Robert F. Doyle instituted this action against Toleda L. Weldon, State Farm Mutual Insurance Company, her automobile liability insurer, and American Motors Corporation, to recover damages for personal injuries sustained when plaintiff’s automobile, which was manufactured by AMC, was struck from the rear by Weldon. He alleged that his injuries were caused by Weldon’s negligence in the operation of her vehicle and AMC’s negligence in failing to manufacture a safe automobile.
AMC filed a declinatory exception based on the pendency of another action previously filed by plaintiff in the federal district court between the same parties, in the same capacities, on the same cause of action, and having the same object.1 The trial court sustained the exception staying this action “until the pending federal litigation has been discontinued or a final judgment has been rendered.”
Subsequently, plaintiff amended his petition in this action to add State Farm, in its capacity as his uninsured motorist carrier, as a party defendant.2 He alleged that he had an automobile liability policy with State Farm at the time of the accident which provided for uninsured motorist coverage in the amount of $100,000 in the event he was injured by the negligence of an underinsured motorist.3 He further alleged that Weldon’s liability coverage with State Farm ($10,000) was insufficient to cover the damages sustained by him as a result of Weldon’s negligence.
On the day of trial in the federal court, Weldon and State Farm, in its capacity as her liability insurer, were released from the federal suit in return for payment to plaintiff of the $10,000 policy limits and a stipulation by all parties that AMC would be entitled to a credit for such payment in the event plaintiff recovered from AMC. In the settlement agreement with Weldon and State Farm, in its capacity as her liability insurer, plaintiff expressly reserved his right to proceed against State Farm, in its capacity as his uninsured motorist carrier. After trial on the merits in federal court, judgment was rendered in favor of plaintiff and against AMC in the amount of $90,000 subject to the aforementioned credit. Judgment was satisfied and no appeal was taken.
*765Thereafter, this action was removed from the “dead docket” and replaced on the current docket of the court. On joint motion of the parties, the trial court ordered that the claims of plaintiff against AMC, Weldon and State Farm, in its capacity as liability insurer of Weldon, be dismissed with prejudice; however, plaintiff’s claim against State Farm, as his uninsured motorist carrier, was expressly reserved to plaintiff. It was stipulated that the sole issue remaining to be resolved was plaintiff’s claim against State Farm as the uninsured motorist carrier of plaintiff.
State Farm then filed a motion for summary judgment on the ground that the extent of plaintiff’s demands had been determined and fully satisfied as a result of the trial in the federal court. After a hearing, State Farm’s motion for summary judgment was granted and plaintiff’s suit was dismissed at his cost.4 Plaintiff appealed. The court of appeal affirmed, holding that there was no issue as to a material fact “since plaintiff’s demands were determined in the prior proceeding and the judgment was fully satisfied.” Therefore, “as a matter of law ... under these circumstances, the tortfeasor was not an underinsured motorist.”5 On plaintiff’s application, we granted certiorari to review the correctness of that judgment.6
The issue presented for our determination is whether plaintiff is precluded from re-litigating the extent of his damages.
At the outset, we note that the common law doctrine of judicial estoppel does not apply in Louisiana. Dornak v. Lafayette General Hospital, 399 So.2d 168 (La.1981); Ugulano v. Allstate Insurance Company, 367 So.2d 6 (La.1978). Hence, this doctrine does not preclude plaintiff from re-litigating the extent of his damages. Louisiana legislative authority for res judicata establishes a presumption of correctness and precludes re-litigation of the object of a judgment when there is (1) identity of the parties, (2) identity of “cause,” and (3) identity of the “thing demanded.” La.Civ.Code art. 2286; Dornak v. Lafayette General Hospital, supra; R. G. Claitor’s Realty v. Juban, 391 So.2d 394 (La.1980); Welch v. Crown Zellerbach Corp., 359 So.2d 154 (La.1978); Mitchell v. Bertolla, 340 So.2d 287 (La.1976). In the first suit, tried in the federal court, State Farm, in its capacity as plaintiff’s uninsured motorist carrier, was not a party, nor could it have been made a party; in this action, it is the only remaining party defendant. Moreover, it is obvious that the “causes,” delictual in one suit and contractual in the other, are not identical. Hence, as there is neither an identity of “parties” nor an identity of “cause,” res judicata does not preclude plaintiff from re-litigating the extent of his damages in this suit.
State Farm also contends that La. Code Civ.P. arts. 5 and 425 preclude this action. We do not agree. Article 425 prohibits the division of a cause of action by providing that an “obligee cannot divide an obligation due him for the purpose of bringing separate actions on different portions thereof.” Article 5 provides that when a “plaintiff reduces his claim on a single cause of action to bring it within the jurisdiction of the court and judgment is rendered thereon, he remits the portion of his claim for which he did not pray for judgment, and is precluded thereafter from demanding it judicially.” As noted in the Comment to art. 5, this “rule is based on the same principle of law as that which forbids the splitting of the cause of action. The rule governing the latter is set forth in art. 425.”
In the instant case, we do not have a splitting of the cause of action. Plaintiff’s *766action against Weldon, State Farm, as her liability insurer, and AMC was based on breach of duties or obligations required of persons in their relationships with one another. La.Civ.Code art. 2315 et seq. Plaintiff’s cause of action against State Farm, in its capacity as his uninsured motorist carrier, is based on an obligation created by a contract of insurance entered into between the parties. Hence, arts. 5 and 425 are not applicable here.
Accordingly, we conclude that plaintiff is not precluded from re-litigating the extent of his damages in this suit.7 The court of appeal erred in holding otherwise. We must reverse.
DECREE
For the reasons assigned, the judgment of the court of appeal affirming the trial court’s granting of a summary judgment and the dismissal of plaintiff’s suit is reversed and set aside and the case is remanded to the district court for further proceedings.
DIXON, C. J., concurs with reasons.
LEMMON, J., dissents and assigns reasons.
DENNIS, J., dissents and will assign reasons.