Justice (ret.)
Nominated by Gov. Gavin Newsom to serve as an Associate Justice of the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division Three; retired October 2, 2026. Appointed to the Orange County Superior Court judge by Gov. Jerry Brown, Oct. 29, 2018; partner, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, 2017-18; partner, BakerHostetler, 2005-17; shareholder, Alvarado Smith & Sanchez, APC, 1993-2005; managing counsel, Mazda Motor of America Inc., 1991-93; senior counsel, Hyundai Motor America, 1986-91; associate, Rutan & Tucker LLP, 1981-86.
UC Berkeley School of Law, 1981
Judicial Profiles
| Title | Court | Published |
|---|---|---|
| Doing the right thing | Orange County (Orange) | Oct. 25, 2019 |
Columns
| Title | Category | Published |
|---|---|---|
| The pitfalls of being an in-house lawyer | Corporate | Sep. 25, 2019 |
Rulings
| Case | Category | Published |
|---|---|---|
|
Modification: Applied Medical Resources Corp. v. Public Utilities Commission
author
|
Utilities | Aug. 26, 2026 |
|
People v. McAlister
author
|
Criminal Law and Procedure | Aug. 10, 2026 |
|
Applied Medical Resources Corp. v. Public Utilities Commission
author
|
Utilities | Aug. 5, 2026 |
|
Popa v. Simpson
author
|
Attorneys | Jun. 24, 2026 |
|
Fazel v. Pete Fowler Construction Services
author
|
Civil Procedure | Jun. 24, 2026 |
|
Waterford Property Co. v. County of Orange
author
|
Anti-SLAPP | May 12, 2026 |
|
Modification: Marriage of Nishida and Kamoda
author
|
Family Law | May 4, 2026 |
|
Marriage of Nishida and Kamoda
author
|
Family Law | May 1, 2026 |
|
NNN Capital Fund I, LLC v. Mikles
author
|
Arbitration | Apr. 16, 2026 |
|
Marriage of Hoch
author
|
Family Law | Mar. 13, 2026 |
|
Modification: Semaan v. Mosier
author
|
Anti-SLAPP | Feb. 27, 2026 |
|
Semaan v. Mosier
author
|
Anti-SLAPP | Feb. 9, 2026 |
|
Marriage of Patel
author
|
Family Law | Dec. 22, 2025 |
|
Houser v. Superior Court (Larsen)
author
|
Family Law | Dec. 15, 2025 |
|
Baer v. Tedder
author
|
Civil Procedure | Nov. 11, 2025 |
|
People v. Guzman
author
|
Criminal Law and Procedure | Oct. 23, 2025 |
|
Doe v. County of Orange
author
|
Remedies | Sep. 3, 2025 |
|
Wimber v. Scott
author
|
Civil Procedure | Aug. 1, 2025 |
|
Cobos v. National General Insurance Co.
author
|
Civil Procedure | Jul. 25, 2025 |
|
Marriage of Adeyeye and Faramaye
author
|
Family Law | Jun. 23, 2025 |
|
Velarde v. Monroe Operations, LLC
author
|
Arbitration | Jun. 9, 2025 |
|
Modification: Nazaryan v. Femtometrix
author
|
Contracts | May 14, 2025 |
|
Modification: People v. Temple
author
|
Criminal Law and Procedure | May 13, 2025 |
|
People v. Temple
author
|
Criminal Law and Procedure | May 7, 2025 |
|
Nazaryan v. Femtometrix
author
|
Contracts | Apr. 24, 2025 |
|
Golden State Boring v. Astaldi Construction
author
|
Contracts | Apr. 17, 2025 |
|
Modification: Montoya v. Superior Court (Fowler)
author
|
Torts | Mar. 28, 2025 |
|
Montoya v. Superior Court (Fowler)
author
|
Torts | Mar. 24, 2025 |
|
People v. Woods
author
|
Criminal Law and Procedure | Mar. 20, 2025 |
|
Santa Ana Police Officers Assn. et al. v. City of Santa Ana
author
|
Municipal Law | Mar. 3, 2025 |
|
Modification: People v. Townes
author
|
Criminal Law and Procedure | Feb. 5, 2025 |
|
People v. Townes
author
|
Criminal Law and Procedure | Feb. 4, 2025 |
|
Sheehy v. Chicago Title Insurance Co.
author
|
Civil Procedure | Jan. 22, 2025 |
|
Modification: Mercado v. Superior Court (Wolf)
author
|
Family Law | Nov. 25, 2024 |
|
Mercado v. Superior Court (Wolf)
author
|
Family Law | Nov. 22, 2024 |
|
People v. Hall
author
|
Criminal Law and Procedure | Sep. 9, 2024 |
|
People v. Lopez
author
|
Criminal Law and Procedure | Aug. 28, 2024 |
|
Marriage of Lietz
author
|
Evidence | Feb. 8, 2024 |
|
M.A. v. B.F.
dissenting
|
Criminal Law and Procedure | Feb. 6, 2024 |
|
Modification: People ex rel. Schlesinger v. Sachs
author
|
Government | Dec. 14, 2023 |
|
People ex rel. Schlesinger v. Sachs
author
|
Government | Dec. 5, 2023 |
|
Lurner v. American Golf Corp.
author
|
Disability Discrimination | Nov. 15, 2023 |
|
Mary's Kitchen v. City of Orange
author
|
Anti-SLAPP | Oct. 25, 2023 |
|
People v. Saavedra
author
|
Criminal Law and Procedure | Oct. 17, 2023 |
|
Glynn v. Orange Circle Lounge Inc.
author
|
Torts | Oct. 2, 2023 |
|
Martin v. THI E-Commerce, LLC
author
|
Disability Discrimination | Sep. 14, 2023 |
|
Last v. Superior Court (Last)
author
|
Family Law | Aug. 3, 2023 |
|
HNHPC v. Dept. of Cannabis Control
author
|
Administrative Agencies | Aug. 2, 2023 |
|
Marriage of Willis v. Costa-Willis
author
|
Family Law | Jul. 17, 2023 |
|
Olen Properties Corp. v. City of Newport Beach
author
|
Environmental Law | Jul. 10, 2023 |
|
Deck v. Developers Investment Co., Inc.
author
|
Civil Procedure | Mar. 27, 2023 |
|
Piplack v. In-N-Out Burgers
author
|
Arbitration | Mar. 8, 2023 |
|
Starr v. Ashbrook
author
|
Anti-SLAPP | Jan. 27, 2023 |
|
Modification: Shapell Socal Rental Properties v. Chico's FAS
author
|
Civil Procedure | Nov. 16, 2022 |
|
Doe v. Software One
author
|
Evidence | Nov. 9, 2022 |
|
Shapell Socal Rental Properties v. Chico's FAS
author
|
Civil Procedure | Oct. 18, 2022 |
|
California Business & Industrial Alliance v. Becerra
author
|
Constitutional Law | Jul. 1, 2022 |
|
In re Z.O.
author
|
Juveniles | May 26, 2022 |
|
Modification: People v. Lopez
author
|
Criminal Law and Procedure | May 23, 2022 |
|
People v. Lopez
author
|
Criminal Law and Procedure | May 2, 2022 |
|
McCord v. Smith
affirmed
|
Family Law | Jul. 1, 2020 |
Verdicts & Settlements
| Case Name | Topic | Role | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powerhouse Motorsports Group Inc., et al. v. Yamaha Motor Corp. USA | Contracts | Defendant | Sep. 10, 2011 |
| Title | Court | Published |
|---|---|---|
| Doing the right thing | Orange County (Orange) | Oct. 25, 2019 |
| Title | Category | Published |
|---|---|---|
| The pitfalls of being an in-house lawyer | Corporate | Sep. 25, 2019 |
| Case | Category | Published |
|---|---|---|
|
Modification: Applied Medical Resources Corp. v. Public Utilities Commission
author
|
Utilities | Aug. 26, 2026 |
|
People v. McAlister
author
|
Criminal Law and Procedure | Aug. 10, 2026 |
|
Applied Medical Resources Corp. v. Public Utilities Commission
author
|
Utilities | Aug. 5, 2026 |
|
Popa v. Simpson
author
|
Attorneys | Jun. 24, 2026 |
|
Fazel v. Pete Fowler Construction Services
author
|
Civil Procedure | Jun. 24, 2026 |
|
Waterford Property Co. v. County of Orange
author
|
Anti-SLAPP | May 12, 2026 |
|
Modification: Marriage of Nishida and Kamoda
author
|
Family Law | May 4, 2026 |
|
Marriage of Nishida and Kamoda
author
|
Family Law | May 1, 2026 |
|
NNN Capital Fund I, LLC v. Mikles
author
|
Arbitration | Apr. 16, 2026 |
|
Marriage of Hoch
author
|
Family Law | Mar. 13, 2026 |
|
Modification: Semaan v. Mosier
author
|
Anti-SLAPP | Feb. 27, 2026 |
|
Semaan v. Mosier
author
|
Anti-SLAPP | Feb. 9, 2026 |
|
Marriage of Patel
author
|
Family Law | Dec. 22, 2025 |
|
Houser v. Superior Court (Larsen)
author
|
Family Law | Dec. 15, 2025 |
|
Baer v. Tedder
author
|
Civil Procedure | Nov. 11, 2025 |
|
People v. Guzman
author
|
Criminal Law and Procedure | Oct. 23, 2025 |
|
Doe v. County of Orange
author
|
Remedies | Sep. 3, 2025 |
|
Wimber v. Scott
author
|
Civil Procedure | Aug. 1, 2025 |
|
Cobos v. National General Insurance Co.
author
|
Civil Procedure | Jul. 25, 2025 |
|
Marriage of Adeyeye and Faramaye
author
|
Family Law | Jun. 23, 2025 |
|
Velarde v. Monroe Operations, LLC
author
|
Arbitration | Jun. 9, 2025 |
|
Modification: Nazaryan v. Femtometrix
author
|
Contracts | May 14, 2025 |
|
Modification: People v. Temple
author
|
Criminal Law and Procedure | May 13, 2025 |
|
People v. Temple
author
|
Criminal Law and Procedure | May 7, 2025 |
|
Nazaryan v. Femtometrix
author
|
Contracts | Apr. 24, 2025 |
|
Golden State Boring v. Astaldi Construction
author
|
Contracts | Apr. 17, 2025 |
|
Modification: Montoya v. Superior Court (Fowler)
author
|
Torts | Mar. 28, 2025 |
|
Montoya v. Superior Court (Fowler)
author
|
Torts | Mar. 24, 2025 |
|
People v. Woods
author
|
Criminal Law and Procedure | Mar. 20, 2025 |
|
Santa Ana Police Officers Assn. et al. v. City of Santa Ana
author
|
Municipal Law | Mar. 3, 2025 |
|
Modification: People v. Townes
author
|
Criminal Law and Procedure | Feb. 5, 2025 |
|
People v. Townes
author
|
Criminal Law and Procedure | Feb. 4, 2025 |
|
Sheehy v. Chicago Title Insurance Co.
author
|
Civil Procedure | Jan. 22, 2025 |
|
Modification: Mercado v. Superior Court (Wolf)
author
|
Family Law | Nov. 25, 2024 |
|
Mercado v. Superior Court (Wolf)
author
|
Family Law | Nov. 22, 2024 |
|
People v. Hall
author
|
Criminal Law and Procedure | Sep. 9, 2024 |
|
People v. Lopez
author
|
Criminal Law and Procedure | Aug. 28, 2024 |
|
Marriage of Lietz
author
|
Evidence | Feb. 8, 2024 |
|
M.A. v. B.F.
dissenting
|
Criminal Law and Procedure | Feb. 6, 2024 |
|
Modification: People ex rel. Schlesinger v. Sachs
author
|
Government | Dec. 14, 2023 |
|
People ex rel. Schlesinger v. Sachs
author
|
Government | Dec. 5, 2023 |
|
Lurner v. American Golf Corp.
author
|
Disability Discrimination | Nov. 15, 2023 |
|
Mary's Kitchen v. City of Orange
author
|
Anti-SLAPP | Oct. 25, 2023 |
|
People v. Saavedra
author
|
Criminal Law and Procedure | Oct. 17, 2023 |
|
Glynn v. Orange Circle Lounge Inc.
author
|
Torts | Oct. 2, 2023 |
|
Martin v. THI E-Commerce, LLC
author
|
Disability Discrimination | Sep. 14, 2023 |
|
Last v. Superior Court (Last)
author
|
Family Law | Aug. 3, 2023 |
|
HNHPC v. Dept. of Cannabis Control
author
|
Administrative Agencies | Aug. 2, 2023 |
|
Marriage of Willis v. Costa-Willis
author
|
Family Law | Jul. 17, 2023 |
|
Olen Properties Corp. v. City of Newport Beach
author
|
Environmental Law | Jul. 10, 2023 |
|
Deck v. Developers Investment Co., Inc.
author
|
Civil Procedure | Mar. 27, 2023 |
|
Piplack v. In-N-Out Burgers
author
|
Arbitration | Mar. 8, 2023 |
|
Starr v. Ashbrook
author
|
Anti-SLAPP | Jan. 27, 2023 |
|
Modification: Shapell Socal Rental Properties v. Chico's FAS
author
|
Civil Procedure | Nov. 16, 2022 |
|
Doe v. Software One
author
|
Evidence | Nov. 9, 2022 |
|
Shapell Socal Rental Properties v. Chico's FAS
author
|
Civil Procedure | Oct. 18, 2022 |
|
California Business & Industrial Alliance v. Becerra
author
|
Constitutional Law | Jul. 1, 2022 |
|
In re Z.O.
author
|
Juveniles | May 26, 2022 |
|
Modification: People v. Lopez
author
|
Criminal Law and Procedure | May 23, 2022 |
|
People v. Lopez
author
|
Criminal Law and Procedure | May 2, 2022 |
|
McCord v. Smith
affirmed
|
Family Law | Jul. 1, 2020 |
| Case Name | Topic | Role | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powerhouse Motorsports Group Inc., et al. v. Yamaha Motor Corp. USA | Contracts | Defendant | Sep. 10, 2011 |