I had a volunteer mediator through the court that was excellent for some time. It was my follow-up with my neighbors and their attorneys asking them to “Please respond to the mediator. Thank you.” that they used to file a TRO. Well, that and some completely fabricated activities. Obviously, there was no evidence of the items they fully made up. The other “evidence” was photos of my polite notes asking them to engage with the mediator.
This did not have to cost any money on my neighbors end if they had simply engaged with their contractor as soon as they were notified that their construction broke the sewer line. Instead, they have spent more on legal fees just to keep me from getting any relief than it would have cost to fix the line with a private plumber and are forcing me into hiring an attorney.
I think in civil cases you generally can’t get the other party to pay for your legal fees, but I wonder if there are any special circumstances when you can demonstrate that you tried ALL available routes to resolve amicably with no cooperation from the other side. Probably wishful thinking.
