The prospects of a mediated settlement notwithstanding, Walton said he expected that a trial on the lawsuit could begin in December.

Ms. Blake said in March that despite the Apollo Foundation's position that the musicians were indepdendent contractors, it suggested that the two sides seek a mediated settlement.

Also, courts will often approve a mediated settlement quickly.

In some cases, the possibility of a mediated settlement does not forgo the need to file litigation, conduct discovery or obtain pre-trial orders.

After Dobelle was about to file a lawsuit a few weeks later, the university rescinded the firing as part of a mediated settlement.

The city reached a mediated settlement with most of the objectors.

Seeking to head off a surge of lawsuits over who was to blame in a car accident, lawmakers set up a process that encourages mediated settlements.

They resented British pressure for a mediated settlement as the outcome of selfish mercantile designs on the American market.

The church was facing more than 23 lawsuits, and attempts to reach a mediated settlement with victims failed in December 2010.

A mediated settlement in Kosovo may not be politically popular at the moment, but it may look like the considerably wiser course in the future.