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### Abatement Or der filed June 7 , 2022

.

In The 

## Fourteenth Court of Appeals

____________ 

### NO. 14

- 22

- 00 236

- CV

____________ 

### CHASE MICHAEL RICHARD , Appellant

V.

CHASE LANGSTON WIATT , Appellee

On Appeal from the 333rd District C ourt

Harris County, Texas Tri al Court Cause No. 2017

- 51540

ABATEMENT ORDER

We have determined that this case is appropriate for referral to mediation, an alternative dispute resolution process. See Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code
§§ 154.021

— .073

. M ediatio n is a forum in which an impa rtial person, the mediator, facilitates communication between parties to promote reconciliation or

settlement. Id. § 154.023(a). Any communication relating to the subject matter of the appeal made by a participant in t he medi ation proceeding is confident ial. See
Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 154.053. After mediation, the parties shall advise the court whether the case settled, or whether any further negotiation efforts ar e planned.

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### The court ORDERS the appeal ABATED for a period of sixty days and

refe rs the underlying dispute to mediation. Any party may file a written objection

to this order with the clerk of this court within 10 days of the date of this order

. See Tex . Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 154.022. If this co urt fin ds that there is a

reasonable basis for the objection, the objection shall be sustained and the appeal

reinstated on this court’s active docket. See id.

The court ORDERS that the mediation be held with in 60 days of the date of

this order. The cour t ORDER S that all parties or their r epresentatives with full settlement authority shall attend the mediation process, with their counsel of

record. The court FURTHER ORDERS that within 48 hours of completion of the mediation, the parties shall advise the court i n writing whether the case se ttled.

If mediation fully resolves the issues in the case, the court ORDERS the parties to file a motion to dismiss the appeal, other dispositive motion, or a motion

for add itional time to file the dispositive motion, wi thin 10 days of the conclusion

of th e mediation

.

The court ORDERS the appellate timetable in this case suspended for 60 days from the date of this order.

The appeal is ABATED , treated as a closed case, and r emoved from this

court ’ s active docket for a pe riod of sixty days. The appeal will be reinstated on

this court ’ s active docket after sixty days. Any party may file a motion stating grounds for reinstating the appeal before the end of the sixty

- day period

. Any party may also file a motion to dismiss the app eal or other dispositive

moti on at any time. Any party may file a motion to extend the abatement period for completion of mediation or to finalize a settlement.

PER CURIAM

Panel Consists of Justices Zimmerer, Spain, and Poissant.

### 3 RULES FOR MEDI ATION

i. Definition of Mediation. Med iation is a process under which an impartial person, the mediator, facilitates communication between the parties to promote reconciliation, settlement or understanding amon g them. The mediator may suggest ways of resolv ing the disputes, but may not impose his own judgment on the issues for that of the parties.

ii. Agreement of Parties. Whenever the parties have agreed to mediation they shall be deemed to have made these rules, as amended and in effect as of the date of the submiss ion of the dispute, a part of their agreement to mediate.

iii. Consent to Mediator. The parties consent to the appointment of the individual named as mediator in their case. The Mediator shall act as an a dvocate for resolution and shall use his best ef

forts t o assist the parties in reach ing a mutually acceptable settlement.

iv. Conditions Precedent to Serving As Mediator. The mediator shall not serve as a mediator in any dispute in which he has any financial or personal interest in the result of the mediat ion. P rior to accepting an appointm ent, the Mediator shall disclose any circumstances likely to create a presumption of bias or prevent a prompt meeting with the parties. In the event that the parties disag ree as to whether the Mediator shall serve, the Mediato r shall not serve.

v. Authority of the Mediator. The Mediator does not have the authority to decide any issue for the parties, but will attempt to facilitate the voluntary resolution of the dispute by th e parties. The Mediator is authorized to conduc t joint and separate meetings with
t he parties and to offer suggestions to assist the parties achieve settlement. If necessary, the Mediator may also obtain expert advice concerning technical aspects of the dispute, provided that the parties agree and ass ume the expenses of obtaining such a dvice. Arrangements for obtaining such advice shall be made by the Mediator or the parties, as the Mediator shall determine.

vi. Commitment to Participate in Good Faith. Whil e no one is asked to commit to settle their case in adv ance of mediation, all partie s commit to participate in the proceedings in good faith with the intention to settle, if at all possible.

vii. Parties Responsible for Negotiating Their Own Settlement. The pa rties understand that the Mediator will not and cannot impose a settlement in their case and agree that they are responsible for negotiating a settlement acceptable to them. The Mediator, as an advocate for settlement, will use every effort to facilitate the negotiations of the parties. The Mediator d oes not warrant or represent that se ttlement will result from the mediation
process.

viii. Authority of Representatives. PARTY REPRESENTATIVES MUST HAVE AUTHORITY TO SETTLE AND ALL PERSONS NECESSARY TO THE DECISIO N TO SETTLE SHALL BE PRESENT. The names and add resses of such persons shall be comm unicated in writing to all parties and to the Mediator prior to the mediation.

ix. Time and Place of Mediation. The Mediator shall fix the time of each mediation session. The mediation shall be held at the office of the Me diator, or at any other convenient l ocation agreeable to the Mediator and the parties, as the Mediator shall

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determine.

x. Identification of Matters in Dispute. Prior to the first scheduled mediation session,

e ach party shall provide the Mediator with confid ential information in the form reque sted by the Mediator setting forth its position with regard to the issues that need to be resolved.

A t or before the first session, the parties will be expected to produce all information reasonably required for the Med iator t o understand the issues prese nted. The Mediator may require any party to supplement such information.

xi. Privacy. Mediation sessions are private. The parties and their representatives may attend media tion sessions. Other persons may attend only wi th the permission of the parties and with the consent of the Mediator.

xii. Confidentiality. Confidential information disclosed to a Mediator by the parties or by witnesses in the course of the mediation shall no t be divulged by the Mediator. All records, rep orts or other documents received by a mediator while serving in that capacity shall be confidential. The Mediator shall not be compelled to divulge such records or to testify in regard to the mediation in an y adversary proceeding or judicial forum. Any
p arty th at violates this agreement sh all pay all fees and expenses of the Mediator and other parties, including reasonable attorney's fees incurred in opposing the efforts to compel testimony or records from t he Mediator.

The parties shall maintain the co nfident iality of the mediation and s hall not relay on, or introduce as evidence in any arbitral, judicial, or other proceeding: a) views expressed or suggestions made by another party with respect to a possib le settlement of the dispute; b) admissions made by ano ther party in the course of t he mediation proceedings; c) proposals made or views expressed by the Mediator; or d) the fact that another party had or had not indicated willingness to accept a proposal for settlement made by the Mediator.

xiii. No Stenogra phic Re cord. There shall be no sten ographic record made of the mediation
process.

xiv. No Service of Process at or near the Site of the Mediation Session. No subpoenas, summons, complaints, citations, writs or o ther process may be served upon any person at

or near t he site of any mediation sess ion upon any person entering, attending or leaving the session.

xv. Termination of Mediation. The mediation shall be terminated: a) by the execution of a settlement agreement by the parties; b) by declaration of the Mediato r to th e effect that further efforts at mediation are no longer worthwhile; or c) after the completion of one full mediation session, by a written declaration of a party or parties to the effect that the medi ation proceedings are terminated.

xvi. Exclusion of L iabilit y. The Mediator is not a nec essary or proper party in judicial proceedings relating to the mediation. Neither Mediator nor any law firm employing Mediator shall be liable to any party for any act or omission in connection with any mediation conduc ted und er these rules.

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xvii. Interpretatio n and Application of Rules. The Mediator shall interpret and apply these rules.

xviii. Fees and Expenses. The Mediator's daily fee shall be agreed upon prior to mediation and sh all be paid in advance of each mediation day. T he expe nses of witnesses for either side shall be paid by the party producing such witnesses. All other expenses of the mediation, including fees and expenses of the Mediator, and the expenses of any witness and the cost of any proofs or expert advice pro duced a t the direct request of the M ediator, shall be borne equally by the parties unless they agree otherwise.

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### Fourteenth Court of Appeals

MEDIATORS REPORT

Date:

____________________________ Christop her A. Prine, Clerk 301 Fannin, Room 245 Housto n, TX 77002

Re: Appellate number:
Case style:

In compliance with this court’s order dated ________________________________, I conducted a mediation

proceeding in this case on ________________________ _____.
The mediation [ did / did not ] resul t in a [ full / partial ] resolu tion of the matters in dispute. To my

knowledge, further negotiation efforts [ are / are not ] planned.

The parties and mediator have agreed that the mediator shall be pa id as follows:

$_______________________ paid by

_______ _______________ $____________

___________ paid by ______________________ $_______________________ paid by ______________________ $_______________________ paid by ______________________

Mediator:
Addr ess:

Telephone

E

- Mail Address

Re turn immediately after mediat ion to: 14th Court of Appeals; 301 Fannin, Room 245, Houston, Texas 77002 (713) 274

- 2800