{"data":{"id":"us-pa/42-pa.c.s.-7383","jurisdiction":"us-pa","citation":"42 Pa.C.S. § 7383","heading":"Powers and duties of arbitrator.","body":"(a) Fairness and expediency.--An arbitrator shall conduct an arbitration in a manner the arbitrator considers appropriate for a fair and expeditious disposition of the family law dispute.\n(b) Procedural due process.--An arbitrator shall provide each party a right to be heard, to present evidence material to the family law dispute and to cross-examine witnesses.\n(c) Powers.--Unless the parties otherwise agree in a record, an arbitrator may:\n(1) select the rules for conducting the arbitration;\n(2) hold a conference with the parties before a hearing;\n(3) determine the date, time and place of a hearing;\n(4) require a party to provide:\n(i) a copy of a relevant court order;\n(ii) information required to be disclosed in a family law proceeding under 23 Pa.C.S. (relating to domestic relations) and the applicable Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure; and\n(iii) a proposed award which addresses each issue in arbitration;\n(5) interview a child who is the subject of a child custody dispute;\n(6) appoint a private expert at the expense of the parties;\n(7) administer an oath or affirmation and issue a subpoena for the attendance of a witness or the production of documents and other evidence at a hearing;\n(8) permit and compel discovery concerning the family law dispute and determine the date, time and place of discovery;\n(9) determine the admissibility and weight of evidence;\n(10) permit deposition of a witness for use as evidence at a hearing;\n(11) for good cause, prohibit a party from disclosing information;\n(12) appoint an attorney, guardian ad litem or other representative for a child at the expense of the parties;\n(13) impose a procedure to protect a party or child from risk of harm, harassment or intimidation;\n(14) allocate arbitration fees, attorney fees, expert witness fees and other costs to the parties; and\n(15) impose a sanction on a party for bad faith or misconduct during the arbitration according to standards governing imposition of a sanction for litigant misconduct in a family law proceeding.\n(d) Ex-parte communications.--An arbitrator may not allow ex parte communication except to the extent allowed in a family law proceeding for communication with a judge.","path":["Title 42 - JUDICIARY AND JUDICIAL PROCEDURE","PART VII CIVIL ACTIONS AND PROCEEDINGS","CHAPTER 73 ARBITRATION","SUBCHAPTER D UNIFORM FAMILY LAW ARBITRATION"],"source_url":"https://www.palegis.us/statutes/consolidated/view-statute?txtType=HTM\u0026ttl=42\u0026div=0\u0026chpt=73\u0026sctn=83\u0026subsctn=0","current_through":"2026-08-03 (Statute Update stamp, 42 Pa.C.S.)","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-02T16:33:14Z","sha256":"888b84c1f19f82b1a7efeb2338ecaf1bf3dc13d52d3b72f370bd9a850efd9e62","source_id":"us-pa","stale":false,"prev":"us-pa/42-pa.c.s.-7382","next":"us-pa/42-pa.c.s.-7384"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}