The Hawaii State Judiciary’s Third Circuit Court on Hawaii Island launched its new Online Dispute Resolution Pilot Project on Thursday, requiring certain small-claims cases to use the online application TurboCourt to file, negotiate and attempt to resolve cases before court-ordered mediation.
What You Need To Know
Similar programs on Oahu and Maui have resulted in 645 small-claims filings. According to the Judiciary, many users were able to use free online negotiation and mediation tools to resolve their cases online without having to appear in court
Parties who do not have access to the internet will have to request an exemption from a judge
In the first year of the pilot, the program was open only to a single self-represented litigant involved in a dispute with another self-represented litigant
The Fifth Circuit (Kauai) is slated to launch ODR in January 2023
Parties who do not have access to the internet will have to request an exemption from a judge.