Rule 216. Grounds for Continuance.
(a) The following are grounds for continuance:
(1) Agreement of all parties or their attorneys, if approved by the Court;
(2) Illness of counsel of record, a material witness, or a party. If requested a certificate of a physician shall be furnished, stating that such illness will probably be of sufficient duration to prevent the ill person from participating in the trial;
(3) Inability to subpoena or to take testimony by deposition, commission, or letters rogatory, of any material witness, shown by affidavit which shall state:
(i) The facts to which the witness would testify if present or if deposed;
(ii) The grounds for believing that the absent witness would so testify;
(iii) The efforts made to procure the attendance or deposition of such absent witness; and
(iv) The reasons for believing that the witness will attend the trial at a subsequent date, or that the deposition of the witness can and will be obtained.
(4) Such special ground as may be allowed in the discretion of the court;
(5) The scheduling of counsel to appear at any proceeding under the Pennsylvania Rules of Disciplinary Enforcement, whether:
(i) as counsel for a respondent-attorney before a hearing committee, hearing officer, the Disciplinary Board or the Supreme Court;
(ii) as a hearing officer or member of a hearing committee; or
(iii) as a member of the Disciplinary Board;
(6) The scheduling of counsel to appear at any proceeding involving the discipline of a justice, judge or magisterial district judge under Section 18 of Article V of the Constitution of Pennsylvania, whether:
(i) as counsel for a justice, judge, or magisterial district judge before the special tribunal provided for in 42 Pa.C.S. § 727, the Court of Judicial Discipline, the Judicial Conduct Board or any hearing committee or other arm of the Judicial Conduct Board; or
(ii) as a member of the Court of Judicial Discipline, the Judicial Conduct Board or any hearing committee or other arm of the Judicial Conduct Board.
(b) Except for cause shown in special cases, no reason above enumerated for the continuance of a case shall be of effect beyond one application made in behalf of one party or group of parties having similar interests.
(c) No application for a continuance shall be granted if based on a cause existing and known at the time of publication or prior call of the trial list unless the same is presented to the court at a time fixed by the court, which shall be at least one week before the first day of the trial period. Applications for continuances shall be made to the court, or filed in writing with the officer in charge of the trial list, after giving notice of such application by mail, or otherwise, to all parties or their attorneys. Each court may, by local rule, designate the time of publication of the trial list for the purposes of this rule.
(d) No continuance shall be granted due to the absence from court of a witness duly subpoenaed, unless:
(1) Such witness will be absent because of facts arising subsequent to the service of the subpoena and which would be a proper ground for continuance under the provisions of Rule 216(a); or
(2) On the day when the presence of such witness is required a prompt application is made for the attachment of such absent witness; or
(3) The witness, having attended at court has departed without leave, and an application for attachment is made promptly after the discovery of the absence of such witness; or the court is satisfied that the witness has left court for reasons which would be a proper ground for continuance under Rule 216(a).
(e) Each Court may adopt local rules providing for the temporary passing of cases or governing applications for continuance because of the absence of a witness, not a party, who has not been served with a subpoena.
(f) Rule 216(b)—(e) and Rule 217 shall not be applicable to a continuance granted for any of the reasons set forth in Rule 216(a)(5) or (6).
Source The provisions of this Rule 216 adopted September 8, 1938, effective March 20, 1939; amended October 4, 1961, effective January 1, 1962; amended April 18, 1975, effective immediately, 5 Pa.B. 1820; amended March 15, 1994, effective upon publication, 24 Pa.B. 1673; amended April 12, 1999, effective July 1, 1999, 29 Pa.B. 2266; amended May 19, 2005, effective immediately, 35 Pa.B. 3289; amended August 8, 2023, effective October 1, 2023, 53 Pa.B. 5108. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (311793) to (311794) and (377855).
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