Subdivision 1. General. The supreme court shall establish a statewide alternative dispute resolution program for the resolution of civil cases filed with the courts. The supreme court shall adopt rules governing practice, procedure, and jurisdiction for alternative dispute resolution programs established under this section. Except for matters involving family law the rules shall require the use of nonbinding alternative dispute resolution processes in all civil cases, except for good cause shown by the presiding judge, and must provide an equitable means for the payment of fees and expenses for the use of alternative dispute resolution processes.
Subd. 2. Scope. Alternative dispute resolution methods provided for under the rules must include arbitration, private trials, neutral expert fact-finding, mediation, minitrials, consensual special magistrates including retired judges and qualified attorneys to serve as special magistrates for binding proceedings with a right of appeal, and any other methods developed by the supreme court. The methods provided must be nonbinding unless otherwise agreed to in a valid agreement between the parties. Alternative dispute resolution may not be required in civil commitment matters, or in matters arising under section 144.651, 144.652, 518B.01, or 626.557.
History:1991 c 321 s 4; 1993 c 192 s 97; 1993 c 340 s 19; 2009 c 163 art 2 s 38; 2020 c 86 art 1 s 1