Luzerne County Courthouse

Luzerne County Courthouse

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WILKES-BARRE — With Luzerne County President Judge Michael T. Vough’s order of the closure of the courthouse set to expire on Monday, Vough issued a further order on Thursday explaining exactly how the reopening will go.

The county court system has been closed since last week after three workers tested positive for COVID-19 — two sheriff deputies and county Judge William H. Amesbury.

Vough’s Thursday order sets in place general practices for the reopening.

As before, face masks will be required by everyone inside the county court buildings, and litigants, counsel and witnesses are required to appear at the courthouse at least 10 minutes before their scheduled court appearance. Similarly, communication technology will be required to be used at all times when it is “possible and practical.”

Motions hours for civil proceedings will begin as usual on Aug. 3, occurring between 8:30 and 9:15 a.m.

As for orphans court, motions hours will begin again on Aug. 4, occurring on Tuesdays between 12:30 and 1:15 p.m. and Thursdays between 8:30 and 9:15 a.m.

In criminal court, DUI proceedings will begin again on Aug. 3, while specialty and treatment court will begin again on Aug. 7. Juvenile delinquency proceedings will take place at the Penn Place Building located on Pennsylvania Boulevard in Wilkes-Barre.

Protection from abuse hearings will resume on Aug. 4.

All jury trials, both criminal and civil, have been pushed until Sept. 8, with the jury selection process set to resume on Aug. 24.

Family court motions requesting a custody conference should be emailed to Sharon Mudlock at [email protected], while those requesting special relief or contempt should be emailed to Nancy Biscontini at [email protected].

Those filing motions in family court pro se without access to email will be able to make such filings on Thursdays from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Bernard C. Brominski Building on West North Street in Wilkes-Barre.

Magisterial district courts will also reopen on Aug. 3, with no one other than the litigants, counsel and witnesses will be permitted to attend a hearing. A maximum of only fie cases, either criminal or civil, will be scheduled before a magistrate in any given hour.

Government buildings

Public access to county government buildings also will resume Monday, although county Manager C. David Pedri encouraged continued use of services by mail or online and said some of the workforce will still be working remotely.

“There are only specific reasons why citizens should have to come to the courthouse or other buildings,” Pedri said.

The county will resume no-contact temperature checks at entrances and continue limiting the number of people permitted inside, he said. A tent remains outside the courthouse for overflow visitors to wait, he said.

Pedri said he has not received any updates of additional confirmed cases among the workforce. The county will provide employees with revised procedures on actions that must be taken if they become sick or are returning to work after quarantining, he said.

Reach Patrick Kernan

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