§5103. Transfer of erroneously filed matters.

(a) General rule.--If an appeal or other matter is taken to or brought in a court or magisterial district of this Commonwealth which does not have jurisdiction of the appeal or other matter, the court or magisterial district judge shall not quash such appeal or dismiss the matter, but shall transfer the record thereof to the proper tribunal of this Commonwealth, where the appeal or other matter shall be treated as if originally filed in the transferee tribunal on the date when the appeal or other matter was first filed in a court or magisterial district of this Commonwealth. A matter which is within the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or magisterial district judge of this Commonwealth but which is commenced in any other tribunal of this Commonwealth shall be transferred by the other tribunal to the proper court or magisterial district of this Commonwealth where it shall be treated as if originally filed in the transferee court or magisterial district of this Commonwealth on the date when first filed in the other tribunal.

(b) Federal cases.--

(1) Subsection (a) shall also apply to any matter transferred or remanded by any United States court for a district embracing any part of this Commonwealth. In order to preserve a claim under Chapter 55 (relating to limitation of time), a litigant who timely commences an action or proceeding in any United States court for a district embracing any part of this Commonwealth is not required to commence a protective action in a court or before a magisterial district judge of this Commonwealth. Where a matter is filed in any United States court for a district embracing any part of this Commonwealth and the matter is dismissed by the United States court for lack of jurisdiction, any litigant in the matter filed may transfer the matter to a court or magisterial district of this Commonwealth by complying with the transfer provisions set forth in paragraph (2).

(2) Except as otherwise prescribed by general rules, or by order of the United States court, such transfer may be effected by filing a certified transcript of the final judgment of the United States court and the related pleadings in a court or magisterial district of this Commonwealth. The pleadings shall have the same effect as under the practice in the United States court, but the transferee court or magisterial district judge may require that they be amended to conform to the practice in this Commonwealth. Section 5535(a)(2)(i) (relating to termination of prior matter) shall not be applicable to a matter transferred under this subsection.

(c) Interdivisional transfers.--If an appeal or other matter is taken to, brought in, or transferred to a division of a court to which such matter is not allocated by law, the court shall not quash such appeal or dismiss the matter, but shall transfer the record thereof to the proper division of the court, where the appeal or other matter shall be treated as if originally filed in the transferee division on the date first filed in a court or magisterial district.

(d) Definition.--As used in this section "tribunal" means a court or magisterial district judge or other judicial officer of this Commonwealth vested with the power to enter an order in a matter, the Board of Claims, the Board of Property, the Office of Administrator for Arbitration Panels for Health Care and any other similar agency.

(Apr. 28, 1978, P.L.202, No.53, eff. 60 days; Dec. 20, 1982, P.L.1409, No.326, eff. 60 days; Nov. 30, 2004, P.L.1618, No.207, eff. 60 days)

Notation

2004 Amendment.  Act 207 amended subsecs. (a), (b) and (d). See sections 28 and 29 of Act 207 in the appendix to this title for special provisions relating to applicability and construction of law.

Saved from Suspension.  Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure for District Justices No. 1082, as amended April 25, 1979, provided that section 5103(a) shall not be deemed suspended or affected. Rules 1001 through 1082 relate to appellate proceedings with respect to judgments and other decisions of district justices in civil matters. Act 207 of 2004 changed justices of the peace to magisterial district judges. Rule 1082 can now be found in the Rules of Conduct, Office Standards and Civil Procedure for Magisterial District Judges.

Cross References.  Section 5103 is referred to in sections 708, 5503 of this title.