For more than 15 years, Judge Goodman served on the Sacramento County Superior Court bench as an active and assigned judge. For most of his judicial career, he was in a general trial assignment, presiding over all types of complex civil and criminal matters, retiring from the bench in 2022. He then served on an assignment basis for two years as the court’s Supervising Civil Settlement Judge whereby he conducted hundreds of settlement conferences and supervised attorneys acting as judges pro tem, before joining Judicate West as a full-time neutral.

He began his career as a deputy district attorney with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, helping launch the office’s hardcore gang unit. He was a Deputy Attorney General for the California Attorney General’s Office and founding member of the Major Fraud Unit, before he was promoted to serve as a Senior Assistant Attorney General, overseeing attorneys, auditors and law enforcement agents statewide. He also served as chief of white-collar criminal prosecutions for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California. He spent a decade in private practice, focusing on civil litigation and white-collar defense, before his appointment to the bench in 2009.

Judge Goodman’s approach to ADR disputes is to handle each case with patience, perseverance and respect, with the goal of reaching a fair resolution.

Practice Areas
  • Business/Commercial
  • Construction
  • Employment
  • Governmental
  • Healthcare
  • Professional Malpractice
  • Personal Injury
  • Real Estate
Hobbies & Interests

Outside the law, Judge Goodman enjoys hiking, travelling, and playing music. He sings, plays harmonica and guitar, and frequently performs with his band which offers up a mix of blues, country, and rock tunes.

Legal Career
  • Full-time Neutral, Judicate West (2025-Present)
  • Supervising Civil Settlement Judge, Sacramento County Superior Court (2022-2024); Conducted more than 500 settlement conferences involving all type of cases, including, personal injury, wrongful death, elder abuse, fraud, employment issues, discrimination, malpractice, contract, business, property disputes, regulatory challenges and toxic torts.
  • Judge, Sacramento County Superior Court (2009-2022); Presided over a wide variety of complex civil and criminal matters
  • Partner, Nossaman LLP; Civil litigation, white collar defense, internal investigations (2008-2009)
  • Partner, Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld LLP; Civil litigation, white collar defense, internal investigations (1999-2008)
  • Partner, Diepenbrock Wulff Plant & Hannegan; Civil litigation, white collar defense (1998-1999)
  • Chief of White Collar Criminal Prosecutions, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of California (1992-1998)
  • Deputy Attorney General, Senior Assistant Attorney General, California Office of the Attorney General; Criminal Fraud Prosecutions; Founding Member of the Major Fraud Unit (1984-1991)
  • Consultant, CA Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice (1981-1984)
  • Deputy District Attorney, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office; Criminal Prosecution; Founding Member of Hardcore Gang Unit (1997-1981)
  • Clerk, California Supreme Court (1976-1977)
Education & Professional Affiliations
  • J.D., UCLA School of Law (1973-1976)
  • B.A., University of Southern California (1969-1973)
  • Anthony M. Kennedy Inn of Court, Member (2009-2013)
  • Sacramento County Bar Association, Member (1999-2009)
Serving as a judicial officer for 15 years and a trial lawyer for more than twenty years, Judge Goodman has been involved in most every type of case. That litigation experience has equipped Judge Goodman with the ability to sort through complex matters to identify the core issues that need to be addressed in resolving disputes. In addition to the broad range of cases personally handled as a lawyer and trial judge, for two years Judge Goodman served as the Supervising Settlement Conference Judge where he personally mediated more than 500 matters involving all type of civil cases, successfully settling the majority of those cases.

Contractual

  • Served as a trial judge in a dispute between national cosmetic retailers with competing claims of breach of contract, unfair business practices, product disparagement and interference with business relationships.
  • Mediated a case in which a plaintiff contended he was improperly ousted from an investment firm he co-founded, and was seeking damages in the seven-figure range.
  • Mediated a dispute between partners in a roofing business relating to who is entitled to control the business and disposition of real property owned by the business.
  • Mediated a dispute over the rights to ownership and AKC registration of a puppy sold to plaintiffs by the defendant.
  • Mediated a case involving the sale of an easement for a billboard and a cell tower.
  • Mediated a business dispute between the owners of competing suppliers of natural stone flooring and countertops.
  • Mediated a dispute between co-investors in a house-flipping venture.
  • Mediated a lease dispute between a landlord and a proposed restaurant tenant.
  • Mediated a dispute involving the sale and re-sale of tens of thousands of dollars worth of sports cards.
  • Mediated a case in which a plaintiff's winery sought damages from a storage facility alleging harm to products by the defendant’s failing to properly regulate temperature.
  • Mediated an alleged contract breach, fraud and conversion claims in connection with the purchase and sale of a hospitality franchise.
  • Mediated a multi-party case in which damages to thousands of dollars of perishable products were sought after a refrigeration unit failed.

Contractual Healthcare

  • Litigated a case in which the owner of a skilled nursing facility was bilking Medicare of reimbursements in the seven-figure range for medical supplies that were never ordered.
  • Litigated a case involving a major health insurer and the defrauding of Medicare on performance evaluations.
  • Litigated a case involving health care entities and individual practitioners in multiple fraud investigations.
  • Litigated a case involving a County in a False Claim Act case alleging false billing for mental health services.
  • Litigated a case involving a Federally Qualified Health Center in False Claims Act case brought by a whistleblower who alleged billing and cost report fraud.
  • Litigated a case involving a hematologist accused of Medicare billing fraud for billing for chemotherapy administration.

Cannabis Breach Of Contract

  • Mediated multiple cases involving a contract and regulatory disputes regarding cannabis start-up ventures.

Construction Breach Of Contract

  • Mediated a dispute between an electrical contractor and a builder of an apartment complex; breach of contract and construction defects were alleged.
  • Mediated a case between a builder and a roof spray foam installer for failure to pay for services.

Construction Defect Mold

  • Mediated a dispute relating to improper mold remediation.

Construction Defects

  • Mediated a personal injury matter that took place in a major shopping center. Multiple parties were sued based on an allegation that the cause of a slip and fall was leakage caused by a construction defect.
  • Mediated a complex and long-running construction defect case relating to repairs to a northern California harbor whose facilities were seriously damaged in prior storms.

Discrimination

  • He was a trial judge in a race and disability discrimination case with allegations against the state regulatory bureau.
  • Mediated a case in which the plaintiff alleged age discrimination against a long-term employer.
  • Mediated a matter in which a plaintiff, an employee of a major retail tire company, alleged she was the victim of harassment and discrimination based on gender.
  • Mediated a case brought by a physician employee of a state university alleging gender harassment and discrimination and whistleblower retaliation in connection with various medical procedures with which she and her team were involved.

PAGA

  • Mediated a PAGA claim alleging failure to reimburse employees for expenses incurred while working remotely.

Wage and Hour

  • Mediated scores of cases involving claims of wage and hour violations and discrimination against both government agencies and private employers.

Complex Civil Matters

  • As a litigator, handled the largest investment fraud case in the Eastern District of California, an eight-figure Ponzi scheme, promising investors guaranteed returns through arbitrage of commodity markets.

Government Liability

  • Adjudicated a tax dispute with thr Board of Equalization over an application of environmental fees for hazardous waste disposal.
  • Adjudicated a matter involving penalties for alleged business zoning violations.
  • Adjudicated a challenge to suspension of a contractor’s license for failure to pay state taxes.

Subrogation

  • Mediated multiple insurance subrogation matters.

General IP

  • Mediated numerous cases involving claims of unfair competition and misuse of intellectual property.
  • Mediated a matter in which a prominent financial services firm sued a former employee alleging theft of client lists and other proprietary information.

IP Copyright

  • Represented a major media company in a federal suit alleging copyright infringement.
  • Represented two Northern California counties in a copyright infringement action suit.

IP Trade Secrets

  • Represented a chemical company against allegations of theft of trade secrets, unfair competition and trademark infringement.

Medical Mal Dental

  • Mediated a case against a dentist alleging extraction of the wrong tooth.

Medical Malpractice

  • Served as a trial judge in a medical malpractice/wrongful death case involving a claim of failure to diagnose and properly treat a brain swelling.
  • Mediated a medical malpractice case alleging negligence during a delivery, causing injury to baby and mother.
  • Mediated a malpractice action case against a chiropractor for causing an injury by excessive force during manipulations.
  • Mediated a medical practice/wrongful death case alleging failure to diagnose and take sufficiently rapid action to prevent the death of a baby during delivery.
  • Mediated a medical malpractice case alleging an unnecessary interventional procedure that caused an injury and lack of an informed consent to the procedure.

Professional Malpractice Legal

  • Served as a trial judge in a case alleging theft by an attorney of settlement proceeds.

Real Property

  • Mediated more than 10 partition matters.
  • Mediated a case seeking inverse condemnation, a quiet-title and declaratory relief against a state agency whose actions were claimed to pollute the plaintiff’s property.
  • Mediated claims by and against homeowners associations.
  • Mediated a dispute between adjacent property owners regarding easements for access and parking for tenants of a multiple unit apartment complex.
  • Mediated multiple disputes between neighboring property owners regarding damage to a property from water runoff and erosion.

Assault and Battery

  • Served as a trial judge in a matter in which a train conductor sued his employer for injuries he suffered after being beaten by third parties while on the job.

Personal Injury

  • Served as a trial judge in a matter in which a member of a fraternity sued the fraternity and some of its members for injuries allegedly caused by unlawful hazing in violation of California’s anti-hazing law.

PI Auto

  • Mediated hundreds of car crash matters—many involving damage claims of seven figures or more.

PI Bicycle

  • Served as a trial judge in a personal injury case in which a tandem bicycle struck two pedestrians on a bike trail resulting in a seven-figure verdict against the pedestrians.

PI Sexual Assault

  • Mediated a case in which a plaintiff alleged she was sexually assaulted more than 20 years earlier when she attended a church-sponsored camp.
  • Mediated a case alleging sexual harassment of a patient at a mental health facility.
  • Mediated a case alleging sexual battery by a doctor during an examination.
  • Mediated a matter brought by a plaintiff who alleged she was sexually abused by a church’s pastor when she was a child and that the church was aware of the abuse and took no action.

Premises Liability

  • Mediated a case in which a plaintiff sued a fast food establishment for a fall on the gravel in a handicapped parking area.

Toxic Torts

  • Mediated a toxic tort matter in which a plaintiff claimed injuries for exposure to hazardous products manufactured or sold by multiple defendants.
Judge Goodman is one of the most analytical and perceptive mediators I have ever mediated with. His ability to cut to the chase is remarkable and allows the parties to focus on what is truly important in order to settle the case. His calm yet assertive demeanor creates an environment where everyone feels heard and respected, which is essential for achieving resolution. Additionally, his vast experience and deep understanding of the law allow him to offer invaluable insights that guide the process toward a successful conclusion.
- Managing Partner at a Top California Law Firm
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Hon. Geoffrey A. Goodman, Ret.
Based in Northern California | Available in All of California
Mediation Case Manager: Rebecca Hoefer
Arbitration/Private Judging Case Manager: Heidi Adams
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