(a) Prohibition.--The department or a support enforcement agency may not be required to pay a filing fee or other costs.
(b) Obligor.--If an obligee prevails, a responding tribunal may assess against an obligor filing fees, reasonable attorney fees, other costs and necessary travel and other reasonable expenses incurred by the obligee and the obligee's witnesses. The tribunal may not assess fees, costs or expenses against the department or against the support enforcement agency of either the initiating county or the responding county except as provided by other law. Attorney fees may be taxed as costs and may be ordered paid directly to the attorney, who may enforce the order in the attorney's own name. Payment of support owed to the obligee has priority over fees, costs and expenses.
(c) Dilatory actions.--Except as provided in subsection (a), the tribunal shall order the payment of costs and reasonable attorney fees if it determines that a hearing was requested primarily for delay. In a proceeding under Chapter 76 (relating to enforcement and modification of support order after registration), a hearing is presumed to have been requested primarily for delay if a registered support order is confirmed or enforced without change.
Structure Pennsylvania Consolidated & Unconsolidated Statutes
Pennsylvania Consolidated & Unconsolidated Statutes
Chapter 83 - Civil Provisions of General Application
Section 8301 - Proceedings under this part
Section 8302 - Action by minor parent
Section 8303 - Duties of initiating tribunal
Section 8304 - Duties and powers of responding tribunal
Section 8305 - Inappropriate tribunal
Section 8306 - Duties of support enforcement agency
Section 8307 - Supervisory duty
Section 8308 - Private counsel
Section 8309 - Nondisclosure of information in exceptional circumstances
Section 8310 - Nonparentage not a defense
Section 8311 - Special rules of evidence and procedure