Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 37, September 14, 2024
Section 495a.4 - Execution of documents(a)Signature. Except as may be otherwise ordered or requested by the Board, the original and all copies of a pleading, or other documents shall be signed in ink by the party in interest, or by his attorney, as required by subsection (b), and show the office and post office address of the party or attorney.(b)Subscription.(1) A pleading or other document filed with the Board shall be subscribed by one of the following:(i) The persons filing the documents.(ii) An officer if it is a corporation, trust, association or other organized group.(iii) An officer or authorized employee thereof if it is another agency, a political subdivision, or other governmental authority, agency or instrumentality.(iv) An attorney authorized to subscribe on behalf of the client.(2) A document filed by a corporation, trust, association or other organized group, may be required to be supplemented by appropriate evidence of the authority of the officer or attorney subscribing the documents.(c)Effect. (1) The signature of the person subscribing a document filed with the Board constitutes a certificate by the individual that: (i) The person has read the document being subscribed and filed, and knows the contents thereof.(ii) The document has been subscribed and executed in the capacity specified upon the document with full power and authority to do so, if executed in a representative capacity.(iii) The document is well grounded in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification or reversal of existing law, to the best of the person's knowledge, information and belief formed after reasonable inquiry.(iv) The document is not interposed for an improper purpose, such as to harass or to cause unnecessary delay or needless increase in the cost of litigation.(2) If a document is signed in violation of this subsection, the Board, upon motion or upon its own initiative, may impose upon the person who signed it, a represented party, or both, an appropriate sanction, which may include striking the document, dismissal of the proceeding or the imposition of civil penalties under 4 Pa.C.S. § 1518 (relating to prohibited acts; penalties).(d)Supersession. Subsections (a)-(c) supersede 1 Pa. Code §33.11 (relating to execution).