AMR-US Airways merger case goes to mediator

[DALLAS] American Airlines, US Airways Group and the US Justice Department agreed to go to a mediator to possibly resolve the government's lawsuit seeking to block the proposed merger of the airlines.

Both sides said in a filing on Monday in federal court in Washington that they agreed to a mediator "suggested by the court" without providing further details. The filing provides an update about the status of the case.

The appointment of mediator in complex civil lawsuits is not unusual, said Seth Bloom, a former trial attorney with the Justice Department's antitrust division. In most federal civil litigation, courts require parties to engage in settlement talks before trial, he said.