When a plaintiff reduces his claim on a single cause of action to bring it within the jurisdiction of a court and judgment is rendered thereon, he remits the portion of his claim for which he did not pray for judgment, and is precluded thereafter from demanding it judicially.
Art. 5.Same; Effect of Reduction of Claim
Title I. Courts · Chapter 1. Jurisdiction · Amendment history unavailable · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 5 provides that a plaintiff who reduces a claim to bring it within a court's jurisdiction gives up the unclaimed portion for good once judgment is rendered, and cannot demand it later in another suit.
Full Text of Art. 5
Plain-English Summary
Sometimes a claim is worth more than the court a plaintiff wants to use can handle. Article 5 lets the plaintiff scale the demand down to fit, but the trade-off is permanent. Once judgment is rendered on the reduced claim, the plaintiff remits — gives up — whatever portion of the original claim was left out, and cannot come back later to sue for the difference.
This rule keeps plaintiffs from using a lower court for a quick judgment and then chasing the rest of the claim somewhere else. It forces a real choice at the time of filing: accept the limits of the chosen court and the amount that fits within them, or file in a court with the reach to handle the full claim.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sue for less than my claim is worth to get into a particular court?
Yes, but Article 5 makes that choice final once judgment is rendered. You give up the part of the claim you didn't pursue and cannot demand it later.
After reducing my claim and winning, can I file a second suit for the rest?
No. Article 5 precludes bringing that remaining portion in a later suit. The reduction operates as a remission of the unclaimed amount.
Does this rule apply even if I didn't realize my claim was worth more?
The rule applies once a reduced claim goes to judgment, regardless of the reason for the reduction, so it pays to value a claim with care before filing in a court of limited jurisdiction.
Source & verification. Article text is reproduced verbatim from
the vLex (Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure, 2026 Edition). Enacted by the Louisiana Legislature.
Last verified July 30, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: reducing a claim to fit court jurisdictionremitting part of a claim louisianacan I sue for the difference laterlowering claim amount for jurisdictionwaiving part of a claim