The Angry Widow

Season 05 Episode 05 Irene Takahashi is widely recognized as one of the Bay Area’s leading mediators, and, since 2017, has been a member of the ADR Services, Inc. panel of neutrals. Building on a solid foundation of trial experience, she adds the insights gained while serving as a trial judge for both bench and jury civil and criminal cases. In this episode, Irene and Len discuss the mediation of a wrongful death case arising out of a collision between a car and a motorcycle. The widowed plaintiff’s continued anger at the defendant and the widow’s desire that the defendant suffer posed a substantial impediment to resolution. What did Irene do to overcome this deeply emotional situation and make settlement possible?