Court-Annexed Mandatory Arbitration Annual Report Fiscal Year 2005 - Sixteenth Circuit | State of Illinois Office of the Illinois Courts

Sixteenth Judicial Circuit
(Kane County)

Arbitration Program Information

The Sixteenth Judicial Circuit consists of DeKalb, Kane and Kendall Counties. During Fiscal Year 1994, the Supreme Court approved the request of Kane County to begin operating a court-annexed mandatory arbitration program. Initial arbitration hearings were held in June 1995. A supervising judge is assigned to oversee arbitration matters and is assisted by an arbitration program assistant.

DATA PROFILES

Kane County

Following are charts and diagrams which contain data from State Fiscal Year 2005.

Since State Fiscal Year 2001, cases referred to Kane County's arbitration program have increased annually. From 2001 through 2005, an annual average of 1,898 cases have been referred to arbitration.

The chart above presents information regarding the total number of cases litigated in arbitration which yielded either a disposition or, ultimately went to trial. Program data indicates that either a settlement or dismissal was reached in 80% (2,840 of 3,567 cases were disposed) of the cases filed in the Kane County arbitration program for State Fiscal Year 2005. This disposition rate is identical to the five year average of 80% and is less than the statewide average of 84%.

A more significant performance indicator for arbitration, however, is measuring the number of cases which, having completed the arbitration process, proceed to trial. In Kane County, less than 1% of cases (29 of the 3,567) filed in arbitration proceeded to trial.