Lawsuits against New York city for personal injury claims will now be settled online. New York is the first municipality to sign on with Cybersettle, a White Plains based company. The city has a backlog of 40,000 claims.
Online settling does not mean that people who want a day in court won't get it. The plaintiff can always refuse settlement offers. But settling over the internet will be cheaper for the city, and according to Cybersettle, "expedite the settlement process by eliminating posturing, personality conflicts and phone tag."
Would it be good to replace a normal court hearing with this? I think it wouldn't hurt to make it an option if both parties agree to it. If neither party wants the trouble of travelling to the court, of the attorney costs in preparing for oral argument...etc., we should let them use an alternative method of litigation that still has a judge and legal procedure but costs much less and takes less time.
Should it be required? No. Even if you had live dialogue online, there's still a difference in having the ritual of a hearing in court and having it over the internet. Perhaps that distinction will become less important over time but I doubt it because the internet has still not replaced the satisfaction we get from in-person contact.
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