1670 Local Rule 1920.51(a)--divorce and annulment: master's fee, power of master, stenographer's fee and filing costs; no. 1685 of 1996, G. D.

FAYETTE COUNTY

Local Rule 1920.51(a)--Divorce and Annulment:  Master's Fee, Power of Master, Stenographer's Fee and Filing Costs; No. 1685 of 1996, G.D.

[26 Pa.B. 4763]

Order

   And Now, this 13th day of September, 1996, it is hereby ordered that the above-stated Local Rule be as hereafter set forth. This amendment shall be effective 30 days after the publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.

   The Prothonotary of Fayette County is Ordered and Directed to do the following:

   (1)  File seven (7) certified copies of this Order and Amended Rule with the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.

   (2)  File two (2) certified copies of this Order and Amended Rule with the Legislative Reference Bureau for publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.

   (3)  File one (1) certified copy of this Order and Amended Rule with the Pennsylvania Civil Rules Committee.

   (4)  Forward one (1) copy for publication in the Fayette Legal Journal.

   (5)  Forward one (1) to the Fayette County Law Library.

   (6)  Keep continuously available for public inspection copies of this Order and Amended Rule.

   It is further Ordered that said rule as it existed prior to the amendment is hereby repealed and annulled on the effective date of said rule as amended, but no right acquired thereunder shall be disturbed.

By the Court

WILLIAM J. FRANKS,   
President Judge

Rule 1920.51(a). Divorce and Annulment:  Master's Fee, Power of Master, Stenographer's Fee and Filing Costs.

   (1)  Costs, including the master's fee, shall be paid prior to the time that a master is appointed. When a master is appointed, the master shall control the conduct of the hearing as in a trial by judge without a jury.

   (2)  The special master shall receive Fifty Dollars ($50.00) per hour for hearings, research and reports not to exceed Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00). The Court may upon petition by the special master increase the fee to compensate the special master for additional necessary services.

   (3)  The master in a divorce under Section 3301(a) or (b) of the Act shall receive One Hundred Fifty Dollars ($150.00) per case. However, in a case requiring lengthy hearings or involving unusual questions of law or fact, the Court may, upon petition of the master, increase the master's fee to compensate the master for additional necessary services.

   (4)  The stenographer shall be paid at the rate of Two Dollars and Twenty-five Cents ($2.25) per original page, and Thirty Cents (.30) per copy page for notes of testimony taken and transcribed by the stenographer in hearings held by the master in a divorce.

   (5)  In the event that a hearing is canceled, other than by the stenographer, the stenographer shall be paid an appearance fee of Seventy-five Dollars ($75.00).

   (6)  The filing costs for a case involving a special master shall be Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00).

   (7)  The filing costs for cases involving a divorce under Section 3301(a) or (b) of the Act shall be Two Hundred Twenty-five Dollars ($225.00).

[Pa.B. Doc. No. 96-1670. Filed for public inspection October 4, 1996, 9:00 a.m.]