The agreement to approve a mediation system to handle major legal claims against Chi Chi’s was going to be presented on Tuesday, but was delayed because one of the attorneys couldn’t sign off on it until Wednesday.
The agreement will create a 45-day window during which those who got sick could submit their pending lawsuits to nonbinding mediation. Those whose cases don’t settle would then be free to sue Chi-Chi’s for damages.
As J.D. Prose’s story Chi-Chi’s agreement awaited reports:
“What we’re trying to do is figure out a way where everyone gets fairly compensated,” said attorney William Marler.
Marler, a Seattle-based lawyer whose firm represents about 70 hepatitis A plaintiffs, described the proposed mediation as “a process where everybody gets an opportunity to resolve their claim in a … straight-forward manner.”