Legal Question in Civil Rights Law in Louisiana
Tape recording a meeting
If I have a face to face meeting with another individual and record it without telling them in advance, is that legal? State is Louisiana. I am unclear on Louisiana law. I did read about ''one party recordings'' but didn't fully understand the explanation. It looked to me like as long as there were only two people at the meeting and I am the one consenting as well as recordin, it's legal. The meeting discussion covers personal relationship matters as well as alleged wrongdoings by this individual (crimes and misdemeanors). The purpose of the taping is to play it back to that person later should they try to deny they said something in particular. This is not a phone call recording. Just two people meeting in a public park. If I later tell the person they were recorded, does this make a difference? I doubt it, but thought I'd ask.
2nd question: If I don't tape record this person, but tell them I have a tape recording in an effort to get the to the tell the truth about something, is this a crime? I know it is lying on my part, but is it a crime to lie about recording our meeting?
Thank you
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Tape recording a meeting
The rule in Louisiana is that you can record any conversation so long as at least one party in the conversation knows they are being recorded. This means that you can always record any conversation in which you are a participant, even if the other side does not know they are being recorded. It is not a requirement that you tell them they are being recorded.
What you cannot do is record someone else's conversation if nobody in the conversation knows they are being recorded. That would be an invasion of their privacy and, if done on the telephone, an illegal wire tap. This holds true even in your own home. In other words, you cannot record your spouse's telephone conversations with other people, but you can record you own.
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