The Honorable Arnold New will be reassigned as a Coordinating Judge of the Complex Litigation Center. Judge New is an experienced and respected member of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, having served on the bench for more than 20 years. He currently administers another of the Court’s innovative programs, the Commerce Program. To ensure a smooth transition, Regulation No. 2012-01 provides that Judge New will act as Co-Coordinating Judge of the Complex Litigation Center, sitting in tandem with the Honorable Sandra Mazer Moss. Judge Moss will assume senior status as of December 31, 2012, at which time Judge New will thereupon serve as the sole Coordinating Judge of the Complex Litigation Center and its Mass Tort Program.

The order advises that the court will entertain additional suggestions from the bar, and will open a comment period in November, 2012, to allow interested parties the opportunity to address the new procedures and to suggest any further changes that may be needed.

There is little doubt that this court’s Complex Litigation Center faces a daunting task in handling a large number of cases involving complex and sophisticated claims and defenses, while seeking to resolve them both fairly and efficiently.  Time will tell,  but the new procedures ordered by Judge Herron should improve the functioning of the Complex Litigation Center, and the ongoing process of review and comment invited by the order will allow interested parties the opportunity to see that the Center keeps moving in the right direction.