§187. Judicial procedure

The State Mineral and Energy Board shall present to the said district court having jurisdiction an application drawn in the usual form of a petition in a civil case and said petition shall contain (a) the name and domicile of the applicant (b) a full and complete account of how the applicant came into possession of the funds deposited and (c) the list of co-owners required and described in R.S. 30:185. However, applicant may add any list of owners which were not included in the original application on behalf of any claimant received by the applicant. It shall not be a prerequisite to the filing of this petition that a dispute exists over the ownership of the funds. The State Mineral and Energy Board shall not be obligated to make any investigation of title whatsoever beyond said list furnished pursuant to R.S. 30:185. The State Mineral and Energy Board shall pray for service on all persons listed in the petition as claiming or having an interest in the funds deposited and shall pray further that all such persons named in the petition shall be cited to answer and make such claims to the funds as they may desire; and further, that all persons claiming or having an interest in such funds as they may desire; and further, that all persons claiming or having an interest in such funds, whether named in the petition or not, shall be cited by publication to answer and make such claim to the funds as they may desire. The notice by publication herein referred to shall be made six times during the sixty days immediately following the filing of the petition in the official journal of the parish in which the suit is filed and in the state official journal six times during said sixty day period. All parties however cited, whether personally or by publication, shall appear and answer the petition no later than seventy-five days from the date of the filing of the petition. The court after a full hearing shall determine the ownership of the funds and in the event the court should determine that part of the funds are owned by persons unknown, or missing, then the court shall direct that such funds be delivered to the Collector of Revenue, State of Louisiana, except that in the parish of Orleans, said funds shall be delivered to the Public Administrator thereof.

Acts 1952, No. 513, §7. Amended by Acts 1960, No. 358, §1; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009.