## In The

Court of Appeals

Sixth Appellate District of Texas at Texarkana

No. 06

- 13

- 00074

- CV

CIT PARTNERS, LLC, Appellant

V.

JOHNSON CAPITAL GROUP, INC., Appellee

On Appeal from the 159th District Court

Angelina County, Texas

Trial Court No. CV

- 00619

- 11

- 06

Before Morriss, C.J., Carter and Moseley, JJ.2 

### O RDER

All T e x a s c ou r ts ar e re s p onsible f or e n c ou r a g i n g t he p e ac e a ble re solution o f disput e s a nd

the e a r l y s e ttl e m e nt o f p e nding litig a tion th r o u g h volunt a r y s e ttl e m e nt p r o c e du re s. S e e T E X

. C I V

.

P R A C

. & R EM

. C ODE A N N

. §§ 154.002, 154.003 ( W e st 2011) ( public po l i c y fa vo r s a lt er n a tive

dispute re solution ) . M e d i a tion p r ovid e s one su c h f o r um th r o u g h whi c h p a r ti e s m a y ac hi e v e e a r l y

s e ttl e m e nt. S e e T E X

. C I V

. P R A C

. & R EM

. C O D E A NN

. § 154.023 ( W e st 2011 )

. W e h a v e b e e n

noti f i e d b y c oun s e l f o r b oth p ar ti e s to this a pp e a l th a t th e y b e li e ve m e di a tion m a y b e of v a lue in

this ca s e

. 1 I n a c c o r d with our ob l i g a tion und e r S ec tion 154.003, we refe r this ca se a nd the

p ar ti e s to m e di a tion. S e e T E X

. C I V

. P R A C

. & R E M

. C ODE A NN

. § 154.0 2 1 ( W e st 2011)

(detailing c o u r t ’ s ref e rra l a utho r i t y )

.

W e e n c lose a list of m e di a to r s 2 f or re v i e w b y c o uns e l and the parties. One pu rpose of

m e di a tion is to a bb re vi a te the l e n g th of the a pp e ll a t e p r o ce ss. A cc o r di n g l y

, within t e n d a y s of

t h e d a t e of this o r d er

, the parties sh a ll s ee k to a g r e e on one of th e se i ndividu a ls to act as

mediator, c ont ac t him o r h e r to p r o cee d with the m e di a tion, a nd imm e di a t e l y in f o r m this C ou r t

of th e ir c hos e n m e di a tor or of th e ir in a bili t y to a g re e on a m e di a tor ( in whi c h ca se we will

a ppoint on e)

. S e e T E X

. C I V

. P R A C

. & R E M

. C O D E A NN

. § 154.051 ( W e st 2011) (detailing

c ou r t ’ s a utho r i t y t o a ppoint m e di a to r)

. T h e p ar ti e s a nd m e d i a tor sh a ll arra n g e a d a te, time

, and

lo ca tion f or the m e di a tion, and the p ar ti e s a nd th e ir c ouns e l sh a ll a tt e nd and participate in the

dispute re solution p r o ce ss a t the time a nd on t he d a te s c h e dul e d.

1 S ee T E X

. C I V

. P R A C

. & R E M

. C OD E A NN

. § 154

. 02 2 (b ) ( W e s t 2011 ) (p a r ties m a y ob j ect to m e d iati o n r e f

e rr al )

.

2 E ach mediator on the list h as e x te n s i v e l e g al t r a i n i n g a n d e x p e r ie n ce e v i dencing t h e a b il it y to e x e c u te t h e d u ties o f

a m e d iat or

. S ee T E X

. C I V

. P R A C

. & R E M

. C OD E A NN

. § 154

. 05 2 ( c) ( W e s t 2 011)

.3 I f a p ar t y b e li e v e s a di f f

ere nt f o r m of a lt er n a tive dispute re solution oth e r th a n m e di a tion

would be mo r e a pp r o p r i a t e

, th a t p ar t y m a y

, within s e v e n d a y s of the date of this o r d er

, f ile a

motion s e e ki n g th a t f o r m of a lt er n a tive dispute re solution. S e e T E X. C I V. PR A C . & R E M

.

C ODE ANN. § 154.021 ( b )

.

A n y obj ec tion r e g ar di n g this o r d e r sh a ll be f il e d w ithin t e n ca l e nd a r d a y s of the d a te of

the o r d er

. The m e d i a tion sh a ll be c ompl e t e d b y no l a t e r th a n August 23 , 2013

. No l a t e r th a n

s e v e n ca l e nd a r d a y s f ollowing the m e di a tion, the p ar ti e s sh a ll d e liv e r a re po r t t o this Court

detailing the re sults of the m e di a t i on.

Fee s f or the m e d i a tion a r e to be a g r e e d on b y t h e p ar ti e s a nd the m e di a t or a nd sh a ll be

divid e d a nd bo r ne e qu a ll y b y the p ar ti e s unl e ss a g ree d ot h er wis e

. F ee s sh a ll be p a id b y the

p ar ti e s di r ec t l y to the m e di a to r

. Unl e ss ot h er w i se a g r ee d, su c h f e e s sh a l l be t a x e d a s c osts on

a pp r ov a l of this C ou r t. S e e T E X

. C I V

. P R A C

. & R E M

. C ODE A NN

. § 154.05 4 ( b) ( W e st 2011 )

.

The c u r re nt a p p e ll a te timetables a r e h e r e b y su s p e nd e d p e ndi n g the o cc u rre n c e of o n e of

the f ollowin g : ( 1) r ece i pt b y this C ou r t of noti c e of a su c c e ss f ul m e di a t i on, ( 2) re c e ipt b y this

C ou r t of noti c e of a n un s u cce ss f ul m e d i a tion, or ( 3) re c e ipt b y this C ou r t o f no noti c e b y

August 30 , 2013.

To fac ilit a te m e di a tion, we int er n a l l y a b a te this a pp ea l until this C ou r t rece iv e s noti c e of

e ith e r a su c ce ss f ul or un s u cce ss f ul m e di a tion or u ntil August 30 , 2013, whi c h e v e r o c c u r s f i r st.

The internal a b a t e m e nt will li f t and the appellate timetables will resume on th a t d a t e

.

I T I S S O O R DE R ED.

B Y THE C OU R T

D a t e : July 24, 2013