Rule 2207.Actions arising under foreign law.

A death that gives rise to a claim under another jurisdiction’s law may still be litigated in Pennsylvania. When such an action is brought here to enforce rights arising under the laws of some other jurisdiction, it must be brought by the person authorized to bring it by the law of the jurisdiction where the cause of action arose.

The rule fits the chapter’s split definition. Under Rule 2201, Rules 2202, 2203 and 2206 reach only actions arising under Pennsylvania law, so Rule 2202’s choice of the personal representative, and its six-month fallback to a trustee ad litem, does not decide who sues on a foreign claim; this rule defers to the foreign law. But Rules 2204 and 2205 apply to actions under the laws of any jurisdiction, so the complaint must still name the persons entitled to damages and the plaintiff must notify them.

The Official Note dates the rule to its adoption on February 14, 1939, effective September 4, 1939, with an amendment on April 18, 1975.