Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:91

  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Licensee: means the holder of a license. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:73
  • Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
  • Preparation of financial statement: means an engagement by a licensee to prepare financial statements for an entity but not to perform a compilation, review, or audit with respect to those financial statements and as provided in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants' Statement on Standards for Accounting and Review Services. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:73
  • Report: means , when used with reference to any attest services, an opinion, report, or other form of language that states or implies an assurance as to the reliability of any financial statement or assertion. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:73

            A. This Section shall apply to all causes of action specified in this Section filed on or after June 18, 1999.

            B. No action based on negligence may be brought against any defendant licensee, or any employee or principal of a defendant licensee, unless the plaintiff claims to have been injured as a result of their justifiable reliance upon financial statements or other information examined, compiled, reviewed, certified, audited, prepared pursuant to a preparation of financial statement engagement, or otherwise prepared, reported, or opined on by the defendant licensee or in the course of the defendant licensee’s engagement to provide other services and at least one of the following conditions apply:

            (1) The plaintiff is the issuer or successor of the issuer of the financial statements or other information examined, compiled, reviewed, certified, audited, prepared pursuant to a preparation of financial statement engagement, or otherwise prepared, reported, or opined on by the defendant licensee, and such plaintiff has engaged the defendant licensee to examine, compile, review, certify, audit, prepare pursuant to a preparation of financial statement engagement, or otherwise report or render an opinion on such financial statements or to provide other services.

            (2) The defendant licensee was aware at the time the engagement was undertaken that the financial statements or other information were to be made available for use in connection with a specified transaction by the plaintiff who was specifically identified to the defendant licensee, was aware that the plaintiff intended to rely upon such financial statements or other information in connection with the specified transaction, and had direct contact and communication with the plaintiff and expressed by words and conduct the defendant licensee’s understanding of the reliance on such financial statements or other information.

            Acts 1992, No. 611, §2; Acts 1999, No. 473, §1, eff. June 18, 1999; Acts 2016, No. 553, §1.