Rule 1303A - Arbitration Hearings-Notice(1) Arbitration hearings shall be conducted at the Beaver County Courthouse pursuant to assignment by the Court Administrator. Prior to the commencement of the hearing, the Prothonotary shall administer the oath of office in the form mandated by Pa.R.C.P. 1312, to each arbitrator and deliver the file to the Chair.(2) Counsel will only be permitted to participate in the arbitration hearing if they have filed an Entry of Appearance with the Prothonotary's Office. Note: Coverage counsel/local counsel is encouraged to enter their appearance as ''co-counsel'' so that out-of-county counsel will continue to receive notices from the Court.
(3) If a party believes a case will require over an hour for presentation, then at least thirty (30) calendar days prior to the arbitration hearing that party should present a motion to the Civil Motion's Judge requesting more time for arbitration. In its discretion, the Court may schedule any cases which require more time for a non-jury trial. The Board of Arbitrators shall have discretion to allow expansion of or to limit the time for the presentation of a case.(4) Every Complaint filed initially in Compulsory Arbitration, whether filed by a plaintiff against a defendant or by a defendant against an additional defendant, shall contain a Notice of Duty to Appear at Arbitration Hearing (FORM 1303) following the Notice to Defend which is required by Pa.R.C.P. 1018.1(b).(5) For any case which is not filed initially in Compulsory Arbitration, including but not limited to, appeals from a civil judgment of a Magisterial District Court and cases which are transferred or assigned to arbitration by Order of Court, or for those cases where FORM 1303 was not included in the Complaint as required by LR1303A(d), any party seeking a claim for money damages shall file with the Prothonotary and serve on all other parties not less than sixty (60) days prior to the scheduled arbitration hearing, a Notice of Duty to Appear at Arbitration Hearing (FORM 1303). Amended effective 3/1/2024 Failure of a party seeking a claim for money damages to comply with Rule LR1303A(d) or (e) would result in that party being barred from proceeding with a non-jury trial in lieu of an arbitration as provided in LR1303B.