Judge Kough joined JAMS following a distinguished 13-year career in the Los Angeles courts. During her final two years on the Superior Court, she was one of only six judges in the Complex Litigation pilot program where she was responsible for managing, trying, and otherwise resolving, among other matters, the most complicated multi-party environmental/ toxic tort cases. At JAMS she has acted as the discovery referee for a toxic cleanup dispute involving groundwater.
Representative Matters
- Discovery referee for toxic cleanup dispute between the City of Santa Monica and numerous oil companies regarding MTBE in groundwater
- Discovery referee in mesothelioma claim based on alleged asbestos in hair dryers
- Presided over numerous toxic tort matters, including asbestos cases
Trial judge in consumer dispute over compliance with environmental laws concerning the transportation, storage, and loading of coal products in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, California, including extensive discovery issues - Trial judge in dispute over construction of Belmont high school complex, including claims of legal malpractice involving analysis of environmental issues
- Trial judge in disputes over mold and other toxic substances allegedly found in large apartment complexes
- Trial judge in Judicial Council coordinated consumer action against various hotels over compliance with environmental laws regarding cigar smoke
