Instead, expressing her "dismay" at the heavily litigious way the case was proceeding, she asked the parties to be "solutions-oriented" and engage in a court-supervised settlement conference. The defendants had sought such a route months ago, but the plaintiffs would not agree. This time, they agreed.
She expressed some shock that the "bright people" who are parties to this lawsuit could not find a way to solve this neighborhood conflict. Then, she was quick to note the "bright people" did not include counsel in this case.
The judge's overall message was clear: protracted, expensive litigation is no way to resolve an issue like the one at hand.
We could not agree more.