Rule 509 (Right-to-Know) Procedures
Pursuant to the Right –To-Know Law (Act 3 of 2008), a person may request records from a judicial agency. Judicial agencies include the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas, Magisterial District Courts and court departments and personnel. The records are limited to " financial records" which are defined under Pennsylvania Rule of Judicial Administration 509 as " any account, contract, invoice or equivalent dealing with: 1) the receipt or disbursement of funds appropriated to the system; or 2) acquisition, use or disposal of services, supplies, materials, equipment or property secured through funds appropriated to the system".
Information on contracts where the Court of Common Pleas is the signatory and is valued at $5,000.00 or more is made available to the public on the Unified Judicial System's website at http://www.pacourts.us/.
Filing a Request
Requests for financial records from any of the above entities must be submitted on a Rule 509 Request Form. Rule 509 Request Form for any of the above mentioned entities may be submitted by mail, E-mail, Fax, or by hand delivery:
By Mail: Address your request to: Gerald C. Montella, Esquire, District Court Administrator, Court Records Manager, 201 W. Front Street, Media, PA 19063
By Hand Delivery: Deliver your request in a sealed envelope to the Delaware County Courthouse, District Court Administrator's Office to: Gerald C. Montella, Esquire, District Court Administrator, Court Records Manager, 201 W. Front Street, Media, PA 19063
By Email: OpenRecordsCourts@co.delaware.pa.us
By Fax: 610-566-9128
Fees
You may be charged 25 cents per page plus actual mailing expenses for financial records unless the number of pages requested are four or less, in which case the department may decide to waive fees.
Processing Requests
Upon receipt of a request for records, the court records manager will time stamp the request and respond within ten (10) business days and respond in writing. This response time may be extended for up to thirty (30) days. Released records will be redacted pursuant to Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Court (AOPC) directive and or the RTKL. The Court is not required to create financial records which do not currently exist or to compile, maintain, format or organize records in a manner in which records are not currently compiled, maintained, formatted or organized.
Appeal
If the records manager or judicial agency denies a written request, the denial may be appealed in writing within fifteen (15) business days of the mailing date of the written response by the Court records manager or judicial agency, where applicable. There is no appeal form. The appeal must be drafted in paragraph format explaining the requested relief and making reference to the original request. You may forward a written appeal to:
Hon. Kathrynann W. Durham
Delaware County Court of Common Pleas
Delaware County Courthouse
201 West Front Street
Media, Pa. 19063
A copy shall be sent to:
District Court Administrator
c/o Court Records Manager
Delaware County Courthouse
201 West Front Street
Media, Pa. 19063
Pa. R.J.A. Rule 509 Request Form
Pa. R.J.A. Rule 509 Court Record Fee Schedule
President Judge Administrative Order – September 30, 2016