A couple found and bought their “dream home” mansion in an exclusive country club residential development, only to find soon thereafter that their next door neighbor was building a fence which blocked the sunlight and shaded the dream home’s pool area, and also was diverting the natural flow of surface water into a drainage ditch creating an unsightly and flood-prone culvert near the pool.  After neighbor-to-neighbor negotiations failed to solve the problem, lawyers were hired, expert engineers were retained, and a lawsuit was initiated.  Expensive discovery and a lengthy trial were avoided, however, when the lawyers took the case to Keegan, who mediated the case to a resolution acceptable to both parties.

A highly-successful cardiologist suffered personal setbacks which precipitated ongoing periods of severe depression to the extent that, he contended, he was unable to practice medicine to the high standards he had previously set for himself.  When he filed for disability benefits with his disability insurance company, the company denied the application, contending that the physician was in fact able to practice and that his depression was treatable and manageable with medication.  The doctor filed suit, exhaustive discovery was pursued by both parties, and the presiding judge referred the case to mediation before proceeding to trial.  After a one-day mediation session, Keegan successfully negotiated a settlement for the parties and averted trial.

When a brand new, very expensive residence was still under construction but almost completed, there was a fire which completely destroyed the structure.  Various claims were filed involving the allegedly responsible subcontractor, a solvent manufacturer, the general contractor, the lender, the owners, and several insurers.  The parties’ lawyers agreed on Keegan as the mediator, and all claims were satisfactorily resolved during two days of intensive mediation.

Keegan was called to chair a three-member arbitration panel composed of ex-judges to resolve a dispute regarding the wording of a children’s catechism and prayerbook.  The Church synod had retained an author to re-write the book into more modern prose, but retained a new writer when the first one failed to meet certain deadlines.  An argument ensued regarding the use of the original text, common phraseology, copyright infringement, and the correct expression of religious doctrine.  Keegan’s panel of arbitrators drafted findings and conclusions and entered a ruling which was accepted by all parties.