Vince Santini

457th District Court — Standing Order for Alternative Dispute Resolution (Mar. 18, 2024)

Judge Santini's ADR standing order for cases the 457th District Court's Docket Control Order refers to ADR (CPRC ch. 154): parties are referred to a CPRC 154.023-154.028 procedure, defaulting to mediation with the Montgomery County Dispute Resolution Center ((936) 760-6914) if they do not agree; parties schedule through counsel (or personally if pro se), and if no agreed date is set the ADR provider/impartial third party picks a date all must attend; ADR may be rescheduled by agreement but MUST be completed no later than 30 days before the Docket-Control trial date; plaintiff's counsel must initiate the ADR-method conference (opposing counsel must still try if plaintiff fails), disagreements on method fall to the court's default, a mediator dispute may be resolved by motion to appoint, and refusal to communicate warrants a motion to compel; failure to follow the ADR requirement may bring sanctions after a show-cause hearing; ADR administration and third-party fees are split equally unless agreed otherwise, paid directly to the provider, and taxed as court costs, with a fee statement filed with the District Clerk for the Bill of Costs; the provider must file a writing reporting completion, appearance, and whether settlement resulted; and all ADR matters remain confidential under CPRC 154.053 and 154.073, with the provider and its records not subject to subpoena or production except as 154.073 permits.