Art. 1474. Service of written objections, notices, requests, affidavits, interrogatories, and answers thereto

A. Except as otherwise provided by Article 1430, all of the objections, notices, requests, affidavits, interrogatories, and answers to interrogatories, required by any Article in this Chapter to be in writing and served on an adverse party, may be served as provided in Article 1313.

B. Interrogatories and the answers thereto, requests for production or inspection, and requests for admissions and the responses thereto authorized by Article 1421 shall be served upon other counsel or parties, but shall not be filed in the record of the proceedings, unless filing is required under the provisions of Paragraph C of this Article or unless ordered to be filed by the court. The failure or lack of filing such items shall not affect the use or admissibility at trial or by the court if otherwise authorized or provided by law. The party responsible for service of the discovery materials shall retain the original and become the custodian of such materials.

C.(1) If relief is sought under Article 1467 or 1469 with regard to any interrogatories, requests for production or inspection, requests for admissions, answers to interrogatories, or responses to requests for admissions, copies of the portions of the interrogatories, requests, answers, or responses in dispute shall be filed with the court contemporaneously with any motion filed under such Articles.

(2) If interrogatories, requests, answers, or responses are to be used at trial or are necessary to a pretrial motion which might result in a final order on any issue, the portions to be used shall be filed in the proceedings at the outset of the trial or at the filing of the motion insofar as their use can be reasonably anticipated.

(3) When documentation of discovery not previously in the record is needed for appeal purposes, upon an application and order of the court, or by stipulation of counsel, the necessary discovery materials shall be filed in the proceedings.

(4) The serving of any discovery materials pursuant to the provisions of this Article shall be considered a step in the prosecution or defense of an action for purposes of Article 561, notwithstanding that such discovery materials are not filed in the record of the proceedings.

D. The provisions of this Article shall not be construed to preclude the filing of any discovery materials as exhibits or as evidence in connection with a motion or at trial.

Acts 1989, No. 388, §1, eff. June 30, 1989.