Judge orders mediation in Hammond civil case

A mediator does not have the authority to decide a dispute, but he can help guide the parties to a resolution.  A federal judge has ordered mediation to precede any trial of the issues contained in Hammond against the Seneca police and others.  Judge Mary Geiger Lewis issued an order last week with the stipulation that the mediation be completed by July 5 next year—-about one month ahead of the date that Geiger set for jury selection or trial, or both.  An attorney for Angela and Paul Hammond has indicated that, while the family is disappointed by the decision against filing state charges in their son’s death, the family will seek redress in the federal court system.  The case filed in the U-S District Court, Anderson Division, is titled, “Angela Hammond and Paul Hammond as Co-Personal Representatives of the Estate of Zachary Hammond Plaintiffs Vs. City of Seneca Police Department, Mark Tiller and John Covington, Defendants.  Lewis’s October 26 order states, “This case is subject to being called for jury selection and/or trial on or after August 3, 2016.”