The California Legislature adopted the Civil Action Mediation Act in 1993, which created a five-year pilot project in which judges could refer to mediation any case that would otherwise be subject to mandatory judicial arbitration. The Act established as benchmarks that the pilot result in at least $250,000 in savings to the courts and the same savings to litigants. The report states that 35% of mediated cases were settled at mediation. In cases that were mediated, 18% of litigants reported cost savings and courts reported savings in 16% of the cases (based on number of court days saved). Most litigants who reported saving money through mediation saved more than $1,000, with an average of $1,398. Courts reported saving approximately $2.8 million, although this could be an inflated figure.