Force Majeure / Cas Fortuit – La. C.C. art. 1873
Louisiana civil law recognises force majeure (fortuitous event / cas fortuit) under La. C.C. art. 1873–1875: an obligor is not liable when performance is prevented by an irresistible force or cause not imputable to him. In parking context: hurricane evacuations (frequent in Louisiana), flash flooding, mandatory shelter-in-place orders, vehicle theft, sudden medical emergency. Louisiana civil law's force majeure doctrine is more developed than common-law impossibility and is regularly applied to municipal obligations.
Legal basis
La. C.C. art. 1873–1875; La. R.S. §29:721 et seq. (Disaster Act – evacuations)
Sample appeal wording
Central Adjudication Bureau / [Parish] Court Re: Citation [CITATION_NUMBER] – [DATE] CONTEST – FORCE MAJEURE / CAS FORTUIT (La. C.C. art. 1873) On [DATE], my compliance with the parking regulation was prevented by a fortuitous event: [• Hurricane [NAME] – Governor's mandatory evacuation order [ORDER#] for [PARISH] • Flash flood event – NWS warning at [TIME] • Vehicle theft – NOPD report [#] • Acute medical emergency – Hospital admission record • Other: ___________]. Under La. C.C. art. 1873, '[a]n obligor is not liable for his failure to perform when it is caused by a fortuitous event that makes performance impossible.' The above event was irresistible and not imputable to me. Documentation attached. I request dismissal. [NAME] | [DATE]
Replace [PARKING DATE], [NtK DATE] etc. with your own dates before sending.
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- La. C.C. art. 1873–1875
- La. R.S. §29:721 et seq.
- National Weather Service / NHC bulletins