§917. Destruction of useless records

A. The clerk of court may upon consent of the judge, or of the majority of judges in districts with several divisions, destroy records of any of the following judicial proceedings when such records have been deemed by the presiding judge or judges to have no further use or value: suits on open accounts, tort suits, workers' compensation suits, suits on unsecured notes, suits on promissory notes, suits on chattel mortgages, and suits for eviction of tenants and occupants. However, such proposed destruction shall be authorized only when ten years have elapsed from the last date of action on said record or records and authorization for such destruction has been obtained from the state archivist in accordance with R.S. 44:411.

B. No cause of action shall exist against any clerk or judge for the destruction of such records in accordance with the provisions of this Section.

C. The clerk of court for a district court may destroy parts of records of any of the following judicial proceedings after the lapse of five years from the date of the final dismissal of the proceeding if authorization has been obtained from the state archivist as provided in R.S. 44:411: suits on open accounts, tort suits, worker's compensation suits, suits on unsecured notes, suits on promissory notes, and suits for the eviction of tenants and occupants. The parts of records to be destroyed under this Subsection shall be limited to depositions, subpoenas and subpoenas duces tecum, returns on subpoenas and subpoenas duces tecum, medical records, and X-rays. No cause of action shall exist against any clerk of court or his employee for the destruction of records in accordance with this Subsection.

Added by Acts 1975, No. 677, §1. Acts 1983, 1st Ex.Sess., No. 1, §6; Acts 1986, No. 794, §1; Acts 2008, No. 625, §1; Acts 2012, No. 101, §1, eff. May 11, 2012.