Q: Where is State Court In Pennsylvania?
I’m trying to learn about Jurisdiction and Venue . If you could help me that would be great. Thank you
A:
State courts in Pennsylvania are located in the county seat of a county.
“Jurisdiction” pertains to the power of a particular court to exercise control over a particular defendant. Ordinarily, the first question is whether a defendant resides in the same county where suit has been filed. Often, the second question is whether, if the defendant does not reside within the same county where suit has been filed, and if the case is an accident case, if the accident occurred in the state of Pennsylvania. If so, any Pennsylvania court has jurisdiction, that is, the ability to accept the case.
“Venue,” the second prong of your question, pertains to convenience. Thus, in the second example I gave you, if an accident happened in Lehigh County, and a defendant lived in Northampton County, the venue rules say that, although a court in Pittsburgh could exercise jurisdiction, it would be unfair for a court in Pittsburgh to handle the case because it would be so inconvenient for everyone.
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