Court Opinion

ID: 4076322
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2016-09-30 10:12:24.263831+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:06:11.611040
License: Public Domain

IN THE
                          TENTH COURT OF APPEALS

                                 No. 10-16-00299-CV

                     IN THE INTEREST OF E.O., A CHILD

                           From the 85th District Court
                               Brazos County, Texas
                         Trial Court No. 15-001044-CV-85

                ORDER OF REFERRAL TO MEDIATION

       Appellant indicated in his docketing statement that this appeal should be referred

to mediation.

       The Legislature has provided for the resolution of disputes through alternative

dispute resolution (ADR) procedures. See TEX. CIV. PRAC. & REM. CODE ANN. §§ 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 settlement

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.

        We find that this appeal is appropriate for mediation. See id. § 154.021(a) (West

2011); 10TH TEX. APP. (WACO) LOC. R. 9.

        The parties are ordered to confer and attempt to agree upon a mediator. Within

fourteen days after the date of this Order, Appellant is ordered to file a notice with the

Clerk of this Court which either identifies the agreed-upon mediator or states that the

parties are unable to agree upon a mediator. If the notice states that the parties are unable

to agree upon a mediator, this Court will assign a mediator.

        Mediation must occur within thirty days after the date the above-referenced notice

agreeing to a mediator is filed or, if no mediator is agreed upon, within thirty days after

the date of the order assigning a mediator.

        No less than seven calendar days before the first scheduled mediation session,

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 for 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 Interest of E.O., a Child                                                       Page 2
        Immediately after mediation, the mediator must advise this Court, in writing, only

that the case did or did not settle and the amount 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 agreed-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

parties within ten days after the date of this Order, or it is waived.

        We refer this appeal to mediation.

        This appeal is of a judgment terminating parental rights and is accelerated.

Therefore, NO appellate deadlines are suspended as a result of this Order and the

appellate timetables in this appeal remains in effect during the course of mediation.

                                              PER CURIAM

Before Chief Justice Gray,
    Justice Davis, and
    Justice Scoggins
Order issued and filed September 28, 2016

In the Interest of E.O., a Child                                                      Page 3