Judge  Patrice W. Oppenheim

Division K

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If you received a notice that you have a Rule/Virtual Hearing via Zoom please select “Attend Hearings Online” above.

If you have a Staff Attorney Conference, Pre-Trial Conference, Scheduling Conference or a Status Conference, please select “Conferences” above

Having internet problems for your Online Court appearance or Conference? Call 1-346-248-7799 and for Virtual Hearings enter Meeting ID: 925 656 7074; for Conferences enter Meeting ID: 585 238 3528. You cannot testify without your video on but you can inform the court of your connection issues via telephone.

Judge Patrice W. Oppenheim is the District Judge for Division “K” of the Twenty – Second Judicial District Court of the State of Louisiana, one of two divisions of our Court which focuses on family law, including divorces, custody, child support, spousal support and community property.

She is a Board-Certified Family Law Specialist and a part of the 22nd Judicial District Court’s Family Court since its inception in 2009.

Judge Oppenheim is a member of the 22nd JDC Bar Association, the Slidell Bar Association and the Washington Parish Bar Association. She is the co-chair of the Louisiana State Bar Association’s Self-Represented Litigant Committee, a member of the international, multi-disciplinary Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC), serves on the Board of Directors for the Louisiana District Judges Association and the state chapter of AFCC. Additionally, Judge Oppenheim is the President for the 22nd JDC Inns of Court.

RULES REGARDING VIRTUAL HEARINGS

ST. TAMMANY PARISH

Division “K” follows a “Hybrid Rule Day”, meaning some matters will be heard exclusively via Virtual Hearing and some matters, if not resolved by consent, will be heard later the same day In-Person at the Courthouse.

Please log in to Zoom at the time of your scheduled hearing by selecting “Attend Hearings Online”, above. At that time, the Court will call the docket and conduct pre-hearing conferences with counsel and/or self-represented litigants. If your matter is not resolved by consent, a hearing will be held later that same day.

The following matters will be heard exclusively via Virtual Hearing, as these hearings generally involve a limited number of witnesses and/or documents:

1.    Uncontested Adoptions (the Court is agreeable to holding this hearing in-person, upon request)

2.    Exceptions

3.    102 Divorce rules

4.    103 Divorce Confirmations/Trials

5.    Motions for New Trial

6.    Motions to Continue

7.    Motions in Limine

8.    Motions to Compel Discovery

9.    Motions for Judicial Determination of SDDL

10.  Motions for Termination of the Matrimonial Regime

11.  Motions for Summary Judgment

12.  Motions to Appoint Experts/Special Masters/Parenting Coordinators/Custody Evaluators

13.  Motions to Appoint Attorneys for Children/Curators

14.  Exceptions (Objections) to Protective Orders

15.  Motions to Modify/Dissolve Protective Orders

16.  Orders to Prepare Judgments

17.  Motions to Withdraw

18.  Homologation of Community Property Partitions

19.  Court Cost Rules

20.  Watermeier Hearings

All other matters not listed above and any matter requiring extensive witnesses and/or documents will be heard In-Person at the 22nd JDC Courthouse in Covington, Courtroom 11 (3rd Floor).

Notwithstanding the above, the Judge has the sole discretion to conduct any matter as an In-Person or Virtual Hearing.

Parties may opt to have a Virtual Hearing on any matter, with the Judge’s permission, as long as both sides agree and there are not extensive documents or witnesses. The introduction of documents over ten (10) pages will be considered extensive by Division “K”. To request a Virtual Hearing, the parties must file an Uncontested or Joint Motion Requesting Virtual Hearing at least five (5) business days prior to the scheduled hearing.

WASHINGTON PARISH

All matters in Washington Parish are In-Person unless the Court instructs otherwise.

Parties may opt to have a Virtual hearing on any matter, with the Judge’s permission, as long as both sides agree and there are not extensive documents or witnesses. The introduction of documents over ten (10) pages will be considered extensive by Division “K”. To request a Virtual hearing, the parties must file an Uncontested or Joint Motion Requesting Virtual Hearing at least five (5) business days prior to the hearing.

SUBMISSION OF EXHIBITS AT A VIRTUAL HEARING (applicable to both St. Tammany and Washington Parishes)

Exhibits which may be introduced in a Virtual Hearing, with the exception of rebuttal exhibits, shall be provided to Judge Oppenheim’s Chambers via e-mail to rmbrumfield@stpgov.org by 3:30 p.m. the day before the Virtual Hearing. However, if the documents to be introduced exceed ten (10) pages, the party shall submit a physical bench book to the Judge’s Office by 3:30 p.m. the day before the Virtual Hearing.

If the party/counsel would like to retrieve the submitted exhibits following the hearing, they MUST do so within 7 days of the hearing.

If a Virtual Hearing is conducted, it is the sole responsibility of the party/counsel offering evidence to ensure handling the “share screen” function. The Court will not “screen share” for the parties. The party/counsel must also ensure to deliver a hard copy of any exhibits admitted into evidence at the Virtual Hearing to the Division K minute clerk immediately following the Virtual Hearing.

RULES FOR PARTICIPATING IN VIRTUAL HEARINGS (applicable to both St. Tammany and Washington Parishes)

All Court rules on attire and conduct in Court for attorneys, participants and witnesses remain in effect, which includes, but is not limited to the following:

1.    All participants, attorneys and witnesses are required to have Zoom capability, and have sufficient audio and video connection with an appropriate and stationary background. The 22nd JDC has a Self-Represented Litigant room at the Courthouse in Covington for those individuals who do not have access to Zoom.

2.    Proper attire is required for all Virtual hearings. You must be fully dressed and seated in a chair. No party is to have on sleepwear, hats, shorts, tank tops, flip flops or bare midriffs and shirts-tails must be tucked in. No party appearing by Zoom may be smoking, eating or drinking.

3.    No other persons, except attorneys of record, are permitted to be in the room during proceedings without prior Court approval.

4.    Neither the parties, their attorneys, nor their agents or assigns, are to photograph or record by any means any part of the proceeding. Violation shall be considered grounds for a finding of contempt of court.

5.    Participants shall not be in close proximity to each other as this may cause audio and video transmission issues.

6.    No witness shall have documents or notes in front of them while testifying unless given permission by the Court. The Court may, in its discretion and at any time, request participants to adjust their camera to show anything a witness may appear to be reading during a proceeding.

If you estimate that your Hearing before the Judge will last in excess of two hours, you must file a pleading to request a special trial setting prior to your Hearing date. If there is an objection to removing the matter from the rule docket to a special setting, you must log in on the Rule date for a hearing to determine whether a special setting is needed.

Members of the public are entitled to and may access any hearing Virtual Hearing. They must use their real name, have their video function turned on and identify themselves when requested to the Court personnel. The only exception is when the record is sealed or the Court has ordered a closed hearing.