Diane Wayne

Hon. Diane Wayne (Ret.)

JAMS Mediator, Arbitrator, Referee/Special Master, Neutral Evaluator

Case Manager
Giana Dittmar
T: 310-309-6202
F: 310-396-7576
1925 Century Park East, 14th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90067
GDittmar@jamsadr.com

Biography

Judge Wayne has mediated, arbitrated, and served as trial judge in numerous cases involving employment law. She has conducted an investigation of allegations of sexual harassment by highly placed executives at a publicly traded company, and has mediated many highly sensitive employment cases involving public figures, public companies, and high-level executives.

Her experience has included a wide range of issues, including wrongful termination, age, gender, racial discrimination, sexual harassment, hostile work environment, retaliation for whistle blowing, and discriminatory failure to promote.

Employers have included major publicly traded corporations, as well as other companies in the entertainment, broadcasting, law firm, education, manufacturing, high technology, non-profit, and public sectors.

Judge Wayne listens empathetically to both sides, develops a trust with all parties involved, brings opposing parties to consensus, and focuses on the key issues, as well as being sensitive to the emotional issues frequently involved in such disputes. Judge Wayne leverages her background in racial discrimination as a former attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, to facilitate resolution. She is the author of Employment Litigation (published by Bancroft Whitney), and has written a number of articles on employment law.

Representative Matters

  • Heard several class action matters involving 1000+ aggrieved employees alleging failure to provide timely meal and rest periods, failure to pay overtime compensation and other Labor Code/Statutory Law violations
  • Failure to promote based on racial discrimination brought by African-American executives within the entertainment industry
  • Failure to promote based on sexual discrimination of a senior-level employee with a major defense contractor
  • Gender-biased failure to promote and wrongful terminations within the healthcare industry
  • Hostile work environment created by sexual advances to domestic employees
  • Junior-level racial discrimination claim with a public utility
  • Multiple plaintiff case with claims of inappropriate remarks and sexual overtures by a high-level executive
  • Numerous racial and sexual discrimination cases involving major publicly traded corporations
  • Racial discrimination claims involving all levels of law enforcement personnel in a municipality
  • Retaliation for whistle blowing on defective parts for an airplane manufacturer
  • Same-sex harassment
  • Sexual harassment, including unwelcome physical contact on female subordinates and clients by partners of law firms
  • Wrongful termination based on gender discrimination at a national non-profit organization
  • Wrongful termination with racial and sexual discrimination issues such as offensive materials and pornography, at major film studios
Completed Virtual ADR training conducted by the JAMS Institute, the training arm of JAMS. 

  • Member, The President's Commission on White House Fellowships, West Coast Panel, 1993-present
  • Ernestine Stahlhut Award, Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, 2011
  • Recognized as a Top 50 California Neutral, Daily Journal, 2003, 2004, 2009, and 2012
  • Recognized as a Top 40 California Neutral, Daily Journal, 2007 and 2008
  • Recognized as One of the 500 Leading Judges in America, by Lawdragon Magazine, 2006
  • Trial Judge of the Year and honored with the prestigious Alfred J. McCourtney Award, Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Association
  • Member, California Judges Association, California Women Lawyers Association and Association of Business Trial Lawyers; Board of Directors, Los Angeles Women's Foundation
  • Received comprehensive training in JAMS in-house Entertainment Law workshops including, but not limited to:
    • “Net Profits and New Media: The Future of Entertainment Litigation”
    • "Legal Issues and Developments in Video Game Law"

ADR Profiles

  • Judge, Los Angeles County Superior Court
  • Judge Pro Tempore, Los Angeles County Superior Court
  • Judge, Los Angeles Municipal Court
  • Partner, Christy and Wayne, specializing in civil litigation
  • Trial attorney, Los Angeles Neighborhood Legal Services
  • Trial attorney, honors program, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice
  • Faculty advisor for several law schools
  • Former Associate Professor of Law, Southwestern University
  • Lecturer for the CEB, CJA, CJER, and the Rutter Group
  • Authored Employment Litigation (published by Bancroft Whitney), as well as articles on civil procedure, employment, and trade secrets
  • J.D., University of Southern California
  • B.A., University of California, Los Angeles

Counsel Comments

    • "[Judge Wayne] has a unique skill to connect with the parties on a personal level. She's able to articulate empathy in an authentic way."

      -       Partner at California Litigation Firm
    • "Judge Wayne is well prepared and commands a thorough understanding of the subtle issues at play between the parties."

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