HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrder of Court and Directive for Conciliation
IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF THE 39TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT
PENNSYLVANIA— FRANKLIN/ FULTON COUNTY BRANCH
__________________, : Civil Action
Plaintiff :
: No.
vs. :
: In Custody
__________________, :
Defendant : Judge:
ORDER OF COURT AND DIRECTIVE FOR CONCILIATION
NOW, this _____ day of ___________, 20 ______ , this Order will notify __________________ ,
Defendant, that you have been sued in Court to obtain custody of the child(ren): ____________________
______________________, date(s) of birth_________________________________________________.
It is ordered and directed that____________________________, Esquire, the Court's Child
Custody Conciliation Officer, is hereby directed to conduct a Conciliation Conference on
________________________,20 ______ at ____ o'clock __ .M at the Assigned Room, Third Floor,
Franklin County Courthouse, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. The anticipated length of the Conciliation
Conference is one (1) hour. The parties along with their legal counsel shall appear in person at the
designated time for the Conciliation Conference. A memorandum shall be furnished to the Conciliator at
least three (3) days prior to the scheduled Conciliation Conference pursuant to 39th Judicial District Civil
Rule No. 1915.3(e)(5).
Failure to provide said memorandum may result in the imposition of sanctions. At the
Conciliation Conference, an effort will be made to see if the issues can be resolved by an agreement
between the parties. If an agreement cannot be reached, the Conciliator will assist in defining and
narrowing the issues to reduce the time required for hearing by the Court. At the conclusion of the
conference, the Conciliator will prepare a Conference Summary Report for further action by the Court.
You have the right to be represented by an attorney who may attend the Conciliation Conference
with you. If you have not secured an attorney by the date of the scheduled Conciliation Conference, you
shall nonetheless personally appear at the time scheduled for the Conciliation Conference without an
attorney.
The Plaintiff has deposited the required conciliator’s fee with the Prothonotary for the cost of the
Conciliation Conference and the Court reserves the right to further assign or divide these costs.
____________________________________, Defendant, is notified that if you fail to appear as provided
by this Order, an Order of Court for Custody, partial custody or visitation may be entered against you or
the court may issue a warrant for your arrest.
Pending the hearing, with emphasis placed on the arrangements for the six (6) months preceding
the filing of this Complaint and with particular attention paid to the role of primary caretaker, the Court
hereby establishes the following temporary Order for custody pending a hearing:
[The appropriate language should be inserted at this point detailing the custody arrangements
sought by the Plaintiff keeping in mind the emphasis to be place upon the prior six (6) months and the
role of primary caretaker. It is suggested one (1) inch of blank space be left for judge’s comments or
changes to the proposed Order.]
You must file with the Court a Criminal Record/ Abuse History Verification regarding you and
anyone living in your household on or before the presentation scheduled on ______________________,
but no later than thirty (30) days after the date of service of the Complaint or Petition for Modification.
No party shall be permitted to relocate the residence of the child/ren to significantly impair the
ability of another person to exercise custody UNLESS every individual who has custody rights to the
child/ren consents to the proposed relocation OR the Court approves the proposed relocation. A person
proposing to relocate MUST comply with the notice requirements pursuant to 23 Pa.C.S.A. Section
5337(c).
Defendant is hereby notified that if (s)he disputes the Plaintiff's averments regarding the current
status of the custody arrangements and this Order is entered on the basis of those averments, (s)he has the
right to request a prompt conference with the Court. If the matter of the temporary custody arrangements
is not resolved at the Conference, the Court may in atypical factual situations and at its sole discretion
schedule a brief hearing limited to the issues of determining temporary custody arrangements pending the
scheduled Conciliation Conference.
The parties and their legal counsel, if applicable, are hereby directed to engage in meaningful
negotiations to resolve this matter before the Conciliation Conference.
This Order shall become a final appealable order 181 days after the date of filing of the
attached Complaint/Petition, that is, on ____________________________ [fill in date 181 days after
the date of filing of the complaint/petition], unless prior to that date (1) a party files a praecipe,
motion or request for a trial, or (2) there is filed a final intervening order.
YOU SHOULD TAKE THIS PAPER TO YOUR LAWYER AT ONCE. IF YOU DO NOT
HAVE A LAWYER, GO TO OR TELEPHONE THE OFFICE SET FORTH BELOW. THIS
OFFICE CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH INFORMATION ABOUT HIRING A LAWYER. IF YOU
CANNOT AFFORD TO HIRE A LAWYER, THIS OFFICE MAY BE ABLE TO PROVIDE YOU
WITH INFORMATION ABOUT AGENCIES THAT MAY OFFER LEGAL SERVICES TO
ELIGIBLE PERSONS AT A REDUCED FEE OR NO FEE.
Pennsylvania Bar Association
Lawyer Referral Service
1-800-692-7375 (PA ONLY) or 1-717-238-6715
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT OF 1990
The Court of Common Pleas of Franklin County is required by law to comply with the Americans
with Disabilities Act of 1990. For information about accessible facilities and reasonable accommodations
available to disabled individuals having business before the court, please contact our office. All
arrangements must be made at least 72 hours prior to any hearing or business before the court.
By the Court,
________________________
J.