Case Name: William D. O'REGAN, III, et al. v. Leroy LABAT
Court: Louisiana Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1980-01-08
Citations: 379 So. 2d 78
Docket Number: No. 11165
Parties: William D. O’REGAN, III, et al. v. Leroy LABAT.
Judges: Before SAMUEL, LEMMON and GU-LOTTA, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 379
Pages: 78–79

Head Matter:
William D. O’REGAN, III, et al. v. Leroy LABAT.
No. 11165.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.
Jan. 8, 1980.
William D. O’Regan, III, LaPlace, for re-lators.
Becnel & Faucheux, Robert R. Faucheux, Jr., Reserve, for respondent.
Before SAMUEL, LEMMON and GU-LOTTA, JJ.

Opinion:
LEMMON, Judge.
This matter comes before the court on an application for supervisory writs, filed pursuant to C.C.P. art. 2201. In their applications plaintiffs complain of the trial court's denial of their motion to strike late answers to their request for admissions and to deem admitted the truth of the matters set forth in the request. See C.C.P. arts. 1466, 1467.
There must be a limitation in allowing late answers to a request for admissions; on the other hand, however, an admission resulting from a late answer should not be automatic.
In the present case plaintiffs' request seeks admission of many matters constituting controverted issues of law lying at the heart of the case. Automatic admission resulting from late answers would unduly suppress the determinations of the merits of the case. Moreover, there is no prejudice shown to the requesting party by the judgment refusing to strike the late answers. See Voison v. Luke, 249 La. 796, 191 So.2d 503 (1966); 8 Wright & Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure, § 2257 (1970); Finman, The Request for Admissions in Federal Civil Procedure, 71 Yale L.Rev. 371, 432 (1962).
The application is denied.
APPLICATION DENIED.