Rule 218.Party not Ready When Case is Called for Trial.

Last amended July 30, 1998 · Last verified June 30, 2026

In one sentenceRule 218 governs what happens when a party is not ready as the case is called for trial: an unready plaintiff faces a nonsuit on the defendant’s motion or a non pros on the court’s own, an unready defendant lets the plaintiff proceed, and a no-show is treated as not ready without excuse.

Full Text of Rule 218

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(a) Where a case is called for trial, if without satisfactory excuse a plaintiff is not ready the court may enter a nonsuit on motion of the defendant or a non pros on the court’s own motion.

(b) If without satisfactory excuse a defendant is not ready, the plaintiff may

(1) proceed to trial, or,

(2) if the case called for trial is an appeal from compulsory arbitration, either proceed to trial or request the court to dismiss the appeal and reinstate the arbitration award.

End

Plain-English Summary

This rule penalizes a party who is not ready when the case is reached. If a plaintiff is not ready without satisfactory excuse, the court may enter a nonsuit on the defendant’s motion or a non pros on its own motion.

For an unready defendant, the plaintiff may proceed to trial; if the case is an appeal from compulsory arbitration, the plaintiff may instead ask the court to dismiss the appeal and reinstate the arbitration award. A party who fails to appear for trial is deemed not ready without satisfactory excuse.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if the plaintiff is not ready for trial?

Without a satisfactory excuse, the court may enter a nonsuit on the defendant’s motion or a non pros on its own motion.

What if a party just does not show up for trial?

A party who fails to appear is deemed to be not ready without satisfactory excuse, which exposes a plaintiff to nonsuit or non pros and lets the plaintiff proceed against an absent defendant.

Official Note

Official Note: See Rule 1007.1(c)(2) for withdrawal of demand for trial by jury when a party who has filed a demand therefor fails to appear or is not ready.

Official Note: The mere failure to appear for trial is a ground for the entry of a nonsuit or a judgment of nonpros or the reinstatement of a compulsory arbitration award. A nonsuit is subject to the filing of a motion under Rule 227.1(a)(3) for post-trial relief to remove the nonsuit and a judgment of non pros is subject to the filing of a petition under Rule 3051 for relief from a judgment of non pros. A decision of the court following a trial at which the defendant failed to appear is subject to the filing of a motion for post-trial relief which may include a request for a new trial on the ground of a satisfactory excuse for the defendant’s failure to appear.

Amendment History

The provisions of this Rule 218 amended April 23, 1985, effective July 1, 1985, 15 Pa.B. 1727; amended April 4, 1990, effective July 1, 1990, 20 Pa.B. 2279; amended March 1, 1993, effective July 1, 1993, 23 Pa.B. 1300; amended July 30, 1998, effective January 1, 1999, 28 Pa.B. 3930. Immediately preceding text appears at serial page (200238).

Source & verification. Rule text, the Official Note, and the amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Pennsylvania Code, Title 231, the official compilation of rules adopted by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Last verified June 30, 2026. · Official text

Also known as: not ready for trialnonsuitnon prosfailure to appear