Stroudsburg lawyer starts county mediation program to reduce civil trials

Goal to cut legal fees, save taxpayers

Each civil case that goes to trial in Monroe County costs the county and clients.

In some cases, mediation can eliminate the need for a trial and related costs by helping the parties reach an agreement, while at the same time allowing each side to argue in court.

Stroudsburg attorney Gerard Geiger has organized a mediation program in Monroe County in an effort to reduce the number of costly civil trials in the county.

"Our county Common Pleas Court has been struggling with an ever-growing load of civil cases in recent years, so there's a need for such a program," he said.

Of 530 cases scheduled for trial between 2004 and 2009, 37 percent were stricken from the trial list, 34 percent were settled, 14 percent were jury trials, 12 percent were non-jury trials (where judges determine the facts) and 3 percent were disposed of through other means, according to the county Prothonotary's Office.

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