Hon. Diane Wayne (Ret.)

Diane Wayne
T: 213-620-1133
F: 213-620-0100
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Case Manager

Jason Feazell
JAMS
555 W. 5th St.
32nd Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90013
T: 213-253-9752
F: 213-620-0100

"[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."

Recognized as a Top California Neutral, Daily Journal, 2003, 2004, 2007-2009, and 2012

General Biography

Specialties

Locations

Available nationwide
Entertainment and Sports
As a sitting judge, mediator, arbitrator, and discovery referee, Judge Diane Wayne has extensive experience with a wide range of entertainment issues, including profit participation, royalty, copyright, use of name or likeness, breach of contract, prior restraint, unfair competition, and trademark infringement within the motion picture, television, and music industries.

Representative Matters

  • Entertainment Employment:
    • Claims of sexual harassment and racial discrimination against a major studio regarding advertising campaign content
    • Defamation claim between talent and foreign investors
    • Failure to promote based on racial discrimination of executives within the entertainment industry
    • Film studio wrongful termination with racial and sexual discrimination issues such as offensive materials and pornography
    • Sexual harassment claims against celebrities
  • Financial/Breach of Contract:
    • Anita Baker v. BNB, a suit in which a prominent vocalist sues her promoters
    • Breach of contract between producer and foreign investors for failure to provide contractual movie financing
    • Fee disputes between actor and agents
    • Ivan Rene Moore v. Ronald Isley and Warner Bros., interference with prospective economic damages, and breach of contract over ownership of songs
    • Loss of profits due to embezzlement by senior studio executive
    • Multimillion dollar contract dispute between entertainment service providers
    • Profit participation dispute between production company and talent
    • Profit sharing conflict between actors and studios
    • Rights to infomercial profits
    • Royalty claims by heirs against major film studio
    • Settled partnership dissolution of Beach Boys and Brian Wilson
  • Intellectual Property:
    • Credit entitlement dispute between writers
    • Elizabeth Taylor v. NBC, a suit to enjoin the network from airing a story about the actress
    • Managed copyright dispute with Writer's Guild over entitlement to script proceeds after a partnership dissolution
    • Proscribed use of trade secrets between theatrical distributors
    • Shewmake v. Michael Landon, a copyright violation claim regarding script for television feature film
    • Tracy Ullman v. 20th Century Fox, regarding the rights to The Simpson's television show
    • Unauthorized use of likeness in television commercial

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

  • 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

Background and Education

  • 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

Disclaimer

This page is for general information purposes.  JAMS makes no representations or warranties regarding its accuracy or completeness.  Interested persons should conduct their own research regarding information on this website before deciding to use JAMS, including investigation and research of JAMS neutrals. See More

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