An action against a person having a business office or establishment in a parish other than that where he may be sued under Article42 only, on a matter over which this office or establishment had supervision, may be brought in the parish where this office or establishment is located.
Art. 77.Action Against Person Doing Business In Another Parish
Title I. Courts · Chapter 2. Venue · Enacted 1989 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 77 lets a plaintiff sue, in the parish where a defendant's business office or establishment is located, on a matter that office supervised, even if the general venue rule would send the case somewhere else.
Full Text of Art. 77
Amendment History
Acts 1989, No. 117, §1.
Plain-English Summary
Article 77 addresses a defendant who does business through an office or establishment away from the parish where suit would otherwise be proper under the general rule of Article 42. When the dispute concerns a matter that office or establishment supervised, the plaintiff may bring the action in the parish where that office is located, rather than being forced back to the defendant's Article 42 home parish.
This keeps venue close to where the disputed business activity was managed. A person or company that runs a satellite office handling a particular line of business in another parish can be sued there for matters connected to that specific office, on the theory that the parish where the relevant business was supervised has a real connection to the dispute.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sue a defendant where their branch office is located instead of where they are domiciled?
Yes, if the matter you are suing over is one that branch office or establishment supervised. Article 77 lets the action proceed in the parish of that office rather than the parish that would otherwise apply under the general venue rule.
Does Article 77 apply to any dispute involving the defendant, or only to matters the branch office handled?
Only to matters the office or establishment supervised. A dispute unrelated to that office's business would fall back on the general rule or another applicable venue article.
Why does this rule exist?
It keeps litigation connected to the place where the underlying business activity was managed, rather than requiring every suit to travel back to a defendant's registered domicile regardless of where the dispute arose.
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
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