Rule 101. Fast Trial and Alternative Resolution Generally

(a) Application and Objective. Rules 101 through 126 (“these rules”) apply in counties in which a majority of the judges in that county have voted to establish a program based upon a fast trial with an alternative resolution option as provided in these rules. These rules use the acronym “FASTAR” to refer to the program. The program's objective is to achieve a more efficient and inexpensive, yet fair, resolution of eligible cases. One of these rules may be cited as “FASTAR ###.” (b) Eligibility Criteria. The court administrator or Clerk will assign to the FASTAR program all civil actions that meet each of the four following eligibility criteria: (1) The plaintiff requests monetary damages only, and is not requesting injunctive or other non-monetary relief. (2) The amount of money sought by each plaintiff exceeds the limit set by local rule for compulsory arbitration. (3) The amount of money sought by any party does not exceed $50,000, including punitive damages but excluding interest, costs, and attorneys' fees. (4) The plaintiff will not need to serve the summons and complaint on any defendant in a foreign country. (c) Civil Rules. The FASTAR rules supplement the Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure (the “civil rules”), and the civil rules, excluding Rules 72 through 77, continue to apply to FASTAR cases. However, a FASTAR rule applies if a civil rule is inconsistent with these rules or these rules specifically provide otherwise. (d) Plurals. The use of the words “plaintiff” and “defendant” in these rules includes the respective plurals.