A New Way to Resolve Disputes Online

This is a new service supported by the Michigan Supreme Court’s Administrative Office to provide a free, quick and easy way of resolving disputes that are typically filed as a small claims or landlord/tenant case in the district court.

​This service is most helpful for resolving disputes that involve:

A. Claims alleging that money is owed, contract disputes, and neighborhood disputes;
B. Landlord/tenant matters such as rent owed and repairs but that do not involve eviction proceedings;
C. Disputes where people are not represented by lawyers; and,
D. Disputes between only two people.

Through MI-Resolve, parties can resolve their disputes online with or without the help of a mediator. Parties can also arrange to meet in person with a mediator or via video-conference. Mediation is a process in which a trained neutral person (a mediator) helps parties identify a solution to a dispute that best works for them. Mediators do not take sides, evaluate claims, or provide legal advice.

To use the service, you must:

  • Live, work, or have a dispute in one of the blue service counties. Important: If you do not live or work in these counties, or the dispute did not arise there, you can still use other forms of dispute resolution to resolve your dispute. Please click the applicable county on the following link to be referred the nearest dispute resolution center. Center staff will be able to discuss with you how to resolve your dispute.
  • Have access to the internet and have an active email address.
  • Agree to the terms listed in the Agreement to Mediate.
    The Agreement to Mediate is found on the registration page after parties have completed intake. A link will be sent to the other party to register for MI-Resolve once you have entered the other party’s contact information.
  • All parties must be over the age of 18.
  • You do not need to have a case filed in court to use this service. However if you do have a case pending in court, you can still use this service to try to reach a settlement before your hearing or trial date. In this situation, a mediator will be assigned immediately but you may begin to directly communicate with the other party until the mediator joins you in the conversation space.
  • Currently, there is no fee to use the service.
Staff Report

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