Is this expensive? Understand the costs

There are some costs involved with getting an interdiction.

Lawyers' fees

  • You'll need to pay for your own lawyer, if you get one. If you have low income, you can sometimes find free or low-cost legal help. See the previous screen for more about this. Also try our Resource Directory. Look in the "Legal" category on the left side of the screen.

Filing fees

  • You'll need to pay the court a filing fee when you deliver or mail in your forms. Filing fees vary from parish to parish.

Service

  • The legal process requires you to pay to make sure your family member gets an official copy of your petition. Sometimes this is called the sheriff's fee and is included in the filing fee.

Lawyer for your family member

  • If they are 18 or older, the court will appoint a lawyer for them, and you might need to cover these costs.

Possible damages

  • You might need to pay damage fees if the court denies the interdiction and can prove that you lied about (or misrepresented) the capabilities of your family member. This is not likely to happen! The rule is meant to make sure to protect people with disabilities.

The curator 

  • The curator might be paid for their services. The money comes out of the property of the interdict. The Louisiana Code sets limits on how much the curator can be paid.

Security 

  • The curator needs to give the court a security, or deposit, as a guarantee that they will handle the interdict's money and property responsibly. We'll tell you more about this in a few screens.

 

Source: LA Code of Civil Procedure arts. 4566, 4274