The Ottawa County Municipal Court Mediation Program enables the participants to voluntarily resolve their dispute rather than the court. The program is:

• Confidential;
• Conducted by a trained neutral mediator;
• Available for all disputes within the jurisdiction of the Ottawa County Municipal Court;
• Easy to use;
• Flexible.

WHAT IS MEDIATION?

Mediation is a process by which an impartial third party, called the mediator, assists disputing parties to develop a mutually acceptable solution for themselves. In mediation, the role of the mediator is not to decide the outcome of the dispute, but to conduct negotiations that will help obtain a settlement that is fair to all the participants. If the participants are able to reach an agreement, the mediator will write down on an Agreement Form what each participant has agreed to do to resolve the dispute.

The mediation process begins when a party to a dispute decides to use mediation instead of filing a lawsuit or criminal charges. However, a participant's failure to appear for a scheduled mediation or to call the court to reschedule at least two days prior to the mediation may remove mediation as an option to settle the dispute. On the day of the mediation, the participants should arrive prior to the scheduled time so they can fill out the Agreement to Mediate form. The participants will meet the mediator and be guided to the room where the mediation will take place. The mediator will then start the mediation. Participants will be given ample opportunity to explain how they see the issues involved in the dispute. Once all the issues have been established, the mediator will ask the participants for suggestions on how to resolve the issues. If the participants are able to resolve their issues and work out an agreement, this will be written down by the mediator as the settlement agreement. Each participant will review and sign the agreement.

WHAT DOES MEDIATION COST?

Mediation is a free service of the Ottawa County Municipal Court. If mediation is requested before filing a case, the cost of the filing fees can be saved.