Resolving Conflicts and Disputes

Resolving Conflicts and Disputes

Resolving Conflicts and Disputes

Citizens and Businesses in the United States enjoy many freedoms that are not as common among other countries. Our laws preserve the rights free speech, assembly, capitalism and the right to file a grievance in court against any entity that infringes on our freedoms . While most of us would like to resolve problems as quickly and peacefully as possible, there are times when trials and court cases are very necessary. The good thing is that our society provides two ways to address these situations: Traditional trial by judge or Jury and Non-traditional- Arbitration or Mediation, both have their advantages and disadvantages. Business owners have to examine the risks involved in traditional litigation because the wrong decision in this area can be very costly but sometimes litigation is unavoidable (Cheeseman, 2010).

Traditional ligation

The use of the court system is noteably the most costly and time consuming methods of resolving business and other disputes. Commercial business owners and employee must take time off to attend trials. Their absences can causes disruptions in their operations and the loses of valued customers. A good example of the need to weigh the choice of litigation vs other means of retribution is the current lawsuit Dan Snyder, the owner of the Washington Redskins has filed against a writer from a local news paper. The lawsuit alleges that the author of an article written about Mr. Snyder defamed the owner and used anti-semitic imagery when describing him. The article was called “The Crazy Redskins Fan’s Guide to Dan Snyder. The article included a photo of the owner with horns and a goatee; implying that he was the devil. The owner took this attack on him very serious and decided to strike back by suing the newspaper. Many people questioned the owner judgment in responding so harshly. He’s was a billionair fighting over a news paper article from a small news paper that did not have the resources that he possessed and his actions had the net effect of further turning off fans, who already had a low opinion of him. Most people thought that a simple apology and retraction should have sufficed. There are times where even though you are clearly right, it is more beneficial to use nontraditional methods of resolution.

Alternative Dispute Resolutions

The