The state is trying a new way to keep small disputes from winding up in court. Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack says the "MI Resolve" program is being tested in 17 counties:
"They'll be able to use this online service to have their disputes mediated and come to a resolution."
McCormack says MI Resolve can handle small claims cases, contract disputes, neighborhood issues, and landlord-tenant problems short of eviction. The online program is only available now in some counties in eastern and northern parts of the Lower Peninsula. But McCormack says she hopes it will go statewide by the end of the year.