For Answer
Book VII. Special Proceedings · Title X. Concursus Proceedings · Chapter 1. Concursus Proceedings · Amendment history unavailable · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 4655 requires citation and the petition in a concursus proceeding to be served in the same form and manner, and gives defendants the same delay for answering, as in an ordinary Louisiana civil proceeding.
Full Text of Art. 4655
Plain-English Summary
Despite the distinctive posture a concursus proceeding creates once it is underway, getting it started follows familiar ground. Article 4655 requires service of citation and the petition to happen in the same form and manner as an ordinary proceeding, and gives each impleaded defendant the same delay for answering that an ordinary defendant would get.
That means no special expedited or relaxed service scheme applies at the outset. Each claimant impleaded in the concursus is served like any other civil defendant and has the same window to respond, so nobody is rushed into answering before understanding what is being asked of them.
The ordinary timeline matters because of what comes next: a claimant who lets the standard answer delay pass without responding sets in motion the shortened, follow-up procedure in Article 4657, which can ultimately cut off the right to answer or claim against the plaintiff altogether.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are defendants served in a Louisiana concursus proceeding?
The same way as in an ordinary proceeding, under Article 4655, with no special or expedited service procedure for concursus cases.
How long do defendants have to answer a concursus petition?
The same delay allowed in an ordinary proceeding applies to each defendant impleaded in a concursus.
What happens if a defendant misses that ordinary answer deadline?
Article 4657 lets any party move for a court order shortening the further time allowed to answer, which can eventually bar a nonresponsive defendant from answering at all.
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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