a. Any cause of action filed in the Superior Court after the operative date of this act, for the recovery of noneconomic loss, as defined in section 2 of P.L.1972, c. 70 (C. 39:6A-2), or the recovery of uncompensated economic loss, other than for damages to property, arising out of the operation, ownership, maintenance or use of an automobile, as defined in that section 2, shall be submitted, except as hereinafter provided, to arbitration by the assignment judge of the court in which the action is filed, if the court determines that the amount in controversy is $15,000.00 or less, exclusive of interest and costs; provided that if the action is for recovery for both noneconomic and economic loss, the controversy shall be submitted to arbitration if the court determines that the amount in controversy for noneconomic loss is $15,000.00 or less, exclusive of interest and costs.

b. Notwithstanding that the amount in controversy of an action for noneconomic loss is in excess of $15,000.00, the court may refer the matter to arbitration, if all of the parties to the action consent in writing to arbitration and the court determines that the controversy does not involve novel legal or unduly complex factual issues.

No cause of action determined by the court to be, upon proper motion of any party to the controversy, frivolous, insubstantial or without actionable cause shall be submitted to arbitration.

The provisions of this section shall not apply to any controversy on which an arbitration decision was rendered prior to the filing of the action.

The provisions of this section shall apply to any cause of action, subject to this section, filed prior to the operative date of this act, if a pretrial conference has not been concluded thereon.

L.1983, c. 358, s. 2.