THE COURTS
Title 255—LOCAL COURT RULES
NORTHAMPTON COUNTY
Administrative Order 2022-21; Adoption of Local Rule N212A. Case Management/Trial Lists; No. C-48-CV-2022-9366
[53 Pa.B. 323]
[Saturday, January 14, 2023]
Administrative Order And Now, this 29th day of December, 2022, it is Ordered that Northampton County Local Rule N212A is Adopted, effective 30 days after publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
It is further Ordered that the Court Administrator of Northampton County shall file: one (1) certified copy of the Order and Northampton County Rule N212A with the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts; and two (2) certified copies with the Legislative Reference Bureau for publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. This Local Rule shall also be published on the Court's website and incorporated into the complete set of Northampton County Local Rules.
By the Court
MICHAEL J. KOURY, Jr.,
President JudgeRule N212A. Case Management/Trial Lists.
(a) Case Management—Jury Cases. Upon the filing of an answer to a complaint in a civil action that requires a jury trial, the court shall issue a case management order that establishes deadlines for completing discovery, serving expert reports, filing pre-trial motions, and a date for a pre-trial conference.
(b) Case Management—Non-Jury Cases. In civil actions not requiring a jury trial, after discovery has been completed, any party may file a praecipe for arbitration, or a praecipe placing the case onto a non-jury trial list, pursuant to Northampton County Rule N209(c).
(1) Status Conferences. In civil actions not requiring a jury trial, any party may contact Court Administration to request a status conference for the purpose of obtaining a case management order that establishes deadlines for completing discovery, serving expert reports, filing pre-trial motions, and a date for a pre-trial conference.
(c) Extension of Deadlines and Dates in Case Management Orders. The parties may agree to alter the deadlines and dates established by a case management order by delivering a stipulation and proposed order to Court Administration for transmittal to a judge for approval by the court. If the parties determine that the complexity of a case requires a specialized case management order, and they cannot agree to a stipulated order, any party may request a status conference by contacting Court Administration.
(d) Trial Lists. The Court Administrator shall prepare jury and non-jury trial lists in accordance with case management orders, pre-trial conference orders, and praecipes filed by counsel and/or the unrepresented parties, and shall forward such lists to each attorney of record and each unrepresented party at least thirty (30) days prior to the trial date. The lists shall be prepared in the order in which the actions were commenced or as directed by the court. See Pa.R.Civ.P. 214.
(e) Call of Jury Trial Lists. A preliminary call of each jury trial list shall be held at 1:00 p.m. in Courtroom Number One (1) on the second Wednesday prior to the trial week. At the call of the list, the court will consider all applications for continuances, and no continuance will thereafter be granted except for cause arising between the time of the preliminary call and the beginning of the assigned trial week.
(f) Non-jury Trial Assignments. In lieu of a call of each non-jury trial list, every attorney of record and unrepresented party shall send an email to Court Administration no later than the second Friday prior to the non-jury trial week, to the email address identified on the non-jury trial list, stating whether the matter is ready for trial and the approximate length of such trial. Failure to send the aforementioned email may result in the case being stricken and removed from the non-jury trial list. Thereafter, the President Judge will pre-assign the cases on each list to judges, and the attorneys and parties shall report directly to the assigned judge's courtroom at the scheduled date and time of the trial.
(g) Disposition of Listed Cases. Any case once certified for trial by a pre-trial judge shall, unless otherwise directed by the court, be automatically relisted on subsequent trial lists until the case is finally disposed of by trial or otherwise.
[Pa.B. Doc. No. 23-38. Filed for public inspection January 13, 2023, 9:00 a.m.]
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