§ 1297.411.Conciliator to Fix Costs and Give Notice; Included In Costs

Someone has to settle up once conciliation ends, and this section puts that job on the conciliator. Upon termination of the proceedings, the conciliator fixes the costs of the conciliation and gives the parties written notice of what those costs are.

The section also defines, narrowly, what counts as a cost for this purpose: a reasonable fee for the conciliator or conciliators; their travel and other reasonable expenses; the travel and other reasonable expenses of witnesses the conciliator requested with the parties' consent; the cost of any expert advice the conciliator requested with the parties' consent; and the cost of any court. By listing these categories specifically, the section keeps the cost accounting focused on the conciliation process itself, rather than opening the door to every incidental expense a party might have incurred along the way.