Pennsylvania » 231 Pa. Code (R. Civ. P.) / CHAPTER 2050. INCAPACITATED PERSONS AS PARTIES
Pennsylvania Court Rules

Pa. R. Civ. P. 2053 (2026)

Guardian to Represent Incapacitated Person.

✓ current as of July 2026
Coverage note: this corpus holds the consolidated Pa.C.S. titles only. Unconsolidated P.S. statutes (UTPCPL 73 P.S. § 201-1, Liquor Code, wage payment laws) are not included; a miss here does not mean the statute does not exist. Check palegis.us.
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section PA-LEGpalegis.us CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

Rule 2053. Guardian to Represent Incapacitated Person.

 (a)  A plaintiff who is an incapacitated person shall be represented by a guardian or by a guardian ad litem who shall supervise and control the conduct of the action in the plaintiff’s behalf.

 (b)  A defendant who is an incapacitated person shall be represented by a guardian. If the defendant has no guardian, or if the guardian is not served with process in this Commonwealth and does not voluntarily appear in the action, the defendant shall be represented by a guardian ad litem. The guardian or guardian ad litem shall supervise and control the conduct of the action in the defendant’s behalf.

   Official Note

   See Rules 2056(a) and 2057, as to the procedure and effect of an action brought by an incapacitated plaintiff who is not represented by a guardian or a guardian ad litem.

Source

   The provisions of this Rule 2053 adopted June 2, 1941, effective February 2, 1942; amended April 18, 1975, effective immediately, 5 Pa.B. 1820; amended June 3, 1994, effective July 1, 1994, 24 Pa.B. 3019. Immediately preceding text appears at serial page (159492).