On Bankruptcy and Mediation
By: Donald L Swanson There is often a tension in mediation that goes something like this: Party of the first part says: We win on a technical legal issue—100% certainty! Party of the second part responds: You do not win on that issue—100% certainty! Party of the first part reacts: Do so! Party of the second... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L Swanson “The Mediator is a nice guy, but he needed to pound harder on the other side.” —A disappointed litigator on why a mediation did not achieve settlement. This quote is a common post-mediation refrain. A Fundamental Error The quote contains a fundamental error. The error is this assumption: it is the mediator’s... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L. Swanson The American Bankruptcy Institute and St. John’s University School of Law do an annual forty-hour [yes, that’s 40-hour] “Bankruptcy Mediation Training” course in New York City. The next course is coming soon -- it’s scheduled for December 8 – 12, 2019. Here is a schedule and sign-up link. I took... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L. Swanson The case is Thomas v Midland Funding LLC, A.P. No. 17-05010 in the Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Virginia. On appeal, it’s Civil Action No. 5:18-cv-00128 in the U.S. District Court. Odd Facts The facts of the case are a kind of, “Who knew this happens?” Debtor is in... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L. Swanson The case is Trujillo v. Tak (In re Tak), Case No. 18-ap-01217 (Bankry. C.D. Cal.). The Case Celia Trujillo sues Debtor in Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles, at Case No. BC672613, for sexual harassment and discrimination. In response, Debtor files Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Then, Celia Trujillo... Continue Reading →
By Donald L. Swanson Feuding parties are blinded by their feud. And they cannot envision the future of their feud with accuracy. An Ancient Illustration from London A recent essay [Fn. 1] provides details of a multi-year feud between London-area grocers, back in the early 1600s. That feud involved two lawsuits, a criminal complaint, and extensive... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L. Swanson “I stand at the window of a railway carriage which is traveling uniformly, and drop a stone on the embankment . . . I see the stone descend a straight line. A pedestrian who observes the misdeed from the footpath notices that the stone falls to the earth in a parabolic curve.... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L Swanson In many courts, these days, mediation reigns supreme. This is so-much-so that, court reporters complain about mediation cutting into their business; judges complain about cases settling in mediation and no one trying cases any more; and attorneys in casual conversations commonly talk about preparations for and successes in mediation, not trial. Such... Continue Reading →
By Donald L. Swanson Every now and then a mediator gets stiffed on fees. It doesn’t happen often. But it happens. And it’s always a shame. Mediators of bankruptcy disputes have an additional payment-related hurdle they must navigate. The hurdle is this: --Advance court approval is required for getting paid from bankruptcy funds. Statutory Requirements... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L. Swanson Should a mediation be in joint session or caucus? For mediating business disputes, joint session is the better approach—by far. I’ll try to explain. Two Observations Here are two observation about the joint session vs. caucus method for mediating business disputes. 1. People with little-or-no experience in mediation tend to expect a mediation... Continue Reading →
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