HomeMy WebLinkAbout39-1920. 3. Commencement of Action. Divorce
Adopted by Order of Court dated December 7, 1993
Published at 23 Pa. Bull. (December 25, 1993)
Amended by Order of Court dated February 12, 1996
Published at 26 Pa. Bull. 865 (March 2, 1996)
Amended by Order of Court Dated December 5, 1996
Published at 26 Pa. Bull. 6072 (December 21, 1996)
Amended by Order of Court dated May 20, 1998
Published at 28 Pa. Bull. 2685 (June 13, 1998)
Rule 39-1920.3. Commencement of the Action. [Divorce]
(a) In addition to all filing fees now or hereafter required to be deposited at the time a complaint
in divorce is filed, a standing master/transcription assessment in the amount of $55.00 shall be deposited
commencing April 1, 1996.
(b) The prothonotary shall on or before the final working day of each week following a receipt
of standing master/transcription fees transmit the same to the Controller of Franklin County or the
Treasurer of Fulton County for deposit in a separate account identified as the Standing
Master/Transcription Account.
(c) All parties to a divorce action with children under the age of eighteen shall attend the
Education Program for Divorcing Parents. The program is a four-hour educational seminar which has
been established by the Court to provide guidance to parents in helping their children adjust to the
consequences of divorce. The procedures of the Program are as follows:
(1) Simultaneously with the filing of the a Divorce Complaint, the moving party must file
the vital statistics sheet along with two addressed envelopes for both parties who will then be notified by
the Court establishing the program. A separate statement shall be filed with each Divorce Complaint
listing the names, addresses and telephone numbers of the parties and the names and ages of all children
under eighteen (18).
(2) Attendance at the seminar is mandatory and can only be waived for compelling reasons
after presentation of a request to the Court.
(3) Within ten days of the notification of the Program as provided in paragraph 1 above, the
parties are required to register by using the preprinted registration form contained in the Educational
Program for Divorcing Parents brochure. The Program shall be successfully completed by both parties
within ninety days of the filing of the Complaint.
(4) A fee shall be assessed against each individual attending the seminar with said fee to be
set on a regular basis by the Court. The fee must be paid and mailed in advance of the seminar along with
the completed registration form to the address listed in the brochure. Any requests for a waiver or a
reduction of the fee with proof of hardship must be presented to the Program Administration as instructed
in the brochure.
(5) FAILURE TO REGISTER AND COMPLETE THE PROGRAM WILL BE BROUGHT
TO THE ATTENTION OF THE COURT AND MAY RESULT IN FINDING OF CONTEMPT WITH
THE IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS INCLUDING A FINE AND/OR IMPRISONMENT.
(6) Upon successful completion of the Program, the Program Administrator will provide a
certificate directly to the Prothonotary's Office verifying the parties participation in the course.