Mediation vs. going to trial over a $900 fence dispute, I chose the mediator
My neighbor in Fresno built a fence six inches onto my property and then tried to charge me for half of it. I had two options: pay $4,500 for a lawyer and wait 18 months for a court date, or pay $350 for a mediator who works out of a converted garage. I figured the garage guy couldn't be worse than the courthouse, so I picked him. He had us both draw our versions of the property line on napkins, and my neighbor's napkin showed his driveway overlapping my lawn by a foot. We settled in 3 hours with him paying to move the fence and me paying for the new sod. Has anyone else had a boundary fight that got solved cheaper than a single attorney retainer? That $350 felt like a steal compared to what my cousin paid for a two day trial in Sacramento last year.