81-15-112. Powers and duties of arbitrator.
(1) An arbitrator shall conduct an arbitration in a manner the arbitrator considers appropriate for a fair and expeditious disposition of the dispute. An arbitrator may conduct an arbitration remotely by electronic means.
(2) An arbitrator shall provide each party a right to: be heard; present evidence material to the family law dispute; and cross-examine witnesses.
(3) Unless the parties otherwise agree in a record, an arbitrator's powers include the power to: select the rules for conducting the arbitration; hold conferences with the parties before a hearing; determine the date, time, and place of a hearing; require a party to provide: a copy of a relevant court order; information required to be disclosed in a family law proceeding under a law of this state, other than this chapter; and a proposed award that addresses each issue in arbitration; meet with or interview a minor child who is the subject of a child-related dispute; appoint a private expert at the expense of the parties; administer an oath or affirmation and issue a subpoena for the attendance of a witness or the production of documents and other evidence at a hearing; compel discovery concerning the family law dispute and determine the date, time, and place of discovery; determine the admissibility and weight of evidence; permit deposition of a witness for use as evidence at a hearing; prohibit a party from disclosing information for good cause; appoint an attorney, guardian ad litem, or other representative for a minor child at the expense of the parties; impose a procedure to protect a party or minor child from risk of harm, harassment, or intimidation; allocate arbitration fees, attorney fees, expert witness fees, and other costs to the parties; and impose a sanction on a party for bad faith or misconduct during the arbitration according to standards governing imposition of a sanction for litigant misconduct in a family law proceeding.
(4) An arbitrator may not allow ex parte communication except to the extent allowed in a family law proceeding for communication with a judge.