Small Claims FAQ

In small claims cases, the court generally requires all parties to participate in mediation before trial. If a party does not attend mediation, there could be negative consequences including dismissal of the case or entry of default judgment.

Mediation generally occurs over Zoom. After your pretrial hearing, you should have received a confirmation email including the date, time, Zoom link, and information about mediation.  Mediations are generally conducted online via Zoom. Log-in to your mediation here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9432665386. If you will be connecting by phone, dial 1-253-205-0468 and enter meeting ID 9432665386 when prompted.  

You may be held in a virtual waiting room after you click the Zoom link. Do not leave the Zoom meeting if you are in the waiting room. We will admit you as soon as possible.

For mediation, parties are free to share information with each other at any time, but it is not required. Do not include KCDRC in those communications as mediators do not review any material before mediation. 

For trial, parties must follow the court’s instructions about exchanging evidence before trial. 

If you are a named party, you must represent yourself at mediation. If you are representing a business or an entity, then someone else can attend mediation on that entity’s behalf. Reply-all to your mediation’s confirmation email with that person’s name, email address, and role at the company.  If you would like a support person, family member, or friend to attend mediation with you, reply-all to your mediation’s confirmation email with that person’s name, email address, and relationship to you. Any non-parties who attend mediation must be approved by both parties and must sign the Agreement to Mediate. Can I bring an attorney to mediation? No. Attorneys and other legal paraprofessionals are not allowed to attend mediation without prior approval by the court. 

The court will be notified that mediation did not occur. The court requires pretrial mediation, and uncompleted mediations may have negative consequences. If you would like to try to reschedule the mediation, reply-all to your mediation confirmation email right away. Contact courtmediation@kcdrc.org  if you cannot locate your confirmation email.

If you are unable to attend and participate in mediation at the scheduled time, reply-all to your mediation confirmation email at least 5 business days before your scheduled mediation. Availability of other dates/times is not guaranteed, and uncompleted mediation may have negative consequences for the parties.  Contact courtmediation@kcdrc.org  if you cannot locate your confirmation email.

Cases requiring an interpreter are scheduled for mediation at court. If your case has already been scheduled for mediation with KCDRC, it will likely need to be rescheduled. Reply-all to the confirmation email with your request. Contact courtmediation@kcdrc.org  if you cannot locate your confirmation email.

If you settle your case before your scheduled mediation, reply-all to your mediation confirmation email to notify KCDRC. KCDRC will cancel the scheduled mediation, but you will need to contact the court directly with notice of the settlement and request for the case to be dismissed. Contact courtmediation@kcdrc.org  if you cannot locate your confirmation email.

You will need to contact the court directly with notice of the settlement and request for the case to be dismissed.

It is rare, but occasionally parties do not do something that is in the settlement agreement. If that happens, you can follow up directly with the other party or seek enforcement from the court. Instructions for requesting a settlement agreement enforcement hearing are on the court’s website. KCDRC does not assist with the enforcement of settlement agreements. 

The Dispute Resolution Center of King County and mediators cannot give legal advice. For procedural information, contact the court. Here is a link to the court’s website: https://kingcounty.gov/en/court/district-court. For legal advice, you may need to consult an attorney.