New Family Court building gets ribbon-cutting

Following years of drama, litigation, and scandal, the ribbon was officially cut Thursday on the new $122.3 million Family Court building at 15th and Arch Streets.

Speakers included a who's who among Philadelphia and state court officials, many of whom were inside the marble-laden lobby for the first time, including former Gov. Ed Rendell; Kevin M. Dougherty, administrative judge; and Ronald D. Castille, chief justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

"What they get will be equal to what they see here," Castille said. "Here, sad, tragic cases will be dealt with dignity and efficiency."

Combining all Family Court cases under a single roof, the 15-floor building is a sizable upgrade over the cramped and overused courthouses at 34 S. 11th St. and 1801 Vine St., which often had lines of families spilling onto the streets.

"Every day, our job is to unite families as best we can," Dougherty said. "Today, we're uniting the entire courthouse for the first time in a long time."

The 544,000-square-foot site includes a second-floor holding and processing area, nine floors of administrative offices and judges' chambers, a staff training facility, and 29 courtrooms.

Supervising Judge Margaret T. Murphy said the dilapidated former sites were giving families a negative impression. "This is to send the impression that family courts matter, family issues matter, and we intend to create a safe haven where we can address their needs," Murphy said.

Initially given a $200 million budget, the project to build a modern courthouse was scheduled to be completed last year. But a 2010 Inquirer report disclosed that Philadelphia lawyer Jeffrey B. Rotwitt had been working both sides of the deal.

Rotwitt was hired to secure the court site in 2006 by Sandra Schultz Newman, a state Supreme Court justice and liaison to the Philadelphia courts. In 2007, Newman retired from the court and was succeeded as liaison by Castille, a former Philadelphia district attorney.

Castille terminated the deal three years later, after the newspaper reported that Rotwitt had arranged a 50/50 partnership with developer Donald W. Pulver and was charging excessive fees to the state.

Rotwitt was subsequently fired by his firm, Obermayer, Rebmann, Maxwell & Hippel, where he had been a top associate for 35 years.

In 2011, Castille sued Rotwitt and Obermayer Rebmann, claiming he had been duped and had expected nothing short of absolute loyalty from Rotwitt.

Obermayer paid $2 million to the courts after a settlement was reached in 2012, with another $2 million paid by the firm's insurer. Both payments went toward the budget of the new building. Rotwitt agreed to the settlement but did not have to pay any money.

"We've had problems along the way," Castille said Thursday. "I'm not going to rehash them."

The court will begin hearing cases in the new building Nov. 17.