In State v. Williams, the appellate court considered a difficult question of mediator confidentiality. Is a mediation a confidential space or can the information shared in mediation be later submitted in a courtroom?
In State v. Williams, 877 A.2d 1258 (N.J. 2005), the appellate court affirmed the assertion of mediation privilege to prevent mediator’s testimony sought to support self-defense claim in assault case because state interest in protecting mediation confidentiality was not outweighed by defendant’s need for the evidence where: 1) the mediator’s testimony lacked reliability because the “mediator’s description of the [mediation] session gives the overall impression of bedlam” and the mediator’s post-mediation interest in the case, including attendance at trial after being notified of the trial date by defendant, raised concerns about mediator neutrality; and 2) the defendant was able to introduce other evidence supporting his self-defense claim.
For the past decade, as part of the annual Minnesota State Bar Association ADR Institute, Hamline Professor James Coben has been producing short videos illustrating mediation litigation. Mediate.com is proud to now assist in the further distribution of these exceptional teaching and learning resources.
This enactment may portray “less than optimal” mediator performance. Rest assured that you are not at risk by hiring any of the ADR Institute Players as neutrals (or lawyers), despite what you see on the tape. The videos are fictional reenactments of the mediations underlying the published litigated cases.
Most Mediators are taught to ensure fairness in process above all. After many years, and hundreds or thousands of negotiations, it can sometimes feel tedious and unnecessary to do so....
By Jan Frankel SchauReview by Ampie Muller (Durban: Accord, 1997) "This article originally appeared in Track Two (Vol. 7 No. 1 April 1998) , a quarterly publication of the Centre for Conflict Resolution...
By Ampie MullerIndisputably I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The law can be a very dangerous thing. Although the legal system inevitably is imperfect, it sometimes provides important benefits...
By John Lande
