BACK TO RESULTS

Hon. Lawrence E. Mooney (Ret.)

In-person
Virtual

Home Office: St. Louis, Missouri View More

Contact Case Manager

Hon. Lawrence E. Mooney (Ret.) is a highly sought-after arbitrator, mediator, neutral evaluator, and Court-Appointed Neutral (Referee/Special Master) based in St. Louis. He brings more than two decades of judicial experience from the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, where he served for over 21 years, including a term as Chief Judge. From 2015 until his retirement, he served as the Court’s Settlement Judge, reviewing civil filings to identify opportunities for resolution and assisting parties in resolving complex matters pending on appeal.

Judge Mooney is widely recognized for his ability to analyze sophisticated legal issues and drive resolution in high-stakes, contentious disputes. He has wide appellate experience, including serving as chair of arbitration appeal panels and authoring opinions in appellate matters, and is frequently selected for matters requiring deep legal analysis and sound judgment.

Since joining JAMS in 2019, Judge Mooney has developed a robust national practice, serving as an arbitrator in a wide range of complex matters. He has arbitrated scores of cases across industries, including business and commercial disputes, insurance, health care, employment, business dissolutions, and mass consumer and credit arbitrations. Parties value his thoughtful, well-reasoned approach and his ability to efficiently manage and resolve even the most complex disputes.

ADR Experience and Qualifications

Former Settlement Judge for the Missouri Court of Appeals, with a recognized track record of working with parties to settle live litigation
Consistently praised on the bench for his timely, high-quality work product and fair treatment of parties; sat by designation on the Supreme Court of Missouri on multiple occasions
Served as Chair of the Judicial Finance Commission, a body established by the Missouri Legislature to resolve budget disputes between judicial circuits and counties
Community leader with decades of service to economic development and the arts in the St. Louis metropolitan region

Representative Matters Handled at the Court of Appeals

Blanks v. Fluor Corporation, 450 S.W.3d 308 (Mo. App. E.D. 2014): Reviewed a $358-million verdict to plaintiffs damaged by environmental pollution resulting in a 180-page opinion, affirming in part and reversing and remanding in part
Mello v. Davis, 182 S.W.3d 622 (Mo. App. E.D. 2005): Reversed an award of attorneys’ fees, employing both legal principles and humor
Missouri Soybean Association v. The Missouri Clean Water Commission, 102 S.W.3d 10 (Mo. banc 2003)
As a Special Judge on the Supreme Court of Missouri, authored the majority opinion in a complex environmental dispute

Representative Matters

Representative Matters Handled at JAMS

Appellate

Served on arbitration appeal panels including:
- Consumer and credit disputes
- Litigation funding
- Commercial contract disputes
Served as panel chair in appellate arbitration, including a title loan company’s challenge to a final award in favor of a borrower and an appeal and cross-appeal in a dispute between a credit card company and its customer

Business Commercial

Arbitrated and mediated multiple cases, including complex disputes involving:
- Business dissolution
- Breach of fiduciary duty, negligence, and fraud
- Consumer – Breach of contract
- Commercial – Breach of contract
- Business partner/shareholder – Breach of contract
- Purchase and sale of business
- Attorneys’ fee disputes and professional services agreements
- Hospitality – Breach of contract and transactional disputes involving multiple restaurants
- Handled claims brought under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Missouri Merchandising Practices Act,
- North Carolina Consumer Finance Act, Kansas Consumer Protection Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Illinois Consumer Fraud Act, Illinois Uniform
- Deceptive Trade Practices Act, and the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act
Arbitrated an appellate arbitration involving interpretation of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act
Arbitrated consumer protection disputes alleging deceptive and fraudulent practices, including claims under the California Consumer Legal Remedies Act, California Unfair Competition Law, and California False Advertising Law.
Served as Special Master/Referee in a dispute concerning ownership of a racehorse.
Served as Special Master/ Referee in a commercial dispute involving multiple entities
Arbitrated a creditor/debtor dispute resulting in a final award of $4 million
Mediated a dispute between a creditor and debtor over a $17 million dollar obligation
Mediated a dispute between the seller and buyer of the assets of a trucking company

Civil Rights

Mediated a dispute arising from rezoning of property, involving alleged constitutional violations, including due process, equal protection, unlawful taking, and related contract and conspiracy claims

Class Action

Provided neutral analysis in an appellate matter involving a $56 million consumer class action judgment against a national finance company under the Uniform Commercial Code

Construction

Mediated a construction dispute involving the removal and reconstruction of a residential deck inspected by the city, including claims for structural damage and costs of removal and replacement

Employment Law

Arbitrated and mediated numerous employment matters involving wrongful termination, age, race and disability discrimination, retaliation, and wage and hour claims
Arbitrated a compensation dispute between a nationally known media personality and employer, resulting in a partial final award and settlement
Arbitrated a dispute between a pilot and an airline involving claims for unpaid employment bonuses

Environmental Law

Mediated a dispute involving alleged violations of federal environmental laws resulting in damage to a sewage treatment facility and significant remediation costs

Franchise & Distribution Law

Served as a mediator involving cases with transfer and relocation of franchises.
Mediated dispute involving motor vehicle franchise filed under Missouri Motor Vehicle Franchise Practices Act

Governmental & Public Agency

Conducted neutral analysis of an appeal that resulted in reversal of summary judgment involving more than $50 million in alleged tax liability
Served as neutral evaluator of City’s claims that national railroad failed to maintain certain crossings, including bridges, on appeal to federal circuit court of appeals

Insurance

Arbitrated a billing dispute between a hospital and an insurance company.
Mediated a dispute involving underinsured motorist coverage between a policyholder and insurer

Intellectual Property

Mediated a complex intellectual property matter involving trade dress and patent infringement claims, summary judgment rulings, and trademark cancellation issues
Arbitrated an appellate arbitration reviewing a $36 million award in a dispute between a litigation funding entity and a patent holder
Mediated a dispute involving trademark rights between two ranch entities, resulting in settlement

Mass Tort

Mediated multiple proposed class actions under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), relating to alleged facsimile advertisements

Personal Injury

Arbitrated and mediated numerous cases involving product liability, medical malpractice, auto accidents,
Recommended allocations after hearings to a bankruptcy trustee administering a national fund for childhood victims of sexual abuse

Product Liability

Conducted neutral appellate analysis of billion-dollar product liability judgments involving allegations that products caused cancer
Provided neutral analysis in an appellate matter resulting in affirmance of a $5 million product liability judgment against a tobacco company involving cancer claims

Professional Liability

Mediated a breach of fiduciary duty dispute involving medical billing services and professional relationships

Real Property

Mediated multiple homeowners' association (HOA) disputes

Lawrence E. Mooney