UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT MIDDLE DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA NOTICE TO COUNSEL: PROCEDURES FOR MEDIATING HURRICANE IDA CLAIMS WITH A COURT APPOINTED NEUTRAL
Pursuant to In re: Hurricane Ida Claims Case Management Order No. 1 (CMO 1) issued February 26, 2024, the Court appointed a panel of neutrals to conduct mediations in accordance with the streamlined settlement conference and mediation protocol (“SSP”), see General Order 2024-07.
Requesting a Court Appointed Neutral:
When timely to do so under CMO 1, the parties shall jointly request appointment of a court appointed Ida neutral by submitting a single email to Ida@lamd.uscourts.gov which includes the following information.
- Email Subject Line: Joint Request for Appointment of Ida Neutral – INSERT CASE NO.
- Email Body:
- Include the Case Name and Number
- Reference the IDA SSP
- Confirm the request is jointly submitted and include name and contact information for counsel for each party in the email communication.
Appointment of a Court Appointed Neutral:
In response to the Joint Request for Appointment of Ida Neutral email, the Program Administrator will randomly appoint a neutral mediator and docket a Notice to Counsel appointing the mediator in CM/ECF. The neutral will be temporarily added to the case in CM/ECF in order to receive all notices. After the Program Administrator appoints the neutral via CM/ECF docket entry, the parties shall 1) initiate mediation scheduling directly with the neutral and 2) e-file the fully executed Stipulation of Mediation into the record, see CMO 1, Exhibit A. One party can e-file the fully executed Stipulation of Mediation for all parties. All further communications regarding the mediation shall be exclusively between the parties and the neutral. These communications should not be docketed or made part of the record.
Only in instances where a question or concern cannot be resolved by the parties and appointed neutral shall the parties request intervention from the Program Administrator or the Chief Administrator by submitting a communication to: Ida@lamd.uscourts.gov.
Procedure Following Mediation:
Once the mediation has concluded, the Court appointed neutral shall e-file into the record a Notice of Mediation Report, signed and dated by the neutral, which shall:
- Confirm case status, i.e. case settled or not.
- State the date and duration of the mediation.
If the case settles, the parties are still required to e-file a Notice of Settlement (LR 16(c)).