Many courts (exception being small claims which is tied to mediation) in Oregon now state that arbitration is required for any civil litigation under $50K. I found a few Oregon courts on line, and I'm absolutely stunned at the backlog of cases that are marked "eligible for arbitration." The lists are massive, and most cases are within the past few months. It appears that if a suit is filed and an answer received, then the case automatically goes to arbitration, before any suit can proceed. This is just my read but does anyone have any idea what is happening here?
