HB 1765CS

CHAMBER ACTION




1The Committee on State Administration recommends the following:
2
3     Committee Substitute
4     Remove the entire bill and insert:
5
A bill to be entitled
6An act relating to mediation alternatives to judicial
7action; amending s. 44.102, F.S.; deleting language
8regarding the disclosure of specified information made
9during court-ordered mediation; amending s. 44.107, F.S.;
10providing immunity from liability for trainees in the
11Supreme Court's mentorship program; providing immunity
12from liability for persons serving as mediators in
13specified circumstances; amending s. 44.201, F.S.;
14deleting language regarding disclosure of specified
15information held by Citizen Dispute Resolution Centers;
16creating ss. 44.401-44.406, F.S.; providing a popular
17name; providing for the creation of the Mediation
18Confidentiality and Privilege Act; providing for
19application; providing definitions; specifying when a
20mediation begins and ends; providing for confidentiality
21of mediation communications; providing for a privilege;
22providing exceptions; providing for civil remedies;
23providing a statute of limitation; providing an exception;
24amending s. 61.183, F.S.; deleting language regarding
25disclosure of specified information made during cases;
26providing an effective date.
27
28Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
29
30     Section 1.  Subsections (3) and (4) of section 44.102,
31Florida Statutes, are amended, and subsections (5) and (6) of
32said section are renumbered as subsections (4) and (5),
33respectively, to read:
34     44.102  Court-ordered mediation.--
35     (3)  Each party involved in a court-ordered mediation
36proceeding has a privilege to refuse to disclose, and to prevent
37any person present at the proceeding from disclosing,
38communications made during such proceeding. All oral or written
39communications in a mediation proceeding, other than an executed
40settlement agreement, shall be exempt from the requirements of
41chapter 119 and shall be confidential and inadmissible as
42evidence in any subsequent legal proceeding, unless all parties
43agree otherwise.
44     (4)  There shall be no privilege and no restriction on any
45disclosure of communications made confidential in subsection (3)
46in relation to disciplinary proceedings filed against mediators
47pursuant to s. 44.106 and court rules, to the extent the
48communication is used for the purposes of such proceedings. In
49such cases, the disclosure of an otherwise privileged
50communication shall be used only for the internal use of the
51body conducting the investigation. Prior to the release of any
52disciplinary files to the public, all references to otherwise
53privileged communications shall be deleted from the record. When
54an otherwise confidential communication is used in a mediator
55disciplinary proceeding, such communication shall be
56inadmissible as evidence in any subsequent legal proceeding.
57"Subsequent legal proceeding" means any legal proceeding between
58the parties to the mediation which follows the court-ordered
59mediation.
60     Section 2.  Section 44.107, Florida Statutes, is amended to
61read:
62     44.107  Immunity for arbitrators, and mediators, and
63mediator trainees.--
64     (1)  Arbitrators serving An Arbitrator appointed under s.
6544.103 or s. 44.104, mediators serving or a mediator appointed
66under s. 44.102, and trainees fulfilling the mentorship
67requirements for certification by the Supreme Court as a
68mediator shall have judicial immunity in the same manner and to
69the same extent as a judge.
70     (2)  A person serving as a mediator in any noncourt-ordered
71mediation shall have immunity from liability arising from the
72performance of that person's duties while acting within the
73scope of the mediation function if such mediation is:
74     (a)  Required by statute or agency rule or order;
75     (b)  Conducted under ss. 44.401-44.406 by express agreement
76of the mediation parties; or
77     (c)  Facilitated by a mediator certified by the Supreme
78Court, unless the mediation parties expressly agree not to be
79bound by ss. 44.401-44.406.
80
81The mediator does not have immunity if he or she acts in bad
82faith, with malicious purpose, or in a manner exhibiting wanton
83and willful disregard of human rights, safety, or property.
84     (3)  A person serving appointed under s. 44.106 to assist
85the Supreme Court in performing its disciplinary function shall
86have absolute immunity from liability arising from the
87performance of that person's duties while acting within the
88scope of that person's appointed function.
89     Section 3.  Subsection (5) of section 44.201, Florida
90Statutes, is amended to read:
91     44.201  Citizen Dispute Settlement Centers; establishment;
92operation; confidentiality.--
93     (5)  Any information relating to a dispute obtained by any
94person while performing any duties for the center from the
95files, reports, case summaries, mediator's notes, or other
96communications or materials, oral or written, is confidential
97and exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1) and shall not be
98publicly disclosed without the written consent of all parties to
99the dispute. Any research or evaluation effort directed at
100assessing program activities or performance shall protect the
101confidentiality of such information. Each party to a Citizen
102Dispute Settlement Center proceeding has a privilege during and
103after those proceedings to refuse to disclose and to prevent
104another from disclosing communications made during such
105proceedings, whether or not the dispute was successfully
106resolved. This subsection shall not be construed to prevent or
107inhibit the discovery or admissibility of any information which
108is otherwise subject to discovery or which is admissible under
109applicable law or rules of court, except that any conduct or
110statements made during such mediation sessions or in
111negotiations concerning such sessions shall be inadmissible in
112any judicial proceeding.
113     Section 4.  Sections 44.401, 44.402, 44.403, 44.404,
11444.405, and 44.406, Florida Statutes, are created to read:
115     44.401  Mediation Confidentiality and Privilege
116Act.--Sections 44.401-44.406 may be known by the popular name
117Sections 44.401-44.406 may be known by the popular name the
118"Mediation Confidentiality and Privilege Act."
119     44.402  Scope.--
120     (1)  Except as otherwise provided, ss. 44.401-44.406 apply
121to any mediation:
122     (a)  Required by statute, court rule, agency rule or order,
123oral or written case-specific court order, or court
124administrative order;
125     (b)  Conducted under ss. 44.401-44.406 by express agreement
126of the mediation parties; or
127     (c)  Facilitated by a mediator certified by the Supreme
128Court, unless the mediation parties expressly agree not to be
129bound by ss. 44.401-44.406.
130     (2)  Notwithstanding any other provision, the mediation
131parties may agree in writing that any or all of s. 44.405(1), s.
13244.405(2), or s. 44.406 will not apply to all or part of a
133mediation proceeding.
134     44.403  Definitions.--As used in ss. 44.401-44.406, the
135term:
136     (1)  "Mediation communication" means an oral or written
137statement, or nonverbal conduct intended to make an assertion,
138by or to a mediation participant made during the course of a
139mediation, or prior to mediation if made in furtherance of a
140mediation. The commission of a crime during a mediation is not a
141mediation communication.
142     (2)  "Mediation participant" means a mediation party or a
143person who attends a mediation in person or by telephone, video
144conference, or other electronic means.
145     (3)  "Mediation party" or "party" means a person
146participating directly, or through a designated representative,
147in a mediation and a person who:
148     (a)  Is a named party;
149     (b)  Is a real party in interest; or
150     (c)  Would be a named party or real party in interest if an
151action relating to the subject matter of the mediation were
152brought in a court of law.
153     (4)  "Mediator" means a neutral, impartial third person who
154facilitates the mediation process. The mediator's role is to
155reduce obstacles to communication, assist in identifying issues,
156explore alternatives, and otherwise facilitate voluntary
157agreements to resolve disputes, without prescribing what the
158resolution must be.
159     (5)  "Subsequent proceeding" means an adjudicative process
160that follows a mediation, including related discovery.
161     44.404  Mediation; duration.--
162     (1)  A court-ordered mediation begins when an order is
163issued by the court and ends when:
164     (a)  A partial or complete settlement agreement, intended
165to resolve the dispute and end the mediation, is signed by the
166parties and, if required by law, approved by the court;
167     (b)  The mediator declares an impasse by reporting to the
168court or the parties the lack of an agreement;
169     (c)  The mediation is terminated by court order, court
170rule, or applicable law; or
171     (d)  The mediation is terminated, after party compliance
172with the court order to appear at mediation, by:
173     1.  Agreement of the parties; or
174     2.  One party giving written notice to all other parties in
175a multiparty mediation that the one party is terminating its
176participation in the mediation. Under this circumstance, the
177termination is effective only for the withdrawing party.
178     (2)  In all other mediations, the mediation begins when the
179parties agree to mediate or as required by agency rule, agency
180order, or statute, whichever occurs earlier, and ends when:
181     (a)  A partial or complete settlement agreement, intended
182to resolve the dispute and end the mediation, is signed by the
183parties and, if required by law, approved by the court;
184     (b)  The mediator declares an impasse to the parties;
185     (c)  The mediation is terminated by court order, court
186rule, or applicable law; or
187     (d)  The mediation is terminated by:
188     1.  Agreement of the parties; or
189     2.  One party giving notice to all other parties in a
190multiparty mediation that the one party is terminating its
191participation in the mediation. Under this circumstance, the
192termination is effective only for the withdrawing party.
193     44.405  Confidentiality; privilege; exceptions.--
194     (1)  Except as provided in this section, all mediation
195communications shall be confidential. A mediation participant
196shall not disclose a mediation communication to a person other
197than another mediation participant or a participant's counsel. A
198violation of this section may be remedied as provided by s.
19944.406. If the mediation is court ordered, a violation of this
200section may also subject the mediation participant to sanctions
201by the court, including, but not limited to, costs, attorney's
202fees, and mediator's fees.
203     (2)  A mediation party has a privilege to refuse to testify
204and to prevent any other person from testifying in a subsequent
205proceeding regarding mediation communications.
206     (3)  If, in a mediation involving more than two parties, a
207party gives written notice to the other parties that the party
208is terminating its participation in the mediation, the party
209giving notice shall have a privilege to refuse to testify and to
210prevent any other person from testifying in a subsequent
211proceeding regarding only those mediation communications that
212occurred prior to the delivery of the written notice of
213termination of mediation to the other parties.
214     (4)(a)  Notwithstanding subsections (1) and (2), there is
215no confidentiality or privilege attached to a signed written
216agreement reached during a mediation, unless the parties agree
217otherwise, or for any mediation communication:
218     1.  For which the confidentiality or privilege against
219disclosure has been waived by all parties;
220     2.  That is willfully used to plan a crime, commit or
221attempt to commit a crime, conceal ongoing criminal activity, or
222threaten violence;
223     3.  That requires a mandatory report pursuant to chapter 39
224or chapter 415 solely for the purpose of making the mandatory
225report to the entity requiring the report;
226     4.  Offered to report, prove, or disprove professional
227malpractice occurring during the mediation, solely for the
228purpose of the professional malpractice proceeding;
229     5.  Offered for the limited purpose of establishing or
230refuting legally recognized grounds for voiding or reforming a
231settlement agreement reached during a mediation; or
232     6.  Offered to report, prove, or disprove professional
233misconduct occurring during the mediation, solely for the
234internal use of the body conducting the investigation of the
235conduct.
236     (b)  A mediation communication disclosed under any
237provision of subparagraphs (4)(a)3., (4)(a)4., (4)(a)5., or
238(4)(a)6. remains confidential and is not discoverable or
239admissible for any other purpose, unless otherwise permitted by
240this section.
241     (5)  Information that is otherwise admissible or subject to
242discovery does not become inadmissible or protected from
243discovery by reason of its disclosure or use in mediation.
244     (6)  A party that discloses or makes a representation about
245a privileged mediation communication waives that privilege, but
246only to the extent necessary for the other party to respond to
247the disclosure or representation.
248     44.406  Confidentiality; civil remedies.--
249     (1)  Any mediation participant who knowingly and willfully
250discloses a mediation communication in violation of s. 44.405
251shall, upon application by any party to a court of competent
252jurisdiction, be subject to remedies, including:
253     (a)  Equitable relief.
254     (b)  Compensatory damages.
255     (c)  Attorney's fees, mediator's fees, and costs incurred
256in the mediation proceeding.
257     (d)  Reasonable attorney's fees and costs incurred in the
258application for remedies under this section.
259     (2)  Notwithstanding any other law, an application for
260relief filed under this section may not be commenced later than
2612 years after the date on which the party had a reasonable
262opportunity to discover the breach of confidentiality, but in no
263case more than 4 years after the date of the breach.
264     (3)  A mediation participant shall not be subject to a
265civil action under this section for lawful compliance with the
266provisions of s. 119.07.
267     Section 5.  Subsection (3) of section 61.183, Florida
268Statutes, is amended to read:
269     61.183  Mediation of certain contested issues.--
270     (3)  Any information from the files, reports, case
271summaries, mediator's notes, or other communications or
272materials, oral or written, relating to a mediation proceeding
273pursuant to this section obtained by any person performing
274mediation duties is confidential and exempt from the provisions
275of s. 119.07(1) and may not be disclosed without the written
276consent of all parties to the proceeding. Any research or
277evaluation effort directed at assessing program activities or
278performance must protect the confidentiality of such
279information. Each party to a mediation proceeding has a
280privilege during and after the proceeding to refuse to disclose
281and to prevent another from disclosing communications made
282during the proceeding, whether or not the contested issues are
283successfully resolved. This subsection shall not be construed to
284prevent or inhibit the discovery or admissibility of any
285information that is otherwise subject to discovery or that is
286admissible under applicable law or rules of court, except that
287any conduct or statements made during a mediation proceeding or
288in negotiations concerning the proceeding are inadmissible in
289any judicial proceeding.
290     Section 6.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2004.


CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.