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Summit County Common Pleas Court prepares for Settlement Week
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: September 20, 2024
Each year thousands of civil cases are filed in the general division of the Summit County Court of Common Pleas, adding to the backlog created by the Covid-19 pandemic.
To help decrease the growing caseload and speed up the resolution process, last year judges and magistrates at the court brought back Settlement Week, providing civil litigants the chance to have their cases mediated by experienced trial lawyers.
Organized by Common Pleas Court Judge Mary Margaret Rowlands, the five-day event ran from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3, with 90 of the 140 cases scheduled for mediation being resolved due to the assistance of volunteer attorneys and the court’s judges and magistrates.
“It was a huge success,” said Judge Rowlands. “Sixty-four percent of the cases were resolved, including 59 personal injury cases, 42 of which involved vehicular crashes.
“Additionally, 17 workers’ compensation and 14 breach of contract/miscellaneous business cases were settled.
“When the parties in a case sit down with an experienced mediator who is familiar with the issues and the strengths and weaknesses of the case, it creates a framework in which the issues can often be resolved during the initial Settlement Week session, or in other cases, in the weeks following the event,” said Judge Rowlands.
While Settlement Week was a first-time experience for some legal professionals in Summit County, it isn’t new.
First unveiled in 1988, it was held annually through 2002.
While the backlog created by the pandemic was an impetus for its return, Judge Rowlands is hoping to make it a more regular event once again.
This year it takes place Oct. 21 through Oct. 25.
Judge Rowlands said the goal is to meet or exceed last year’s success rate.
She is working closely with Summit County Court of Common Pleas Office of Backlog Reduction Magistrate and Judicial Attorney Bill Rininger to recruit attorneys to serve as volunteer mediators and schedule the cases.
“I expect to have as many cases as we did last year,” said Judge Rowlands. “The deadline for referrals was Aug. 30, but it is a soft deadline.
“We are also still recruiting volunteer attorneys. Last year we had 40.”
“We are looking for cases that are ‘ripe’ for settlement,” said Rininger. “We want cases that are pretty well developed in which significant progress has been made on discovery and the claims have been pared down.
“The attorneys involved in the case should have a good working history and a handle on the value of the case.”
Rininger’s position, along with the Office of Backlog Reduction, are funded through a $425,000 American Rescue Plan Act grant administered by the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services, which was secured in the spring of 2023.
The office was up and running in June 2023, and Rininger started at the beginning of July 2023.
Retired Stark County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard Reinbold was also hired under the grant in June 2023 to help mediate cases throughout the year and during Settlement Week.
Reinbold, who is currently running for Stark County Prosecutor, is participating and helping to organize the event again this year.
“Mediation is one of the most important tools that the legal profession has at its disposal,” said Reinbold. “Unfortunately endemic within our profession is that we often don’t seek to resolve matters unless we are given an extra push, as is the case with Settlement Week.
“There are a number of cases that are easily resolvable through mediation, particularly personal injury cases, where the harm is not catastrophic and business matters in which the damages are in the lower ranges.
“In fact, a lot of times a certain percentage of these cases will settle before the actual event because setting a date for mediation prompts the parties to get together beforehand and see what they can accomplish,” said Reinbold.
While Settlement Week is expected to resolve a large number of cases again this year, Rininger said it’s not the only tool court officials utilize to reduce the backlog.
“We view Settlement Week as a complement to what the Office of Backlog Reduction already does,” Rininger said. “We handle the more complex cases throughout the year that are likely to take more than one session to resolve.
“We also have a mediation department and, in some cases arbitration is available.”
This year, volunteer attorneys are able to earn three continuing legal education credits by completing a free mediation training, funded and provided by the Ohio Supreme Court Dispute Resolution Section.
The first training took place on Sept. 6 and another one will be held on Oct. 4 from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at the Summit County Court of Common Pleas.
“We hope these free CLE training opportunities attract more attorneys to participate,” said Judge Rowlands. “The more volunteer mediators we have, the more likely we are to succeed!”
Settlement Week 2024 begins on Oct. 21. To volunteer or learn more about the upcoming CLE opportunity, contact Bill Rininger at wrininger@cpcourt.summitoh.net.