Pursuant to previous update, both houses of the Washington legislature passed a bill which substantially changes Washington mandatory civil arbitration (MAR). Most notably, the bill increases the damages ceiling on MAR cases from $50,000 to $100,000. As expected, the bill was subsequently signed into law by Washington Governor Jay Inslee. The changes to MAR will be applicable to all cases filed on or after September 1, 2018.

For a brief synopsis of the bill and a link to the full text, see our previous update: Breaking News House Bill 1128 Expanding MAR Passes Through Washington Legislature.

Also, stay tuned to the DREX blog for more analysis regarding the changes to MAR and how civil litigation in Washington as a whole may be impacted.