Due to budget constraints, Chelan County cut out its court rule mandated, mandatory arbitration (MAR) requirement of cases filed in Chelan County Superior Court.
Under the relevant court rule, LMAR 1.1, any civil claim involving no more than $50,000.00, must be placed into MAR. The purpose of the rule was “to provide a simplified and economical procedure for obtaining the prompt and equitable resolution of disputes involving claims of $50,000.00 or less….Arbitration hearings should be informal and expeditious, consistent with the purpose of the statutes and rules.”
Appointed attorney arbitrators would be paid by the county. Budget cuts will save the county $4,000.00 annually.
Claims valued $50,000.00 or less may be filed in District Court, which is less expensive than Superior Court. Or, if a small claim ($5,000.00 or less), small claims court.
Ms. Filutowski has a track record of recovering over $3.0 million dollars for her clients through negotiations, arbitrations, mediations and trial.
