Hon. John A. Marlo (Ret.) has been a full-time mediator and arbitrator at JAMS for the past 19 years. Judge Marlo brings to his ADR practice more than 38 years experience as a judicial officer whose primary interest in law was the efficient resolution of disputes. Judge Marlo served 20 years on the Santa Cruz Courts, where he was appointed four times as Presiding Judge. He presided over thousands of cases as a trial court judge with special emphasis on settling cases.
ADR Experience and Qualifications
- 20 years as a trial judge emphasizing resolution within the entire court spectrum of disputes
- Served as Law and Motion Judge in Santa Cruz Superior Court, as well as an assigned Judge in many counties by the California Administrative Office of the Courts
- Certified Instructor of MCLE courses on Arbitration, Mediation, and Ethics for the State Bar of California
Representative Matters
- Business/Commercial
- Mediated purchase and sales disputes of multi-million dollar businesses
- Arbitrated winery and vineyard disputes over viticultural practices and wine quality
- Settled international dispute regarding hi-tech parts for cell phones
- Mediated and settled salary dispute between Silicon Valley start-up companies and executives
- Neutral evaluator in preparation for a major hi-tech arbitration involving a multinational semiconductor chip maker
- Arbitrated injection molding dispute regarding millions of Veterans Administration blood testing devices
- Employment
- Mediated numerous employment discrimination and wrongful termination cases involving gender, race, sexual harassment, and homosexual bias
- Trial judge for landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) case that was later affirmed by California Supreme Court
- Trial judge in case involving a major Silicon Valley corporation and claims of age discrimination related to a reduction in force
- Personal Injury
- Mediated 18 separate personal injury and property damage claims in one day, including claims related to thedeath of a child, resulting from a rear-end collision involving a cement truck and 18 vehicles
- Arbitrated numerous medical malpractice cases involving wrongful death and lifetime injuries
- Handled case involving a water ski accident resulting in paraplegic injuries
- Probate
- Mediated and resolved dispute over a trust distribution of several hundreds of separate properties including a bank, residence, forest land, and ocean front parcels; parties to the trust included 5 heirs (4 of whom were attorneys accompanied by their attorneys, as well as the trust attorneys)
- Real Estate and Construction
- Mediated hundreds of residential and commercial real estate disputes involving fraud, misrepresentation, land use, construction contracts, delay claims, undisclosed defects, homeowners association disputes, easements, and property line matters
- Settled multi-million dollar dispute between architect and junior college district
- Settled dispute between City of St. Helena and property owner regarding property line location
- Mediated loss of homes in a large forest fire in Sierra Foothills
- Settled toxic waste (gasoline) spill dispute between property owners and major oil company