Western District of Pennsylvania Introduces Pilot Program for Expedited Litigation

On August 30th, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania introduced a new Pilot Program designed  to expedite civil cases filed in that district.

Modeled loosely on the Northern District of California's program, the Pennsylvania District's Pilot Program is aimed at relatively simple civil cases, which do not require lengthy and expensive pretrial and trial proceedings. Accordingly, class action and patent cases are exempt from the Program.

The Program is voluntary and requires both parties' consent. Once both parties have agreed to submit their case to the Program, the case may not be withdrawn from the Program. The Program expedites cases by limiting motion practice and the parties' right to discovery, shortening certain phases of litigation, and with few exceptions, requiring the parties waive their right of appeal.