### IN THE TENTH COURT OF APPEALS No. 10
- 18
- 00285
- CV IN THE MATTER OF THE MARRIAGE OF SUSAN VANDUSEN AND R ICHARD KAIRIS

From the County Court at Law Walker County, Texas Trial Court No. D1716502

ORDER OF REFERRAL TO MEDIATION AND ASSIGNMENT OF ME DIATOR
The Legislature has provided for the resolution of disputes through alternative dispute res olution (ADR) procedures. See T EX
. C IV
. P RAC
. & R EM
. C ODE A NN
. §§ 154.001

- 154.073 (West 2011). The policy behind ADR is stated in the statute: “It is the policy of this state to encourage the peaceable resolution of disputes . . . and the early settleme nt of pending litigation through voluntary settlement procedures.” Id . § 154.002 (West 2011). Mediation is a form of ADR. Mediation is a mandatory but non

- binding settlement conference, conducted with the assistance of a mediator. Mediation is private , confidential, and privileged.In the Matter of the Marriage of Vandusen and Kairis Page 2

We find that this appeal is appropriate for mediation. See id. § 154.021(a) (West 2011); 10 TH T EX
. A PP
. (W ACO ) L OC . R. 9. The Court assigns the Honorable Rick Morris as the mediator. He can be contacted at the following address, telephone phone number, or email:
P

. O

. Box 1163 Salado, TX 76571 (254) 718

- 3388 rickmorris711@gmail.com or through his ADR Coordinator, Karen Morris at:
P

. O

. Box 11 63 Salado, TX 76571 (254) 554

- 1795 karenmorris710@gmail.com
Mediation must occur within 30 days after the date of this Order. No less than seven calendar days before the first scheduled mediation ses sion, each party must provide the mediator and all other parties with an information sheet setting forth the party’s positions about the issues that need to be resolved. At or before the first session, all parties must produce all information necessary fo r the mediator to understand the issues presented. The mediator may require any party to supplement the information required by this Order. Named parties must be present during the entire mediation process, and each party that is not a natural person must be represented by an employee, officer, agent, or representative with authority to bind the party to settlement.In the Matter of the Marriage of Vandusen and Kairis Page 3

Immediately after mediation, the mediator must advise this Court, in writing, only
that the case did or did not settle and the am ount of the mediator’s fee paid by each party. The mediator’s fees will be taxed as costs. Unless the mediator agrees to mediate without fee, the mediator must negotiate a reasonable fee with the parties, and the parties must each pay one

- half of the agr eed

- upon fee directly to the mediator. Failure or refusal to attend the entire mediation as scheduled may result in the imposition of sanctions, as permitted by law. Any objection to this Order must be filed with this Court and served upon all partie s within ten days after the date of this Order, or it is waived. We refer this appeal to mediation. The appeal and all appellate deadlines are suspended as of the date of this Order. The suspension of the appeal is automatically lifted when the media tor’s report to the Court is received. If the matter is not resolved at mediation, any deadline that began to run and had not expired by the date of this Order will begin anew as of the date the mediator’s report to the Court is received. Any document fi led by a party after the date of this Order and prior to the filing of the mediator’s report will be deemed filed on the same day, but after, the mediator’s report is received.

PER CURIAM Before Chief Justice Gray , Justice Davis , and Justice Neil l Order issued and filed March 6, 2019