North Carolina Motion for an Order to Use Settlement Procedure Other Than Mediated Settlement Conference in Superior Court Civil Action

The parties will give the judge some background information about the case so that they can prepare to help resolve the disputed issues. The judge will meet with the attorneys for each side, who will present their positions.However, the judge cannot force the parties to agree to a settlement against their will.

A settlement conference is a meeting in which a judge or magistrate assigned to the case presides over the process.Settlement conferencing is similar to mediation in that a third party neutral assists the parties in exploring settlement options.

Since 1995, North Carolina has made mediation (i.e., mediated settlement conferences) mandatory in all Superior Court actions.Although mediation is less formal than a trial, it is still a legal proceeding guided by rules adopted by the North Carolina Supreme Court and the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission.

A settlement conference involves both parties sitting down with their attorneys all together at an office or neutral location to create a custody agreement and finalize it.

A mediation or settlement conference is an informal negotiation processyou will not testify under oath or present witnesses. Instead, you and the insurance company will discuss the claim and make settlement offers with the help of a trained, neutral third party (the mediator).

In general, voluntary settlement conferences are similar to mediations. During the conference, the officer will usually express an opinion about each position's merits, the likely outcome of trial, and the officer's projected settlement value for the case.

The parties will give the judge some background information about the case so that they can prepare to help resolve the disputed issues. The judge will meet with the attorneys for each side, who will present their positions.However, the judge cannot force the parties to agree to a settlement against their will.

Costs risk if you unreasonably refuse to mediate You should expect the court to impose costs sanctions if you ignore or unreasonably turn down an invitation to mediate or indeed if you fail to consider mediation at all.