Friday, March 8, 2013
Page 3
Superior Court to Phase Out Its ADR Department
By a MetNews Staff Writer
The Los Angeles Superior Court will close it’s Alternate Dispute Resolution department, the latest victim of budget cuts, the court said yesterday.
“After more than 20 years of providing cost-saving options to litigants, the Court has determined that due to an extreme budget shortfall ADR will cease providing the services,” which will be phased out between now and June 28, the court said in a release.
Effective Monday, the court said it will stop accepting referrals to the party-select and random-select (pro bono) panels and for arbitrations, mediations, neutral evaluations and voluntary settlement conferences from civil, family, and probate courtrooms.
ADR offices in the Michael D. Antonovich Antelope Valley, Beverly Hills, Compton, El Monte, Inglewood, Long Beach, Norwalk, and San Pedro courthouses will close sometime next month. Offices in Chatsworth, Glendale, Pasadena, Pomona, Santa Monica, Torrance, and Van Nuys East will close sometime in May.
Also, ADR will stop providing mediators for small claims, unlawful detainer, and civil harassment calendars next month, and will discontinue its Daily Family Law Settlement Conference Programs at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in May.
The soon-to-disappear ADR program is the largest in the country, the court noted.
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