Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Filing Rules

The cover sheet must list the complete names of all parties in capital letters, although an appropriate shortened caption may be used when the filing party previously appeared.

An amended Pretrial Statement must contain all language from the original pleading.

A Petition for Settlement Approval must state whether and how each beneficiary received notice of the petition and settlement.

An uncontested motion must be accompanied by a separate proposed order submitted as a Word document for electronic signing.

Each party may submit a written supplement addressing charge or verdict-slip issues that the parties cannot resolve.

The Department of Court Records must mail the writ of certiorari by first-class mail to every party other than the filing party and to the Magisterial District Judge.

Counsel must serve all parties when requesting transcripts.

Motions and petitions must be filed with the Department of Court Records and served on all parties and the court under applicable Pennsylvania and Allegheny County rules.

A contested discovery motion must include a notice of presentation with the argument details and a certificate of service showing that opposing parties were served.

Filings must be docketed with the Department of Court Records, served on the opposing party, and emailed to the judicial staff.

Questions concerning trial matters should be emailed to ConnellyChambers@alleghenycourts.us after reviewing the trial procedures section.

Motions must be sent to both the motions and chambers email addresses; all other communications go to chambers unless directed otherwise.

All parties must be included visibly in Court email communications, and opposing parties or counsel may not be copied using BCC.

Case-related emails to the Court must include all parties, with other parties’ email addresses visible in the To or CC field and no BCC copies.

Use wagnerchambers@alleghenycourts.us as the first point of contact for scheduling and administrative matters, email ayatsko@alleghenycourts.us for court-procedure questions, or call chambers at 412.350.0390.

The custody confirmation complaint is deemed filed when notice of its presentation is given.

The filing deadline is 12:00 p.m. on the first business day after entry of the Trial Management Order.

All parties must timely file and serve their respective pretrial statements before a scheduled conciliation.

After obtaining a date and time from the Housing Court Help Desk, the motion must be filed with the Department of Court Records.

The settlement approval order must be placed on the docket within four weeks after submission.

The PDF copy of the motion and brief accompanying the argument-scheduling request must be submitted in PDF format.

The court will not sign an SIJ order that is boilerplate or conclusory.

Documents sent to the Court must be in PDF or Microsoft Word format.

The motion must be emailed as a PDF and the proposed order must be emailed as a separate Microsoft Word document to the calendar control motions address.

Plaintiff exhibit identifications must use Arabic numerals, while Defendant exhibit identifications must use letters.

Local Rule 1034(a)'s judgment-on-the-pleadings procedures do not govern asbestos or special-management cases, class actions, complex cases, or other cases specially assigned to one judge.

All Housing Court Motions should be filed with the Housing Court Help Desk.

A calendar control motion must be filed with the Department of Court Records before it is emailed to the court.

An uncontested general asbestos motion may be forwarded to either of Judge Klein's staff members for the judge's signature and filing with the Department of Court Records.

Uncontested asbestos motions and argued general asbestos motions must be submitted by email at least two days before presentation.

Education and mediation program fees are non-refundable except after a domestic-violence waiver, timely filing and service of a custody consent order, withdrawal of the pleadings seven days before the program, or when the petitioner fails to appear and the respondent’s fees are refunded.

Every filing must include a courtesy copy emailed to chambers because the Court does not automatically receive Department of Court Records copies.

A courtesy copy must be provided to the Calendar Control Judge before presentation of the motion.

Courtesy copies are required for any proceeding scheduled before Judge Henry-Taylor.

As soon as counsel learns that the case has been assigned for trial, counsel must deliver hard copies of all pretrial motions and briefs to the court’s chambers.

Courtesy copies are not required unless the Court expressly requests them, and a requested copy must be mailed or hand-delivered to Chambers because the Court does not automatically receive Department of Court Records filings.

Land-use appeal briefs are due simultaneously unless unique circumstances require a deviation.

Oral argument is the default option for motions, and the judge must grant oral argument to any requesting party.

Scheduling preliminary objections stays all proceedings except as provided by Local Rule 1910.7.

The parties must meet and confer about resolving any motion in limine before presenting it to the Court.

The parties must meet and confer about resolving motions in limine before presenting them to the Court.

If an exhibit contains confidential information or confidential documents under the Pennsylvania policy, the proponent must file a copy and a compliant certification with the Department of Court Records.

All filings and proceedings must comply with the Case Records Public Access Policy and confidentiality requirements applicable to minors.

A request to seal a petition and order requires a Motion to Seal presented to Judge Connelly rather than General Motions.

An application to reschedule a pre-trial conference must be addressed to the Conciliating Judge assigned to that conference.

A party seeking a pretrial deadline extension must notify the Court before the deadline expires, the parties may jointly submit a consent order, and the extension does not become effective unless the Court approves and signs the order.

When an evidentiary issue is anticipated, a party may submit its Motion in Limine with its Pretrial Statement.

Uncontested general asbestos motions do not require a presentation.

Exhibit binders are preferred, but alternatives for voluminous exhibits will be reviewed at the pretrial conference.

Using binders for trial exhibits is preferred.

Neither party’s exceptions brief may exceed 10 pages.

Each party has a total of ten minutes to argue its motion.

In Center cases assigned to Judge McGinley, primary briefs are limited to 35 pages and responsive or secondary briefs to 20 pages unless the court grants leave.