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SB 93 Louisiana Senate · 2025 Regular Session

SUCCESSIONS: Provides for enforceability of penalty clauses in wills. (8/1/25)

SB 93 clarifies that penalty clauses in wills, gifts, or trusts - which punish people for challenging them - become unenforceable if the challenger has a legitimate legal basis for their action. Specifically, such clauses cannot be enforced if a reasonable person would believe there was a "substantial likelihood" the challenge would succeed at the time it was filed. This applies to disputes over wills, estate distributions, or trust management, directly affecting individuals contesting these arrangements. The law aims to prevent penalties from discouraging valid challenges while balancing donors' interests in preventing frivolous lawsuits.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Apr 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
Senate Passage
Apr 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Signed into Law
Jun 2025
Introduced Apr 3, 2025 Signed Jun 4, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

SB93 Original → SB93 Act · 3 edits
MINOR
The bill was finalized and enrolled as Act No. 39, changing the document status from an original draft to an enacted law. The substantive content regarding penalty clauses in wills remains consistent, though the explanatory text was reorganized to clarify the distinction between civil and criminal standards of 'probable cause' and to consolidate the legal reasoning.
Scope change
The scope of the law remains unchanged; it continues to govern the enforceability of penalty clauses in Louisiana wills.
TECHNICAL

The document header was updated to reflect that the bill has been enacted as Act No. 39, and the page count was adjusted from 4 to 3.

The explanatory text was reorganized to merge and clarify the discussion on 'probable cause,' explicitly distinguishing the civil standard used in this bill from the criminal standard used in arrests.

Redundant page headers and footer text from the original draft version were removed during the finalization process.

Floor votes · Senate Apr 29, 2025 · House May 22, 2025

How they voted

37–0
Passed
Total votes 37
Apr 29, 2025
D Democratic11
11 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican26
26 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
18
Key actions
4
Committee
4
Amendments
1
May 22, 2025
Lower · Passed
Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 91, nays 1. Finally passed, ordered to the Senate.
lower
May 13, 2025
Introduced
Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments.
lower
May 12, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably (11-0). Referred to the Legislative Bureau.
lower
May 5, 2025
Committee
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Civil Law and Procedure.
lower
Apr 29, 2025
Upper · Passed
Read by title, passed by a vote of 39 yeas and 0 nays, and sent to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
upper
Apr 23, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably.
upper
Apr 14, 2025
Committee
Introduced in the Senate; read by title. Rules suspended. Read second time and referred to the Committee on Judiciary A.
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Eddie Lambert
Eddie Lambert
RRepublican
LA
18