I attended a Civil Appeals Settlement Program conference at the Appellate Division, Third Department on an appeal concerning a third-party claim. The plaintiff in the main claim chose not to show up, probably because he had a long drive and figured he wasn’t essential to the conference. His interpretation of the CASP Rules was incorrect, and another conference has been scheduled requiring the attendance of all parties.

Lessons of this post. Read the notice that the Court sends you. If it states that all parties must attend, it means just that. Also, the employees at the Appellate Division Departments have been extremely helpful to me in the past, and I’m sure they would be happy to answer any question you had. Don’t be afraid to call the Court to clarify a notice or rule.

The Second Department has a similar program: The Case Assessment Management Program (go to page four in the .pdf document).