2015 Louisiana Laws
Revised Statutes
TITLE 37 - Professions and Occupations
RS 37:786 - Judicial review of adjudication

§786. Judicial review of adjudication

NOTE: Paragraph (1) of this Subsection eff. until Jan. 1, 2017. See Acts 2014, No. 866, §§1, 2, eff. Jan. 1, 2017.

A.(1) Where the board, whether through a disciplinary committee or the entire board, renders a decision in an administrative adjudication, the party aggrieved by it may resort to the civil district court for the parish of Orleans for judicial review. Any such appeals shall be filed in the court in the same manner as original suits are instituted therein. A preliminary, procedural, or intermediate agency action or ruling is immediately reviewable if review of the final agency decision would not provide an adequate remedy and would inflict irreparable injury.

NOTE: Paragraph (1) of this Subsection as amended by Acts 2014, No. 866, §§1, 2, eff. Jan. 1, 2017.

A.(1) Where the board, whether through a disciplinary committee or the entire board, renders a decision in an administrative adjudication, the party aggrieved by it may resort to the Nineteenth Judicial District in the parish of East Baton Rouge for judicial review. Any such appeals shall be filed in the court in the same manner as original suits are instituted therein. A preliminary, procedural, or intermediate agency action or ruling is immediately reviewable if review of the final agency decision would not provide an adequate remedy and would inflict irreparable injury.

(2) Petitions for judicial review of interlocutory administrative decisions shall be filed within fifteen days of the ruling at issue.

(3) A petition for judicial review of a final decision of the disciplinary committee shall be filed within thirty days of the mailing of the final decision by the agency or, if a rehearing is requested, within thirty days after the mailing of the notice of the decision thereon. A copy of the petition for judicial review shall be served upon the agency and all parties of record.

B. Neither the board nor any person acting on behalf of the board shall be entitled to judicial review of any decision rendered by board or any disciplinary committee thereof.

NOTE: Subsection (C) of this Section eff. until Jan. 1, 2017. See Acts 2014, No. 866, §§1, 2, eff. Jan. 1, 2017.

C. All proceedings in the civil district court for the parish of Orleans and appellate courts arising under this Section are civil in nature and shall be heard summarily by the court without a jury, shall take precedence over other civil cases, and shall be tried in chambers or in open court, in and out of term.

NOTE: Subsection (C) of this Section as amended by Acts 2014, No. 866, §§1, 2, eff. Jan. 1, 2017.

C. All proceedings in the Nineteenth Judicial District in the parish of East Baton Rouge and appellate courts arising under this Section are civil in nature and shall be heard summarily by the court without a jury, shall take precedence over other civil cases, and shall be tried in chambers or in open court, in and out of term.

D.(1) In any case appealed to the civil district court under the provisions of this Section, the party seeking judicial review shall furnish security in accordance with the following rules:

(a) For that portion of a decision issued under R.S. 37:780 pertaining to payment of a sum of money, the amount of security shall exceed by one-half the amount of the money portion of the decision.

(b) In all other respects, the security shall be fixed by the court at an amount sufficient to assure satisfaction of the decision rendered by the board.

(2) Any security furnished under the provisions of this Section shall be in favor of the board and shall be furnished as security for the judicial review of the complaining party in civil district court and any judgment by the district court against him shall be paid or satisfied from the proceeds of the sale of his property, or from the security posted under the provisions of this Section. Mortgages on immovable property are adequate security, but only where the mortgage is applied to unencumbered immovables; mortgages in other than a first position are unacceptable as security under this Section.

(3) The security required under the provisions of this Section shall be annexed, by the complaining party or appellant, to the petition for judicial review filed in the civil district court. If the complaining party seeking judicial review fails to annex satisfactory security to the petition for judicial review, within the time specified for the filing of said appeal, the trial court, on its own motion or upon motion by the board, and after a hearing held within five days of service of the motion, shall:

(a) Enter a formal order of dismissal on the grounds of abandonment; or

(b) Grant a three-day period within which said security shall be filed in the record, in default of which the petition for judicial review shall be dismissed as abandoned.

(4) Service of the motion described in Paragraph (3) of this Subsection may be effected by the methods provided in Code of Civil Procedure Article 1313.

E. Notwithstanding appellant's compliance with the requirements of this Section, the district court shall issue no stay for that portion of the board's decision which does not involve a sum of money unless the appellant satisfies the requirements of R.S. 37:786.1.

F. The provisions of this Section shall apply to any unlicensed person who has been sanctioned by the board for any violation of R.S. 37:788.

G. If before the date set for hearing application is made to the court for leave to present additional evidence, and it is shown to the satisfaction of the court that the additional evidence is material and that there were good reasons for failure to present it in the proceeding before the board, the court may order that the additional evidence be taken before the board upon conditions determined by the court. The board may modify its findings and decisions by reason of the additional evidence and shall file that evidence and any modifications, new findings, or decisions with the reviewing court.

H. The review shall be conducted by the court without a jury and shall be confined to the record. In cases of alleged irregularities in procedure before the agency, not shown in the record, proof thereon may be taken in the court. The court, upon request, shall hear oral argument and receive written briefs.

I. The court may affirm the decision of the board or remand the case for further proceedings. The court may reverse or modify the decision if substantial rights of the party seeking judicial review have been prejudiced because the administrative tribunal's findings, inferences, conclusions, or decisions are:

(1) In violation of constitutional or statutory provisions;

(2) In excess of the statutory authority of the agency;

(3) Made upon unlawful procedure;

(4) Affected by other error of law;

(5) Arbitrary or capricious or characterized by abuse of discretion or clearly unwarranted exercise of discretion; or

(6) Not supported and sustainable by clear and convincing evidence as determined by the reviewing court. In the application of this rule, the court shall make its own evaluation of the record reviewed in its entirety upon judicial review. In the application of the rule, where the agency has the opportunity to judge the credibility of witnesses by first-hand observation of demeanor on the witness stand that the reviewing court does not, due regard shall be given to the agency's determination of credibility issues.

Acts 1986, No. 914, §1; Acts 1988, No. 405, §1, eff. July 10, 1988; Acts 1995, No. 920, §1; Acts 1999, No. 1358, §1; Acts 2003, No. 1181, §1; Acts 2012, No. 491, §1, eff. June 5, 2012; Acts 2014, No. 866, §§1, 2, eff. Jan. 1, 2017.