Housing and eviction litigants in Los Angeles County will now have the opportunity to resolve their disputes online.
Los Angeles Superior Court Presiding Judge Eric C. Taylor announced last week the launch of Unlawful Detainer (UD) Online Dispute Resolution (ODR), which enables housing and eviction defendants and plaintiffs to negotiate freely and without direct court intervention before their cases go to trial.
“We realized this was a good model to conduct business with the Court without the litigant having to travel to the courthouse, take time off from work, find childcare and parking and all of the other hassles that come with attending a court hearing,” said Ann E. Donlan, communications director with the Los Angeles Superior Court.
Some 48 UD cases have entered ODR, as of Dec. 13, and three have begun negotiation while one has requested a mediator, according to LA Superior Court data.
“The Court does not anticipate financial savings but this was not a primary motivation for creating the program,” Donlan told the Southern California Record. “If more cases settle by using the ODR program, judge and staff time are now available for other cases.”
The UD ODR platform was instituted to help the Court focus its limited resources on cases in which judicial intervention is unavoidable and to process eviction filings before countywide pandemic-related moratoriums are lifted, according to a press release.
“Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) started in 2019 for parenting plans in family law cases,” Donlan said. “Due to its success, and recognizing the potential workload from the pandemic, ODR was implemented in small claims cases in February 2021 and is now being offered in unlawful detainer cases.”
The program is optional and requires voluntary participation by both litigants.
“If one party chooses not to participate, both parties must appear in Court as scheduled,” Donlan said. “If a full settlement is reached, the ODR system will allow the parties to electronically sign and submit either a settlement agreement or stipulated judgment. Once approved by the judge, the parties are not required to appear in Court.”
The remote proceeding uses TurboCourt, a proprietary online chat platform created by Intresys, and if online mediation is requested, mediation sessions are held through Microsoft Teams, according to Donlan.
“UD ODR is part of long-term, ongoing efforts by the Court and Presiding Judge Eric C. Taylor to find easier, more efficient ways to serve people,” Donlan added. “For the past few years, the Court has developed an ambitious suite of online services and programs to serve residents where they are; at home, at work, on the go – from anywhere. None of these services have replaced the traditional, face-to-face assistance that some people require.”
Trained mediators from the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA) and the Center for Conflict Resolution (CCR) are providing mediation free of charge.