Court Opinion

ID: 9723946
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 10:39:02.640326+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:24:53.634172
License: Public Domain

D. E. Shelton, J.
(concurring). I concur.
The conference trial has some distinct advantages in the trial of certain domestic relations disputes. While our legal system forces families to file a lawsuit to resolve their family differences, they should be free to choose, and the court should be allowed to facilitate, a "trial” process that is not necessarily in our traditional adversarial mode. Divorce and custody disputes are often better resolved with a process that focuses more on dialogue. Nevertheless, the court cannot force the parties to forgo the procedural processes provided *322by the court rules and the rules of evidence absent their express agreement to do so.
I would urge the courts and counsel to actively consider the "conference trial” format in domestic and possibly other disputes. It may only be employed, however, with the express consent of the parties. Because of the departure from the more traditional model, I believe that this consent must be explicit, either by stipulation of the parties or on the record in open court. On that basis, I reluctantly agree that this case must be remanded.