Rule 1910.12. Office Conference. Hearing. Record. Exceptions. Order

(a) Office Conference . There shall be an office conference as provided by Pa.R.Civ.P. 1910.11(a)—(d). The provisions of Pa.R.Civ.P. 1910.11(d)(3) and (d)(4) regarding income information apply in cases proceeding pursuant to Pa.R.Civ.P. 1910.12.

(b) Conference Conclusion.

(1) At the conclusion of a conference attended by both parties, if an agreement for support has not been reached, and the conference and hearing are not scheduled on the same day, the court, without hearing the parties, shall enter an interim order calculated in accordance with the guidelines and substantially in the form set forth in Pa.R.Civ.P. 1910.27(e), and the parties shall be given notice of the date, time and place of a hearing. A record hearing shall be conducted by a hearing officer who shall be an attorney.

(2) If either party, having been properly served, fails to attend the conference, the court may enter an interim default order calculated in accordance with the guidelines and substantially in the form set forth in Pa.R.Civ.P. 1910.27(e). Within 20 days after the date of receipt or the date of mailing of the interim default order, whichever occurs first, either party may demand a hearing before a hearing officer. If no hearing is requested, the order shall become final.

(3) Any attorney serving as a hearing officer employed by, or under contract with, a judicial district or appointed by the court shall not practice family law before a conference officer, hearing officer, or judge of the same judicial district.

(c) Separate Listing.

(1) Except as provided in subdivision (c)(2), promptly after the conference’s conclusion, a party may move the court for a separate listing of the hearing if:

(i) there are complex questions of law, fact or both;

(ii) the hearing will be protracted; or

(iii) the orderly administration of justice requires that the hearing be listed separately.

(2) When the conference and hearing are scheduled on the same day, all requests for separate listing shall be presented to the court at least seven days prior to the scheduled court date.

(3) If the motion for separate listing is granted, discovery shall be available in accordance with Pa.R.Civ.P. 4001 et seq.

(d) Hearing Officer Report . The hearing officer shall receive evidence, hear argument and, not later than 20 days after the close of the record, file with the court a report containing a recommendation with respect to the entry of an order of support. The report may be in narrative form stating the reasons for the recommendation and shall include a proposed order substantially in the form set forth in Rule 1910.27(e) stating:

(1) the amount of support calculated in accordance with the guidelines;

(2) by and for whom it shall be paid; and

(3) the effective date of the order.

(e) Interim Order . The court, without hearing the parties, shall enter an interim order consistent with the proposed order of the hearing officer. Each party shall be provided, either in person at the time of the hearing or by mail, with a copy of the interim order and written notice that any party may, within 20 days after the date of receipt or the date of mailing of the order, whichever occurs first, file with the domestic relations section written exceptions to the report of the hearing officer and interim order.

(f) Exceptions to Report . Within 20 days after the date of receipt or the date of mailing of the report by the hearing officer, whichever occurs first, any party may file exceptions to the report or any part thereof, to rulings on objections to evidence, to statements or findings of facts, to conclusions of law, or to any other matters occurring during the hearing. Each exception shall set forth a separate objection precisely and without discussion. Matters not covered by exceptions are deemed waived unless, prior to entry of the final order, leave is granted to file exceptions raising those matters. If exceptions are filed, any other party may file exceptions within 20 days of the date of service of the original exceptions.

(g) No Exceptions Filed . If no exceptions are filed within the 20-day period, the interim order shall constitute a final order.

(h) Exceptions Filed . If exceptions are filed, the interim order shall continue in effect. The court shall hear argument on the exceptions and enter an appropriate final order substantially in the form set forth in Rule 1910.27(e) within 60 days from the date of the filing of exceptions to the interim order. No motion for post-trial relief may be filed to the final order.

Comment. Conference officers preside at office conferences under Pa.R.Civ.P. 1910.11. Hearing officers preside at hearings under Pa.R.Civ.P. 1910.12. The appointment of a hearing officer to hear actions in divorce or for annulment of marriage is authorized by Pa.R.Civ.P. 1920.51. Concerning subdivision (c)(3), the rule relating to discovery in domestic relations matters generally is Pa.R.Civ.P. 1930.5. Objections to the entry of an interim order consistent with the proposed order may be addressed pursuant to Pa.R.Civ.P. 1910.26.

Historical Commentary The following commentary is historical in nature and represents statements of the Committee at the time of rulemaking:

Explanatory Comment— 1995 Language is added to subdivision (b) to acknowledge that the conference and hearing can be held on the same day, and to provide for the immediate entry of an interim order in judicial districts where the hearing occurs at a later date. New subdivision (b)(2) permits entry of a guideline order after a conference which the defendant, though properly served, fails to attend. New subdivision (c)(2) is intended to prevent delays in the hearing of complex cases by requiring that requests for separate listing be made at least seven days in advance where the conference and hearing are scheduled the same day. In addition, the phrase ‘‘record hearing’’ in subdivision (a) replaces the reference to a ‘‘stenographic record’’ in recognition of the variety of means available to create a reliable record of support proceedings. Amended subdivision (e) allows an interim order to be entered and served on the parties at the conclusion of the hearing, rather than after the expiration of the exceptions period as was true under the old rule. In addition, the amended subdivision requires that the interim order include language advising the parties of their right to file exceptions within ten days of the date of the order. Support payments are due and owing under the interim order which continues in effect until the court enters a final order after considering the parties’ exceptions. Therefore, extension of the deadline for entering the final order by fifteen days does not prejudice the persons dependent upon payment of the support.

Explanatory Comment— 2006 The time for filing exceptions has been expanded from ten to twenty days. The purpose of this amendment is to provide ample opportunity for litigants and counsel to receive notice of the entry of the order, to assure Commonwealth-wide consistency in calculation of time for filing and to conform to applicable general civil procedural rules.