Wash. Rev. Code » Title 26 · Chapter 26.09
Revised Code of Washington

Wash. Rev. Code § 26.09.016 (2026)

Mediation in cases involving domestic violence or child abuse

✓ current as of May 2026
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Mediation is generally inappropriate in cases involving domestic violence and child abuse. In order to effectively identify cases where issues of domestic violence and child abuse are present and reduce conflict in dissolution matters: (1) Where appropriate parties shall be provided access to trained domestic violence advocates; and (2) in cases where a victim requests mediation the court may make exceptions and permit mediation, so long as the court makes a finding that mediation is appropriate under the circumstances and the victim is permitted to have a supporting person present during the mediation proceedings.
[ 2007 c 496 s 301.]

Notes:

Part headings not law—2007 c 496: See note following RCW 26.09.002.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 3 cases (2 in the last 5 years), 2016–2024 · leading case: In Re Marriage Of: Eric R. Shibley, App. v. Tina M. Shibley, Resp. (Wash. Ct. App. 2016).
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In Re Marriage Of: Eric R. Shibley, App. v. Tina M. Shibley, Resp. (Wash. Ct. App. 2016). “0400 Mandatory (6/2008)-RCW 26.09.016; .181; .187; .194, for the parenting plan that contained a list of these "Major Decisions" and space to allocate decision-making authority to one or both of the parties.”
Parenting & Support Of Z.c., Cory Clarke V. Taylor Dike Kna Savage (Wash. Ct. App. 2023). “]” See also RCW 26.09.016 (“Mediation is generally inappropriate in cases involving domestic violence.”
In Re: Brian Yorks, V. Olimpia Yorks (Wash. Ct. App. 2024). “” RCW 26.09.016. The parenting plan here states: If you and the other parent disagree: From time to time, the parents may have disagreements about shared decisions or about what parts of this parenting plan mean.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.