Rule 1703.Commencement of Action. Assignment to a Judge.

This rule starts a class action and puts it in one judge’s hands. The action may be commenced only by the filing of a complaint with the prothonotary — not by a writ of summons — which fits a proceeding whose class allegations must be set out from the start.

On filing, the case is assigned forthwith to a judge who is in charge of it for all purposes. Single-judge assignment recognizes that class actions demand sustained, consistent management of certification, notice, and settlement, which is hard to deliver if the case moves among judges.