The people filing lawsuits in the Flint Crisis run to the hundreds, and their complaints range from property value to brain damage in kids. Now a judge has ordered this huge multi-party dispute to mediation. If all goes well, this will save plaintiffs money in legal fees and court costs and it will get them their compensation faster. As well as claiming that the constitutional rights of plaintiffs have been violated, the lawsuit also charges that Michigan treated Flint differently as an African-American city. This is a vast complex case that may affect 100,000 people or more, according to the lead attorney in the case.

The judge considered mediation in this case to be the right option. The same principles apply when you’re dealing with smaller cases of personal injury, water disputes or many other disputes. Especially in water disputes, when plaintiffs can run into bigger numbers, mediation simplifies the dispute and gets everybody their compensation faster. So what does mediation do that litigation doesn’t? First of all it facilitates a win-win situation and resolution rather than a fight. There are many other reasons why mediation triages complicated disputes over common resources like water. At Boileau Conflict Solutions we use approaches informed by psychoanalysis, mathematics and the law. Game theory is an efficient tool that can identify and resolve different interests and transform conflict into cooperation. Resolving water disputes effectively can also involve remedies other than legal and financial. The sky’s the limit when it comes to the potential for cooperation and conflict resolution, which makes mediation the right choice to have a positive impact on the environment and future cooperation. Please visit us at our offices in Boulder, CO, Irvine, CA, Campbell, CA and Beverly Hills, CA to find out more. We are available at urgent notice, 7 days a week via Skype, Zoom or telephone, and conflict resolution can be arranged remotely.

http://michiganradio.org/post/mediators-will-seek-settlement-consolidated-lawsuit-over-flint-water-crisis