Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 42, October 19, 2024
Rule 1116 - Answer to the Petition for Allowance of Appeal(a)General rule.-Except as otherwise prescribed by this rule, within 14 days after service of a petition for allowance of appeal an adverse party may file an answer. The answer shall be deemed filed on the date of mailing if first class, express, or priority United States Postal Service mail is utilized. The answer need not be set forth in numbered paragraphs in the manner of a pleading, shall set forth any procedural, substantive or other argument or ground why the order involved should not be reviewed by the Supreme Court, and shall comply with Pa.R.A.P. 1115(a)(8). No separate motion to dismiss a petition for allowance of appeal will be received. A party entitled to file an answer under this rule who does not intend to do so shall, within the time fixed by these rules for filing an answer, file a letter stating that an answer to the petition for allowance of appeal will not be filed. The failure to file an answer will not be construed as concurrence in the request for allowance of appeal.(b)Children's fast track appeals.-In a children's fast track appeal, within 10 days after service of a petition for allowance of appeal, an adverse party may file an answer.(c)Length.-An answer to a petition for allowance of appeal shall not exceed 9,000 words. An answer that does not exceed 20 pages when produced by a word processor or typewriter shall be deemed to meet the 9,000 word limit. In all other cases, the attorney or the unrepresented filing party shall include a certification that the answer complies with the word count limit. The certificate may be based on the word count of the word processing system used to prepare the answer.(d)Supplementary matter.-The cover of the answer, pages containing the table of contents, table of citations, proof of service, signature block, and anything appended to the answer shall not count against the word count limitations of this rule.(e)Certificate of compliance with Case Records Public Access Policy of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania.-An answer to a petition for allowance of appeal shall contain the certificate of compliance required by Pa.R.A.P. 127.The provisions of this Rule 1116 amended September 10, 2008, effective 12/1/2008, 38 Pa.B. 5257; amended January 13, 2009, effective as to all appeals filed 60 days or more after adoption, 39 Pa.B. 1094; amended December 30, 2014, effective in 60 days, 45 Pa.B. 288; amended January 5, 2018, effective 1/6/2018, 48 Pa.B. 461; amended June 1, 2018, effective 7/1/2018, 48 Pa.B. 3517; amended December 7, 2021, effective 4/1/2022, 51 Pa.B. 7857.