During Judge Mooney’s 27 years on the Los Angeles Courts, he has earned a reputation for his pleasant judicial temperament and fair and respectful treatment of counsel. Having been a civil trial lawyer, specializing in medical negligence, product liability, insurance, and federal torts, he appreciates applying the law and zealous advocacy.
He sat in several departments for the Superior Court with most of his time serving in an independent calendar department. He presided over discovery proceedings and civil trials and conducted many settlement conferences in employment, civil rights, construction defect, product liability, professional malpractice, lemon law, mass tort, real estate, and personal injury cases. As a trial lawyer and judge, he has been involved in several bar groups such as Los Angeles County Bar Association, ABTL, and ABOTA, served on panels, and authored articles.
One attorney said, “I always enjoyed trying cases in Judge Mooney’s court. He is a trial lawyers' judge. He understands the law, is extremely prepared and quick-witted, and allows counsel to try their cases. He is going to make an excellent private judge.”
- Employment Law
- Lemon Law
- Medical Negligence
- Personal Injury
- Products Liability
- Professional Malpractice
Judge Mooney loves music and plays multiple instruments including the banjo, mandolin, guitar, and ukulele. He also enjoys outdoor sports such as bicycling and skiing, and recently completed a solo bike ride across the United States.
- Full-time Neutral, Judicate West (2023-Present)
- Judge, Los Angeles County Superior Court (1998-2022)
- Judge, Los Angeles Municipal Court (1995-1998)
- Assistant U.S Attorney, U.S Attorney’s Office - Central District of California; Specializing in Federal Tort Claims (1991-1995)
- Associate Attorney, Lafollette, Johnson, DeHaas, Fesler & Ames; Specializing in Medical Malpractice, Products Liability and Public Entity Defense (1988-1991)
- Associate Attorney, Torres & Brenner; Specializing in Medical Malpractice and Public Entity Defense (1987)
- Associate Attorney, Hillsinger & Costanzo, PC; Specializing in Medical Malpractice, Products Liability and Public Entity Defense (1982-1987)
- J.D., Southern Methodist University School of Law (1981)
- B.A., University of Southern California (1978)
- Mediating the Litigated Case, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University (2022)
- Judge of the Year Award, American Board of Trial Advocates, (ABOTA) Los Angeles Chapter (2019)
- Trial Judge of the Year Award, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA) (2010)
Wage and Hour
- During his time on the bench, he presided over numerous employment-related disputes.
Medical Malpractice
- As an attorney, much of his practice focused on medical negligence matters.
Product Liability
- As an attorney, he specialized in products liability cases.
