Judges Name Mediator to Deal With Enron, Andersen Claims

A pair of federal judges on Friday named a mediator to urge a settlement of legal claims against Enron Corp. and its former accounting firm, Andersen.

The judges overseeing Enron’s bankruptcy and the federal indictment against Andersen named Eric D. Green, a Boston-based law professor, in a push to settle claims filed by Enron shareholders and creditors.

Green oversaw talks last year between federal prosecutors and Microsoft Corp. that eventually led to a settlement of the Justice Department’s antitrust case against the software maker. Nine states are still pursuing claims against the company.

A court order released Friday directs the various parties in the Enron litigation to begin the mediation process Sunday. The results of the mediation are nonbinding.

Jeff Leeds