Court Opinion

ID: 9679343
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 06:49:37.938251+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:17:12.684985
License: Public Domain

Bronson, J.
(dissenting). I respectfully dissent. While I sympathize with the trial court’s impatience, I believe the court abused its discretion in refusing to set aside acceptance of the mediation evaluation.
The trial court’s decision was based on its feeling that defense counsel "had more important matters pending” and had placed this case on the "back burner from its inception”.
Defense counsel explained to the trial court that the default was not the result of any inadvertence or mistake on his part and that, as soon as the *804case was made known to him, a stipulation was promptly suggested, executed, and the case proceeded in a timely manner. Defense counsel further explained that his inability to attend the mediation hearing was necessitated by a settlement conference in Macomb County which was unexpectedly extended approximately an hour and a half while the circuit court judge left to attend a meeting of the board of commissioners.
Rather than addressing defense counsel’s excuse for his failure to make a timely rejection of the mediation award, the trial court denied defendant’s motion based on unwarranted perceptions of defense counsel’s behavior. Under these circumstances, I would reverse and remand to the trial court with instructions that it set aside the acceptance of the mediation evaluation.