What changed
- From January 1, 2027, the court may order a civil case into mediation regardless of the amount in controversy.
- Cases ordered in are entitled to up to three hours of no-cost mediation through a court-sanctioned program, and parties may appear remotely.
- It is a time-limited pilot: the section is repealed on January 1, 2032, with annual reports to the Legislature from January 31, 2028.
What the law does
Code of Civil Procedure section 1775.5 has long limited court-ordered mediation to cases where the amount in controversy does not exceed $75,000. AB 1950 (Harabedian), chaptered as Chapter 135 of the Statutes of 2026, adds section 1775.16, which lets the Superior Court of Los Angeles County order a case into mediation without that ceiling.
The bill was approved by the Governor on August 27, 2026 and takes effect January 1, 2027. Section 1775.16 is repealed on January 1, 2032 unless the Legislature acts to keep it.
What a party actually gets
A case ordered into mediation under the new section is entitled to up to three hours of no-cost mediation services from a court-sanctioned mediation program, and the parties may appear remotely rather than travelling to a courthouse or a mediator’s office.
The statute also provides that mediation ordered this way may not delay, or serve as grounds to continue, a trial date or any expedited procedure. Being sent to mediation is not, by itself, a reason for the case to slow down.
Why only LA, and why an expiry date
The change is aimed at congestion in the largest trial court in the country. Rather than write a permanent statewide rule, the Legislature gave one court a limited window and required it to report back: annual reports to the legislative committees begin January 31, 2028, covering how many cases were ordered in, how many resolved, and whether trial dates were affected.
That reporting requirement is the part worth watching. It is what will decide whether the approach is extended past 2032, widened to other counties, or quietly allowed to lapse.
What it does not change
Mediation is not adjudication. A mediator does not decide the case, and an order to mediate does not oblige anyone to settle. The right to have the case tried is unaffected.
Nothing changes before January 1, 2027. A case in an LA courtroom this autumn is still governed by the existing threshold.
Who this affects
- Parties to civil cases in Los Angeles County courts that are still live in 2027
- Litigators who have been advising on likely case path around the $75,000 threshold
- Self-represented parties, for whom three free hours with a neutral may be the only assisted session in the case
Source & how to verify
The chaptered text of AB 1950 (2025–2026 session), Chapter 135, Statutes of 2026, which adds Code of Civil Procedure section 1775.16. The Legislature publishes the chaptered text and the bill history on its own site.
Read the chaptered text rather than a summary — the operative limits sit in the statute’s own subdivisions. Then watch for local rules or a general order implementing the section before January 1, 2027: the mechanics of how cases actually get ordered in will be set there, not in the statute.
Reading note: Published September 16, 2026. This article summarizes public documents as they stood on that date. Court procedures, fees and rules change, so check the official sources above for the current version. LA Law Hub is not a law firm, and this is general information, not legal advice. For questions about your own situation, talk to a lawyer licensed in California.