Schell v. Baker Furniture Co.

In these consolidated cases, plaintiffs appeal by right the Kent Circuit Court Chief Judge’s orders of March 12, 1996, dismissing their claims for their failure to personally appear for a special court-ordered settlement conference. We vacate and remand.

These cases arise out of two separate complaints of sexual harassment against defendant filed in 1994. The two plaintiffs hired the same lawyer and are targeting the same employee at defendant’s company. Two different circuit judges presided over these cases, and each case was set for trial after initial settlement conferences held in 1995 did…