Lycoming Court Issues New Civil RulesWill impact arbitrations; includes paper saving initiativeThe Lycoming County Rules of Civil Procedure were amended by an order issued on March 25, 2008. The amendments will have a significant impact on civil cases in Lycoming County. First, the arbitration limit was increased to the statutory limit of $50,000. The previous limit was $25,000. Thus, cases that a plaintiff believes has a value of under $50,000 will first be heard by a board of arbitration. The arbitrator's fees have also increased. Arbitrators will now receive $200 per case, with hours over 3 1/2 paid at the rate of $50 per hour. This is the first increase in the arbitrators' fees since 1997. The Court also has undertaken a "paper saving" initiative. The number of copies of pretrial statements and of briefs to be filed has been reduced to one. Also, documents may be produced with printing on both sides, thereby reducing the volume of paper to be used. The new rules will become effective 30 days after their publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. |