THE COURTS

Title 255—LOCAL COURT RULES

WASHINGTON COUNTY

Adoption of Local Civil Rule 1143—Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Notice; No. 2020-1

[50 Pa.B. 3308]
[Saturday, July 4, 2020]

Order

 And Now, this 10th day of June, 2020, it is hereby Ordered, Adjudged, and Decreed that the following Washington County Local Rule of Civil Procedure is hereby adopted, effective thirty (30) days after publication of this Order in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. The following rule is only being revised to reflect a change in location and time to be included in a required notice.

 This Order shall be processed in accordance with Pa.R.J.A. 103(d). The District Court Administrator is directed to do the following:

 1. Publish the local rules on the Court's website to be incorporated into the set of local rules on the website within thirty (30) days after the publication of the local rules in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.

 2. File one (1) copy of the local rules in the appropriate filing office(s) for public inspection and copying.

 3. Cause a copy hereof to be published in the Washington County Bar Journal once a week for two successive weeks at the expense of the County of Washington.

By the Court

KATHERINE B. EMERY, 
President Judge

Rule 1143. Commencement of Action. Residential Mortgage Foreclosure.

 (a) In all residential mortgage foreclosure actions, the complaint shall include a ''Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program Notice,'' in the format set forth below:

IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF
WASHINGTON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

CIVIL DIVISION

Plaintiff(s)	)
	)
vs.	)	No. ______
	)
Defendant(s).	)

MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE DIVERSION PROGRAM NOTICE

 You have been sued in court to foreclose upon the mortgage associated with your home.

 You are notified that you may seek a 90-day stay in this mortgage foreclosure action if you attend a free Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling session within 20 days of being served with the complaint in this action and this notice, and make application for the stay. The purpose of this stay is to permit you an opportunity to work with the lender/plaintiff to reach an agreement to settle this proceeding. The Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling sessions are held every Thursday at 10:00 a.m., at the Southwestern PA Legal Services' office located next to the Washington County Courthouse at 10 West Cherry Avenue, Washington, PA 15301.

 If you fail to appear for this free Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling session, you will not receive a 90-day stay of these proceedings and if you do not respond to the complaint, a default judgment may be entered.

 YOU SHOULD STRONGLY CONSIDER ATTENDING A FORECLOSURE MITIGATION COUNSELING SESSION. THESE SESSIONS WILL BE CONDUCTED BY A REPRESENTATIVE OF SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA LEGAL SERVICES. YOU MAY BE ABLE TO SEEK ASSISTANCE FROM A LEGAL PROFESSIONAL AT THE FORECLOSURE MITIGATION COUNSELING SESSION.

 IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS MATTER, YOU MAY HAVE THEM ADDRESSED AT THE FORECLOSURE MITIGATION COUNSELING SESSION, OR YOU MAY CONTACT SOUTHWESTERN PA LEGAL SERVICES AT:

10 WEST CHERRY AVENUE
WASHINGTON, PA 15301
724.225.6170
TOLL FREE: 1-800-846-0871

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT OF 1990

 The Court of Common Pleas of Washington County, Pennsylvania is required by law to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. For information about accessible facilities and reasonable accommodations available to disabled individuals having business before the Court, please contact our office. All arrangements must be made at least 72 hours prior to any hearing.

 (b) If the defendant completes the Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling session, the Court shall enter a 90-day stay upon application of the defendant.

 (c) At the expiration of the 90-day stay, the defendant shall have twenty (20) days in which to take action by entering a written appearance personally or by an attorney and filing in writing with the court his or her defenses or objections to the claims set forth against him or her; provided, however, that if the defendant is served outside the United States the defendant shall have sixty (60) days in which to respond.

[Pa.B. Doc. No. 20-845. Filed for public inspection July 2, 2020, 9:00 a.m.]

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