Section 60. Assignment of a hearing examiner; prehearing conference

Within four calendar days of the filing and service of an Alternative Dispute Resolution Petition, a hearing examiner shall be assigned to the matter by the Chief Hearing Examiner. The hearing examiner shall schedule a prehearing conference at the earliest possible date to determine whether the petition qualifies for ADRP and, if so, to determine the schedule for the proceeding and other matters relevant to management and resolution of the dispute. At any time prior to the conclusion of the prehearing conference, the presiding hearing examiner may reject any petition for alternative dispute resolution that does not fall within the scope of this chapter or contains issues that cannot be reasonably tried or developed on an expedited basis. After the prehearing conference, the matter shall remain within the ADRP unless, upon motion by either the petitioner or respondent, the hearing examiner decides otherwise.

Historical Notes

Derived from Volume 18, Issue 05, eff. October 23, 2001.

Statutory Authority

§ 12.1-13 of the Code of Virginia.