Mediation makes civil cases a little less painful

Discussion

October 17, 2006

Vanessa Fultz, Democrat Reporter The Suwannee Democrat Tue Oct 17, 2006, 04:36 PM EDT

During mediation week, Oct. 15-22, county court mediators want to educate the public about the mediation program in Suwannee County.

Mediation is an alternative to litigation used to resolve disputes in civil cases. Those involved in a dispute sit down with a mediator who tries to get both parties to resolve the matter and come to an agreement. Time and money are saved in the process.

There are about eight county court mediators for Suwannee County. The court system has other mediators for the various branches of court.

Judge William R. Slaughter II hears all the county court mediation cases.

There's a mandatory mediation for small claims cases in Suwannee County.

Slaughter said of the 60 cases going through the courts each month, 50 percent are resolved by default. Of the other 50 percent, 92 percent are resolved through mediation. If one party does not show up on the court date, the other party wins by default.

According to the Florida Dispute Resolution Center, 70 percent of cases are resolved through mediation state-wide.

Instead of trying 30 cases a month, this cuts the cases Slaughter tries down to about four per month.

Slaughter said small claims cases take an average of 42 minutes each to resolve.

In small claims court, participants can go in without a lawyer and get the dispute resolved fairly quickly, but without mediation, the process would not be quick at all, he said.

"If I had to try 30 cases each month there would be a huge backlog. The mediation process saves the court time and litigates time," he said.

It also gives those involved more control over the outcome of the trial because they would be coming to an agreement instead of having a verdict crammed down their throats, he said.

Mediators take a 20 hour course to become certified by the Florida Supreme Court to serve. Mediators are typically paid for their services, but some do volunteer.

Hal and Janet Airth established the mediation program in Suwannee County in 1995 and serve as volunteer mediators. The program was the first county court mediation program to be established in the Third Judicial Circuit.

"We do this as a service to the community and certainly to the court by keeping so many cases out of court. It makes the judge very happy," said Janet Airth.

As a part of mediation week, the public is invited to a reception Oct. 19 at 4 p.m. in the main court room at the Suwannee County Courthouse.

Vanessa Fultz may be reached by calling 1-386-362-1734 ext. 130 or by emailing vanessa.fultz@gaflnews.com.

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