Court of Common Pleas of Indiana County, Pennsylvania Filing Timing and Cure Windows

CRITICALCivil cases

The Prothonotary reviews filed legal papers only during normal business hours and notifies the filing party whether each paper is accepted or rejected.

Once filed, the legal paper shall be reviewed by the Prothonotary, and the filing party will receive notification that the legal paper was either accepted or rejected. Legal documents will only be reviewed by the Prothonotary staff during normal business hours.

CRITICAL

Electronic filings may be submitted except during periodic maintenance and must be completed by 11:59:59 p.m. EST/EDT to be considered filed that day.

Electronic filings may be submitted at any time, except during times of periodic maintenance. The electronic submission must be completed by 11:59:59 p.m. EST/EDT to be considered filed that day.

CRITICAL

A legal paper is filed when submitted to the system and accepted by the Clerk; if accepted, its filing date and time are those of submission, and the Clerk may reject a noncompliant filing.

A legal paper shall be considered filed upon submission of the legal paper to the system and acceptance of the filing by the Clerk of Courts. If the Clerk of Courts determines that the requirements for filing have been met, the time and date of filing shall be the time and date that the legal paper was submitted to the system. If the Clerk of Courts finds that the requirements for filing are not met, the Clerk may reject the filing.

CRITICALCivil cases

If a legal paper is accepted for filing by the Prothonotary, the it shall be deemed to have been filed the date and time it was received by the EFS. If a legal paper is submitted without the requisite fees, the legal paper shall be deemed to have been accepted for filing as of the date payment is received.

If a legal paper is accepted for filing by the Prothonotary, the it shall be deemed to have been filed the date and time it was received by the EFS. If a legal paper is submitted without the requisite fees, the legal paper shall be deemed to have been accepted for filing as of the date payment is received.

CRITICALCivil cases

An approved filing is dated as of the date the EFS received the document, not the date of approval.

The date of an approved filing shall be the date the document was received by the EFS, not the date of approval.

CRITICALCivil cases

An electronically filed document is due by 11:59:59 p.m. EST/EDT on its due date.

(1) The filing deadline for any document filed electronically shall be 11:59:59 p.m. EST/EDT on the date it is due.

CRITICALCivil cases

The EFS records the filing date and time and emails the filing party an acknowledgment stating when the legal paper was received.

The date and time of filing of a legal paper shall be recorded by the EFS. The EFS shall provide the filing party with an electronic mail acknowledgement which includes the date and time the legal paper was received by the EFS.

WARNING

The filing party is responsible for delays, disruptions, interruptions, or legibility issues unless caused by failure of the system's website.

A filing party shall be responsible for any delay, disruption, and interruption of the electronic signals and legibility of the document electronically filed, except when caused by the failure of the system's website.

WARNINGCivil cases

The Prothonotary must provide access to the EFS except during required maintenance.

The Prothonotary shall provide access to its EFS at all times except during periods of required maintenance.

WARNINGCivil cases

A registered user who believes EFS unavailability prevented timely filing may file a motion within ten days of the attempt to file.

If the registered user believes the unavailability of the EFS prevented a timely filing, the registered user may file a motion within ten (10) days of the registered user's attempt to file the document.

CRITICALCivil cases

The plaintiff must provide a pretrial statement at least 10 days before the conference, and all remaining parties must provide theirs 3 days before it.

Not less than ten (10) days prior to the scheduled time of the pre-trial conference, the plaintiff shall file with the Prothonotary (and simultaneously send a copy directly to the judge presiding over the pretrial conference), and serve on opposing counsel, a pretrial statement. Three (3) days prior to the scheduled time of the pre-trial conference, all remaining parties shall file in like manner their pretrial statements.

CRITICAL

The fee-reduction or waiver materials must be filed at the same time as the transcript request.

In the event that a requestor seeks reduction or waiver of transcript fees, he or she shall complete the Request for Waiver or Reduction of Transcript Costs Petition and Affidavit and shall file the petition, affidavit, and proposed order in the District Court Administrator’s Office at the time the request for transcript is filed.

CRITICALCivil cases

The Certificate of Readiness for trial must be filed simultaneously with the appeal.

(e) Simultaneously with the filing of the appeal, the appellant shall also file a Certificate of Readiness for trial with the Prothonotary and shall serve all parties to the matter.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Motion to designate support case as complex

The motion must be filed no later than ten days after the office conference concludes.

(5) The Motion to Designate Support Case as Complex shall be filed no later than ten (10) days after the conclusion of the office conference.

CRITICAL

Deadline

5 business days

When one custodian is involved, that custodian must file all submitted exhibits and the exhibit index within five business days after the proceeding concludes.

If only one custodian is involved with a proceeding, he/she shall file with the appropriate records office all submitted exhibits and index of exhibits within 5 business days of the conclusion of the proceeding.

CRITICALCivil cases

An opposing party must file a responsive brief within twenty days after service of the motion and supporting brief, together with any opposing affidavits, depositions, transcripts, or other documents.

Within twenty days after service of the moving party's motion and brief, any party opposing the motion shall file a responsive brief, together with any opposing affidavits, depositions, transcripts or other documents.

CRITICAL

A party may file exceptions within 20 days of whichever occurs first: receipt or mailing of the Report and Recommendation.

Within twenty (20) days of the receipt or date of mailing of the Court Program Manager's Report and Recommendation, whichever occurs first, any party may file exceptions to the report.

CRITICALCivil cases

A party disputing whether a case is ripe for arbitration may file a motion objecting to the Praecipe within 10 days after service of the Praecipe.

(e) In the event that there is a dispute between the parties as to whether a case is ripe for arbitration, any party may file, within ten (10) days from the date of service of the Praecipe, a Motion objecting to the Praecipe. The Court will then determine suitability for arbitration.

CRITICALCivil cases

Each party must submit the required mediation documentation to the mediator no later than seven days before mediation.

It is hereby ORDERED and DIRECTED that no later than seven (7) days prior to the date for Mediation, each party must have submitted to the Indiana County Child Custody Mediator the following documentation:

CRITICALCivil cases

Objections to a Certificate of Readiness must be filed within 20 days after service of the certificate.

Any party objecting to a Certificate of Readiness shall do so by filing and serving objections within twenty (20) days of service of the Certificate of Readiness.

CRITICALCriminal cases

A relevant party may request reconsideration if an important factor was overlooked; an offender may file only once and must do so within 30 days of the initial rejection.

If a relevant party to the offender’s case (attorney, judge, treatment provider, police officer, etc.) feels the Veterans Treatment Court Team failed to consider a particularly important factor, he/she may fill out a request for the case to be reconsidered. An offender may file for reconsideration one time and must be within 30 days of initial rejection.

CRITICAL

The Court Administrator must incorporate the Rule into the Local Rules within thirty days of its publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin and publish the rules on the Court website.

Incorporate the Rule into the set of Local Rules within thirty (30) days of publication of the Local Rule in the Pennsylvania Bulletin and publish the rules on the Court's website at www.IndianaCountyPA.gov;

CRITICALCivil cases

All parties other than the plaintiff must file their pretrial statements 3 days before the scheduled pre-trial conference.

Three (3) days prior to the scheduled time of the pre-trial conference, all remaining parties shall file in like manner their pretrial statements.

CRITICALCivil cases

The Court Administrator must schedule the Initial Custody Conference within 45 days after the motion is filed.

The Initial Custody Conference shall be scheduled by the Court Administrator within forty-five (45) days of the date the motion is filed.

CRITICALCivil cases

The required mediation materials must be forwarded to the mediator no later than seven days before the scheduled mediation.

(c) Not later than seven (7) days prior to a scheduled Mediation, each attorney/party shall forward to the Child Custody Mediator the following:

CRITICALCivil cases

The written agreement to cancel mediation must be submitted to the Court at least seven days before the scheduled mediation.

(h) The Mediation Fee shall be refunded only if, by a writing signed by both parties or counsel and submitted to the Court not less than seven (7) days before the scheduled date of Mediation, the parties agree that the Mediation should be canceled.

CRITICAL

Deadline

5 business days

When multiple custodians are involved, the custodian at the conclusion of the proceeding must file all submitted exhibits and the exhibit index within five business days after the proceeding concludes.

The custodian at the conclusion of the proceeding shall file with the appropriate records office all submitted exhibits and index of exhibits within 5 business days of the conclusion of the proceeding.

WARNING

The parties are requested to complete and return the mediation questionnaire to the Prothonotary’s Office at least seven days before the conference.

It is requested that the parties complete and return the Child Custody Mediation Questionnaire to the Prothonotary's Office at least seven (7) days prior to the scheduled conference.

WARNINGCivil cases

Deadline

5 business days

The moving party may file a reply brief within five business days after service of the responsive brief.

The moving party may file a brief in reply to the responsive brief with five business days after service of a responsive brief.

INFO

An Initial Custody Conference generally occurs within 30–45 days after the custody complaint is filed.

The first step in the process is an Initial Custody Conference, which generally occurs within 30-45 days following the filing of a Complaint for Custody, Partial Custody, or Visitation of a minor child.