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Civil Court

Arbitration
Civil Court Division

Cases filed in which the amount in dispute is $50,000 or less and Magisterial District Judge appeals are submitted to compulsory arbitration. New case filings reported weekly are reviewed by the Civil Operations Officer. Early identification of arbitration cases provides for timely disposition of these matters. Arbitration cases are randomly assigned to one of the civil judges for monitoring of the case and handling of all motions and petitions.

Attorneys who wish to serve as an arbitrator must meet certain eligibility requirements. They must: be a member of the Bar of Lehigh County; have an office within Lehigh County, express a willingness to serve, and remain up-to-date on technology. Interested attorneys must submit their name to the District Court Administrator. Assignment to a permanent panel is with the approval of the Arbitration Supervisory Judge. Arbitrators are expected to complete their arbitration dates as scheduled – failure to serve on a panel within a year’s time may cause the arbitrator to be removed from serving.

The Arbitration Coordinator schedules cases for arbitration. Magisterial District Judge appeals are listed on the first available list 60 days after the appeal is taken. All other matters are listed for hearing no later than one year after the complaint is filed. All parties, including self-represented litigants, must follow all applicable Rules of Civil Procedure specifically pertaining to filing and service of the complaint.

A case may be scheduled for arbitration upon praecipe of any party. Counsel must serve the opposing side with a notice of intent to praecipe. If additional discovery is needed, the responding party must notify counsel within 20 days of the nature of discovery desired. The discovery must be completed within 120 days, after which a party may praecipe the case for arbitration. If no discovery is requested within 20 days, counsel may praecipe the case for arbitration.

Arbitration hearings are listed for 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on days assigned by the court and are held at the Office of the Bar Association of Lehigh County at 1114 Walnut Street, Allentown, PA.

A party moving for a continuance of an arbitration hearing shall complete and e-file an Application for Continuance form. The moving party must obtain the position of all other parties and obtain a date certain from Court administration prior to e-filing the Application for Continuance form. The Court will grant a continuance of an arbitration hearing only upon a demonstration of good cause. The Application for Continuance form can be found on the LCCPA website.

A party moving for permission to participate in an arbitration hearing by telephone or Zoom shall complete and e-file the Telephone or Zoom Participation Request form. The moving party must obtain the position of all other parties prior to e-filing the Telephone or Zoom Participation form. The Court will permit participation in an arbitration hearing by telephone or Zoom only upon a demonstration of good cause. The Telephone or Zoom Participation Request form can be found on the LCCPA website.

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