WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine announced March 29 that his office has launched a pilot program that utilizes informal mediation to resolve lawsuits against the district government.
The program will save taxpayers money because it will lead to fewer trials, the attorney general said.
Under the program, any individual who files a lawsuit against the district and who is seeking less than $10,000 for property damage or personal injury can bring the claim before a neutral mediator.
“District taxpayers benefit when lawsuits against the city are resolved quickly and the district as well as the other party can avoid the costs of going to trial,” Racine said. “The Office of the Attorney General’s new mediation program is an opportunity for the district government to provide a quick, fair, and informal way of resolving claims with resolutions agreeable to all parties.”
The program’s initial phase only applies to claims defended by Racine’s civil litigation division.