IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF NORTHAMPTON COUNTY COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
CIVIL DIVISION – LAW
IN RE: ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER 2019-4 ADOPTION OF LOCAL RULE OF JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION 4009 – COURT REPORTING AND TRANSCRIPTS – FEES AND PROCEDURES
No.: C-48-CV-2019-8723
ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER
AND NOW, this 17th day of September, 2019, it is ORDERED that Northampton County Local Rule of Judicial Administration 4009 is hereby ADOPTED, effective 30 days after publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
It is further ORDERED that the Court Administrator of Northampton County shall file: one (1) certified copy of the Order and Northampton County Rule of Judicial Administration 4009 with the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts; and two (2) certified copies with the Legislative Reference Bureau for publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. This Local Rule shall also be published on the Court’s website and incorporated into the complete set of Northampton County Local Rules.
BY THE COURT:
________________________
MICHAEL J. KOURY, JR.,
PRESIDENT JUDGE
Rule 4009. Court Reporting and Transcripts – Fees and Procedures
(A) Procedures for requesting a transcript:
(1) All requests for transcripts shall be set forth on the
standardized form, Request for Transcript or Copy Form,
available at
http://www.nccpa.org/forms/transcriptrequestform.pdf (2) For an ordinary transcript, the party requesting a full or
partial transcript of a trial or other court proceeding shall
deliver the original Request for Transcript Form to the
Office of the Court Administrator. Court Administration will,
thereafter, serve a copy of same upon the Court
Reporter(s) to whom the request applies.
(3) The Court Reporter shall prepare the transcript upon full
payment by the requesting party to the appropriate Court
Reporter care of the Office of Court Administration.
(4) The Court Reporter shall file the transcript and serve the
requesting party with a copy of the transcript upon
payment by the requesting party to the appropriate filing
office.
(5) If a party is requesting daily, expedited or same day
transcripts, or provisions for secure electronic feed, the
request for such transcripts or service shall be filed with
the appropriate filing office at least ten (10) days prior to
the scheduled proceeding. Copies of the written request
shall be delivered in accordance with subsection (2). Such
requests will be accommodated only upon approval of the
Presiding Judge and the Court Reporter.
(B) Economic hardship
(1) Pursuant to Pa.R.J.A. 4008(B), a request to waive or
reduce transcript fees shall be noted on the Request for
Transcript Form and include a fully completed In Forma
Pauperis Petition pursuant to Pennsylvania Rule of Civil
Procedure 240, even if IFP status was previously granted
on the case.
(2) Litigants who have been approved for representation by
North Penn Legal Services or have approved IFP are not
required to further prove economic hardship pursuant to
section (B)(1) above; however; they must attach to their
Request for Transcript Form a letter of certification from
North Penn Legal Services that the litigant meets financial
eligibility and that the matter is under appeal or that the
transcript being requested is necessary to advance the
current litigation.
(C) Fees – original transcript – requesting party
The fees payable for original transcripts and copies of
transcripts shall be as outlined in Pa.R.J.A. No. 4008.
(D) Fees – additional costs
The Presiding Judge may impose a reasonable surcharge in
cases such as mass tort, medical malpractice, or other unusually
complex litigation where there is a need for Court Reporters to
significantly expand their dictionary. Such surcharges are at the
discretion of the Presiding Judge.
(E) Fees – secure electronic feed
The Presiding Judge may impose a reasonable surcharge in cases
involving a secure electronic feed during the proceeding. Such
surcharge is at the discretion of the Presiding Judge.
(F) Payment of fees
All fees shall be made payable to the “County of Northampton”
and shall be delivered to the Office of Court Administration for
processing. No fees shall be paid directly to the Court Reporter
or Transcriptionist.
(G) Rule as exclusive method to obtain, reproduce, distribute, or copy
transcript of portion thereof
No person shall obtain, reproduce, distribute, or copy any
transcript or portion thereof except in accordance with this rule.