STATE OF LOUISIANA COURT OF APPEAL, FIRST CIRCUIT NEW HOPE METHODIST CHURCH NO. 2024 CW 0294 VERSUS BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LOUISIANA ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, SOUTH CENTRAL JURISDICTION CONSOLIDATED WITH CONCORD METHODIST CHURCH VERSUS BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LOUISIANA ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE UNITED METHODIST JUNE 3, 2024 CHURCH, SOUTH CENTRAL JURISDICTION

In Re: Board of Trustees of the Louisiana Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, South Central Jurisdiction, applying for supervisory writs, 20th Judicial District Court, Parish of West Feliciana, Nos. 24739 c/w 24740.

BEFORE: WELCH, WOLFE, AND STROMBERG, JJ.

WRIT GRANTED. The portion of the trial court's March 6, 2024 judgment denying the dilatory exception of unauthorized use of summary proceeding filed by Board of Trustees of the Louisiana Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, South Central Jurisdiction is reversed. Summary proceedings may be used only in those matters in which the law permits them to be used. La. Code Civ. P. art. 2592. The petitions filed by plaintiffs, New Hope Methodist Church and Concord United Methodist Church, fail to allege facts entitling plaintiffs to proceed by summary proceeding. See La. R. S. 9: 5176 (A) .

Accordingly, the exception of unauthorized use of summary proceeding is granted. This matter is remanded to the trial court with instructions to allow New Hope Methodist Church and Concord United Methodist Church an opportunity to amend their petitions to convert the proceeding to an ordinary proceeding.

JEW EW TPS COURT OF APfEAL, FIRST CIRCUIT

DEPUTY CLERK OF COURT FOR THE COURT