Court Opinion

ID: 9554411
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-08 20:09:21.879076+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:31:30.688734
License: Public Domain

CIVIL PROCEDURAL RULES COMMITTEE
                                  ADOPTION REPORT

                           Amendment of Pa.R.Civ.P. 230.2

      On August 8, 2023, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania adopted amendments to
Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 230.2. The Civil Procedural Rules Committee has
prepared this Adoption Report describing the rulemaking process. An Adoption Report
should not be confused with Comments to the rules. See Pa.R.J.A. 103, cmt. The
statements contained herein are those of the Committee, not the Court.

      On behalf of the Supreme Court, the Committee published for comment a
proposed amendment of Pa.R.Civ.P. 230.2 to make mandatory the scheduling of astatus
conference for all cases and to establish atimeline for timely disposition when astatement
of intention to proceed is returned following the issuance of a notice of proposed
termination. See 53 Pa.B. 1160 ( March 4, 2023).

      Pa.R.Civ.P. 230.2(a) provides that "[a]t least once a year, the court shall initiate
proceedings to terminate cases in which there has been no activity of record for two years
or more." Parties receiving anotice of termination may file anotice of intention to proceed,
which serves to preclude termination. The prior version of Pa.R.Civ.P. 230.2(h) provided
for discretionary court involvement following receipt of such notice: " Upon receipt of a
statement of intention to proceed, the court may schedule a status conference and
establish appropriate timelines to ensure a timely and efficient disposition of the case."
(emphasis added).

       This discretionary provision resulted in a practice, in some counties, in which the
parties file sequential notices to proceed without engaging in any other case-related
activity and without triggering further court involvement. Consequently, inactive civil
cases appeared to continue to languish on a court's docket. To encourage timely and
efficient disposition, the amendment of subdivision ( h) requires the court to schedule a
status conference and establish appropriate timelines to ensure a timely and efficient
disposition of the case when a statement of intention to proceed is returned to the court
for an inactive case.

       The Committee received no comments to publication and made no further
substantive changes to the published proposal. Notwithstanding, stylistic revisions to the
rule were also made.

       The amendments become effective immediately.