http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1724723

This article reports the findings from a study that looked at whether settlement rates of domestic relations cases differed if there was violence involved in the disputes. The study looked specifically at cases mediated in Maine and Ohio in 1996-1998 in terms of parties' perceptions of the fairness of their mediation, how the mediators conducted the session if they learned about domestic violence, and the likelihood of settlement in the face of violence. It was found that parties who had experienced domestic violence did not feel compelled to settle and that the settlement rate was not affected by the history of violence.