Linda R. Singer, Esq., a nationally-known class action neutral, has over 30 years of dispute resolution experience as an arbitrator, mediator, civil litigator, and a neutral evaluator. Recently she has resolved numerous multi-claimant disputes that could not be litigated as class actions.
Ms. Singer pioneered the development of mediation as a practice, training fellow mediators and lawyers throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. She has resolved hundreds of the nation’s most challenging class and collective actions, including ERISA disputes, racial discrimination, securities, wage and hour, and many others.
Ms. Singer conducts seminars on the settlement of class actions and speaks on the subject at conferences nationwide. Her chapter on “Mediating Class Actions,” co-authored with JAMS neutral the late Margaret Shaw, was published by the Federal Judicial Center and the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution in the ADR Handbook for Judges.
Representative Mediations
- Settled tax refund class action against a major hospital system
- Settled eight year-old race discrimination class action against Merrill Lynch and held hearings to distribute the settlement fund amongst class members
- Federal and state class and collective class actions involving claims of wage and hour violations, with defenses of exemptions, against major retail insurance, financial and brokerage companies and universities
- A class action brought under the Fair Credit Reporting Act on behalf of 300,000 people who had adverse information concerning criminal records provided to potential employers
- A collective action against the Architect of the Capitol involving claims of unequal pay
- Alleged violations of ERISA involving the pension plans of a major pharmaceutical company
- As a member of panels established by Merrill Lynch & Co. and Salomon Smith Barney for resolving the claims of female brokers pursuant to the settlement of class actions, handled the claims of named plaintiffs and large producers
- Class action by female brokers against American Express Financial Advisors
- Class action by female engineers against CBS Radio
- Class action for securities fraud against creditors of purchaser of multiple family businesses
- Class actions alleging racial discrimination against major utilities, food services, and brokerage firms
- Class actions involving charges of racial and national origin discrimination against a telecommunications provider
- Disability class action against the U.S. Postal Service, in which the parties developed a process for the post-settlement resolution of individual claims
- Permanent mediator in class actions against the New York City public schools
- Separate class actions against the FDIC, the FBI, and NASA, all of which resolved allegations of racial discrimination in promotions
- Separate class actions brought by managers and unionized workers, which resolved claims of racial harassment and discrimination in hiring, training, and discipline against Amtrak
- Sexual harassment class action brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against an urban hospital
- Stockholders’ class action alleging securities fraud against a recently merged conglomerate
- Consumer class actions alleging illegal charges, hidden fees, deceptive sales and lending practices, and credit discrimination
Representative Arbitrations
- Multiple individual claims of race discrimination against a financial services company to distribute a settlement fund amongst class members
- Antitrust claims brought as consumer class actions against major telecommunications companies
- Multiple arbitrations under the settlement of a class action between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and African American farmers under the Equal Credit Opportunities Act
- Multiple claims for job relief pursuant to the settlement of a race discrimination class action against a public utility
Special Master/Discovery Referee, Representative Matters
- Served as Special Master in a U.S. District Court class action against a New York prison
Supplementary Matters
- Designed and supervised the implementation of procedures to resolve hundreds of individual claims against major manufacturers and utilities, which resulted when federal courts declined to certify classes
