LAC 1:III.701. Consolidation; Severance of Actions (formerly §511)

A. When two or more adjudications involving common issues of law or fact are separately pending before DAL, the administrative law judge, may upon his/her own motion or that of any party, at any time prior to the adjudicatory hearing, order the consolidation of the matters or order a joint hearing on any of the common issues. If the matters are pending before two or more administrative law judges, the approval of each administrative law judge is required for consolidation. The matter with the higher docket number shall be transferred to the administrative law judge to whom the matter with the lower docket number was assigned. B. An administrative law judge may sever consolidated matters to further administrative convenience, expedition, and economy, or to avoid undue prejudice. Severance may be ordered upon the administrative law judge’s own motion, or a party’s motion.