Hon. Randa M. Trapp (Ret.)  brings more than three decades of legal and judicial experience to her role at JAMS, following an 18-year tenure on the San Diego Superior Court, where she retired as the Supervising Judge of the Civil Division. During her time on the bench, she presided over more than 100 civil jury trials and managed a broad spectrum of complex civil matters, including business and commercial disputes, employment law (including PAGA and class actions), construction defect, personal injury, traumatic brain injury, medical and professional malpractice, and trade secret litigation including pharmaceutical trade secret litigation. 

Since joining JAMS, Judge Trapp has been selected to oversee a wide range of sophisticated legal matters, including business-to-business contract disputes, business divorces, disputes concerning the adequacy of insurance payments to providers under contractual agreements, mass employment arbitrations, mass tort allocations, unfair and deceptive practices, and wage and hour claims.

Judge Trapp has significant experience in safeguarding-related matters, including Title IX cases involving sexual abuse, domestic violence, racial and religious discrimination, workplace abuse, and retaliation. In her role as a court-appointed neutral allocator in mass tort proceedings, Judge Trapp has handled numerous cases involving sexual abuse and child sexual abuse. Her work in these sensitive areas is grounded in trauma-informed practices  and guided by survivor-centered resolution strategies, ensuring that each case is approached with compassion, respect, and care. She is periodically appointed as a neutral in minors’ compromise proceedings, including those arising within the foster care system, and as a court-appointed discovery neutral in high-stakes litigation.

Representative Matters

• Business Commercial
• Judge in breach of contract involving an unsecured note and partnership dispute 
• Judge in business dissolution involving complex partnership agreements related to a popular flavored whiskey product 
• Judge in multiple breach of contract cases involving interfamilial disputes, Marvin-type actions, and partition matters 
• Judge in major lease and contract dispute concerning the renovation of a shopping mall 
• Judge in complex promissory note and guarantee dispute involving a receiver bank and anti-deficiency defenses 
• Judge in fraud and breach of contract under the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act involving multinational corporations; embezzlement claims 
• Judge in matter of first impression on strict liability doctrine involving a multi-million-dollar online marketplace 
• Judge in hospital termination of service provider involving defamation, breach of fiduciary duty, and interference with prospective economic advantage 
• Judge in biomedical distribution contract dispute involving multinational parties 
• Judge in contract and sovereign immunity issues related to a major hotel agreement with a tribal entity 
• Judge in multiple administrative mandate cases, including wrongful expulsion from law school, demolition permits for historic properties, and more 
• Judge in writs of mandate involving election fraud, city charter disputes, and municipal nuisance abatement ordinances 
• Complex and Emerging Areas
• Judge in lemon law disputes involving defective vehicles and warranty enforcement 
• Arbitrator in right-of-way agreements and rate disputes involving telecommunications transmission systems 
• Judge, Arbitrator, Mediator in business-to-business disputes, including fraud, breach of contract, and breach of fiduciary duty in the sale of a business 
• Judge and Arbitrator in trade secret, non-compete, and breach of contract claims, including misappropriation and conversion 
• Judge and Arbitrator in cannabis industry litigation, including zoning issues, breach of contract, conversion, and misappropriation of funds 
• Judge and Arbitrator in healthcare litigation, including medical malpractice, pharmaceutical disputes, and insurance reimbursement under provider agreements
• Construction Defect
• Judge in multi-party construction/design defect cases involving schools, courthouses, and other public structures 
• Judge in breach of warranty, merchantability, and strict liability claims 
• Judge in prompt payment penalty disputes 
• Judge and arbitrator in right-of-way and access issues 
• Judge in insurance coverage and failure-to-defend matters
• Employment Law
• Arbitrator in mass arbitration employment cases, including breach of contract and age discrimination claims 
• Judge and Arbitrator in multiple wrongful termination cases, including whistleblower retaliation 
• Judge in termination of a medical professional for refusal to seek substance abuse treatment 
• Judge and Arbitrator in termination during protected medical leave 
• Judge in sexual harassment dispute between C-suite executives at a global corporation 
• Judge in class action involving CLRA, unfair/deceptive practices, public works wage and hour subclasses, and class certification
• Family Law
• Judge in numerous matters involving child custody, support, spousal support, and community property division 
• Judge in seminal case enforcing interspousal fiduciary disclosure statutes
• Intellectual Property
• Judge in trade secret misappropriation involving a rideshare entertainment app 
• Judge in trademark infringement with breach of contract and insurance duty to defend 
• Judge in pharmaceutical trade secret dispute involving a former employee allegedly replicating a proprietary formula
• Personal Injury
• Judge and Mediator in numerous personal injury cases, including traumatic brain injury 
• Judge in wrongful death cases involving police pursuits and governmental immunity 
• Judge in industrial accident wrongful death litigation
• Professional Liability
• Judge and Arbitrator in medical malpractice cases involving wrongful birth, wrongful death, off-label product use, and undisclosed supplier relationships 
• Judge and Mediator in products liability cases, including spoliation of evidence
• Real Property
• Judge in multiple eminent domain matters involving public infrastructure projects 
• Judge in eminent domain dispute related to municipal trolley expansion 
• Judge in international eminent domain enforcement (China) and division of proceeds among U.S. and foreign family members 
• Judge in inverse condemnation involving historic property designations and lot line adjustments 
• Judge and Arbitrator in sewer hookup defect claims in inverse condemnation context 
• Judge and Arbitrator in real estate litigation, including breach of escrow agreements
• Sexual Abuse, Misconduct, and Safeguarding Matters

Allocation Neutral, Mediator, Arbitrator, and Decision-Maker:

• Allocation Neutral in mass torts involving sexual abuse and child sexual abuse 
• Decision-Maker in Title IX hearings for colleges and universities 
• Judge, Arbitrator, and Decision Maker in workplace sexual abuse and discrimination 
• Judge, Arbitrator, Decision Maker in domestic violence and other matters involving vulnerable individuals

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

• Fellow, Academy of Court Appointed Neutrals, 2023
• Member, Sports Lawyers Association, 2023
• Multi District Litigation (MDL) Certification, Duke Law School, 2022
• Judicial Excellence Award, California Association of Black Lawyers, 2022
• Vincent Monroe Townsend Award, National Bar Association, 2021
• Sarah J. Harper Humanitarian Award, National Bar Association Judicial Council, 2021
• Outstanding Jurist Award, San Diego County Bar Association, 2021
• Living Legend Award, National Bar Association, Region IX, 2021
• Trailblazer, San Diego County Women's History Hall of Fame, Women’s Museum of California, 2021
• Excellence Award, Earl B. Gilliam Bar Foundation, 2020
• Belva Lockwood Award, Lawyers Club of San Diego, 2018
• Unsung Hero Award, The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint, 2017
• Sankofa Award, National Bar Association (NBA), 2009
• Bernard S. Jefferson Judge of the Year Award, California Association of Black Lawyers, 2008
• Woman of the Year, 79th State Assembly District, 2004
• Randa Trapp Day, City of San Diego, October 15, 2001
• Member, Advisory Board, Lawyers Club of San Diego, 2005– present
• Member, Board of Governors, Association of Business Trial Lawyers (ABTL), 2014- present
• Co-Chair, International Litigation Subcommittee, Business Law Section, American Bar Association, 2019 - present
• President, American Judicial Council Foundation, 2018–present
• President, J. Clifford Wallace Inn of Court, 2015–2020
• Chair, Judicial Advisory Committee, ABTL, 2015–2020
• Treasurer, National Association of Women Judges, 2018–2019
• Chair, Judicial Council, NBA, 2014–2015
• President, Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association, 1990
• Life Member, Regional Director, California Women Lawyers, 1989–1990
• Life Member, Board Member, California Association of Black Lawyers, 1990, 1992–1993
• President, Southeastern Economic Development Corporation, 1994
• Trustee, San Diego County Retirement Board, 1997–2000
• Director, San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau, 1995–2001
• Veteran of the United States Navy, Honorable Discharge, 1979
• Adjunct Professor, University of San Diego School of Law, 1993-2013
• Frequent Speaker
  • All aspects of civil litigation and jury trials
  • Implicit bias
  • TBI Med Legal Conference, Brain Injury Association of California
  • The Electronic Discovery Institute
  • Civil Law Institute, Center for Judicial Education and Research
  • Annual Meeting, ABTL

Background and Education

• San Diego Superior Court 2003–2021
  • Supervising Judge, Civil Division, 2020–2021
  • Assistant Supervising Judge, Civil Division, 2019
  • Chair, ADR Committee, 2019–2021
• Center for Judicial Education and Research, 2013-2021
  • Chair, Civil Law Curriculum Committee, 2019–2021
  • Faculty, Civil Law Institute, 2013
• Sempra Energy, 1995–2003
  • Assistant Corporate Secretary, SDG&E and Southern California Gas Company, 2000-2003
  • Counsel, Commercial Law Sections, 1998-2003
  • Counsel, Litigation Section, 1995-1998
• J.D., Georgetown University Law Center, 1985
• B.A., San Jose State University, 1982