An Act Concerning Dispute Resolution in Home Construction Contracts
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 10 MRSA §1487, sub-§8, as enacted by PL 1987, c. 574, is amended to read:
8. Resolution of disputes. A statement allowing the parties the option to adopt one of 3 methods of resolving contract disputes in addition to the option of a small claims action. At a minimum, this statement must provide the following information:
"If a dispute arises concerning the provisions of this contract or the performance by the parties that may not be resolved through a small claims action, then the parties agree to settle this dispute by jointly paying for one of the following (check only one):
(1) Binding arbitration as regulated by under the Maine Uniform Arbitration Act, with in which the parties agreeing agree to accept as final the arbitrator's decision ( );
(2) Nonbinding arbitration, with the parties free to not accept reject the arbitrator's decision and to seek satisfaction a solution through other means, including a lawsuit ( ); or
(3) Mediation, with in which the parties agreeing to enter into good faith negotiations negotiate through a neutral mediator in order to attempt an effort to resolve their differences in advance of filing a lawsuit ( )";
Effective September 12, 2009