Judge Bachner has garnered an outstanding reputation over the course of her impressive four-decade legal career. As a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge for over 20 years, she sat in criminal and civil departments, during which she presided over a civil unlimited independent calendar and trial court for the last seven years.
Prior to her appointment, she was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, where she served in a variety of managerial positions, including as chief prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s Orange County office.
While serving as a bench officer, Judge Bachner was settlement-oriented and often assisted attorneys in resolving discovery disputes, facilitating their progress toward trial. Judge Bachner describes her approach to private dispute resolution, with the following, “My role as a neutral is to assist the parties in finding mutual agreement. It is important to understand the legal issues and the litigants’ motivations while ensuring that all parties are heard. I will always be fair to all sides and consider the facts and the law presented.”
Practice Areas
- Business Litigation
- Construction Defect
- Employment and Labor Law
- Insurance
- Lemon Law
- Professional Malpractice
- Real Estate
Hobbies & Interests
Judge Bachner has a passion for education and giving back to others. She chaired the Los Angeles Superior Court’s Education Committee for many years and has served as an instructor or panelist on various topics including anti-SLAPP motions, arbitrations and experts. She has also dedicated her time to teaching trial advocacy to law students and mentoring students. She spends her free time studying French (her mother's first language), traveling with family and friends, and reading books.
Legal Career
- Full-time Neutral, Judicate West (2023-Present)
- Judge, Los Angeles County Superior Court (2002-2023). Most recently served as a Civil Trial Judge from 2016-2023, presiding over unlimited independent calendar and trial court; other roles include: Pro Tem, Second District Court of Appeal; Supervising Judge, North Valley District, and Criminal Trial Judge
- Assistant United States Attorney, U.S Attorney’s Office, Central District of California (1984-2002). Prosecuted white-collar cases including investment fraud, securities fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion; handled complex criminal cases from investigation and grand jury indictment through trial and appeal; briefed and argued cases before the Ninth Circuit; edited briefs of other AUSAs; coordinated education of experienced AUSAs in the Central District of California, and taught various classes to AUSAs and law enforcement
- Associate, Kadison, Pfaelzer, Woodard, Quinn & Rossi (1981-1984). Civil litigation associate handling commercial litigation and antitrust cases.
Education & Professional Affiliations
- J.D., Columbia Law School (1978-1981)
- B.A., Harvard, Radcliffe College (1974-1978)
- Mediating the Litigated Case, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution - Pepperdine Law (2022)
- Judicial Education Seminars, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Chair (2016-2023); Member (2010-2023)
Achievements & Awards
- Lecturer at USC School of Law (2002-2022)
Below is a sampling of the various matters Hon. Monica Bachner, Ret. presided over on the bench, tried as an attorney, or handled as a neutral.
Breach of Privacy
- Adjudicated a case involving invasion of privacy and related negligence claims as to filming in women’s locker room.
Contractual
- Presided over a court trial regarding a breach of a commercial lease.
- Adjudicated a dispute regarding ownership and control of foreign LLCS created to develop and sell real estate.
- Involved in the enforcement of about a $30 million in sister state judgment case involving alter ego allegations, turnover, amendment, and assignment motions, jurisdiction over foreign trusts.
- Adjudicated a breach of contract suit involving more than $ 1 million in unpaid legal bills as to production loans to finance movies and representation in state court cases and arbitrations.
- Presided over a court trial on a derivative action alleging breach of fiduciary duty and misappropriation of a business opportunity relating to a real estate investment involving long-time business partners, limited liability companies, and Internal Revenue 1031 exchanges.
- Adjudicated a case involving a fraud suit by a professional athlete against his former business manager alleging creation of corporate entities, diversion of funds, countersuit against player and player’s family relating to the ownership of those corporate entities, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of contract.
- Adjudicated a dispute between two waste collection companies regarding the scope of the franchise provided by the city.
- Adjudicated a breach of contract case regarding a promissory note.
- Adjudicated a case relating to a joint venture to develop a home appliance for distribution in the United States.
- Adjudicated a dispute regarding terms of 8-figure commercial loan.
- Adjudicated a dispute re dissolution of general partnership.
- Adjudicated a case involving breach of contract, and fraud allegations regarding a medical service provider.
- Adjudicated a dispute regarding an enterprise to flip residential properties.
- Adjudicated a dispute over ownership of multiple apparel corporations, foreign and domestic.
- Adjudicated a contractual dispute regarding a shareholder buy-out agreement.
- Adjudicated a dispute relating to Kosher certification services.
- Adjudicated a breach of fiduciary duty and fraud case alleging corporate executives in the cosmetics industry sought kickbacks from factories.
- Adjudicated an interference with contractual relations case based on a claim that the defendant demanded that venues cease business with the plaintiff because of alleged sexual assaults.
- Mediated a contractual dispute relating to a professional services contract with a large entertainment company.
Fraud/Misrepresentation
- Mediated a pretrial neutral evaluation of a contract dispute.
Lemon Law
- Adjudicated numerous lemon law cases.
Cannabis Breach Of Contract
- Adjudicated a case regarding declaratory relief as to the regulation of commercial cannabis businesses in a city.
- Adjudicated a breach of contract case regarding funding for building for cannabis business and finder’s fee.
Construction Breach Of Contract
- Mediated a dispute regarding the sale of a home with undisclosed modifications.
Construction Defects
- Adjudicated a case relating to a medical office building and parking structure.
- Adjudicated a construction defect case arising out of a construction project for housing on a college campus.
- Adjudicated a lawsuit regarding the alleged defective construction of a residential pool.
- Adjudicated a construction defect and insurance coverage case regarding a multi-million-dollar property.
- Adjudicated a construction defect case regarding the improvement of a 35-condominium property.
Breach of Contract
- Settled a case brought against the school district involving a contract and workman's compensation claims.
Disability
- Mediated a case involving an employee with ADHD claimed disability discrimination, failure to accommodate, retaliation and termination after a request for medical leave.
Wage and Hour
- Mediated a disability discrimination case brought against an advertising agency.
Wrongful Termination
- Adjudicated many PAGA cases regarding meal periods, rest periods.
- Adjudicated a PAGA case relating to failure to maintain temperature and provide seating.
- Adjudicated disability discrimination/harassment, failure to prevent, retaliation cases.
- Adjudicated a case involving sexual harassment, retaliation, and failure to prevent at a bank.
- Adjudicated a case involving harassment, disability discrimination claims by a probation officer.
- Adjudicated an employment case alleging age discrimination and wrongful termination against a transportation company.
- Adjudicated a case alleging disability discrimination, retaliation, and related causes of action brought by a deaf teacher against a school district.
- Adjudicated a case involving retaliation, wrongful termination, and failure to provide a safe working environment in violation of CAL-OSHA by an employee of an aerospace firm.
- Adjudicated a dispute regarding an alleged agreement to invest in a private equity fund.
- Adjudicated an employment case involving allegations of the Equal Pay Act, and retaliation claims by a female employee against a large financial institution.
- Adjudicated an age discrimination case.
- Mediated an employment case claiming discrimination based upon family and marital status.
Entertainment Issues
- Adjudicated a dispute alleging violation of securities law regarding investment in a film production.
- Adjudicated a dispute regarding monetary guarantee as to financing a film.
- Handled a confirmation of an arbitration award regarding residuals.
- Adjudicated a dispute regarding credits and fees on a foreign film production.
- Adjudicated a dispute regarding executive credits and casting decisions.
Educational Disputes
- Adjudicated a suit for a refund of property taxes and special assessments by a charter school.
- Adjudicated a declaratory relief suit by a charter school regarding millions of dollars billed for past equitable contributions for special education services.
Coverage
- Adjudicated a case involving the interpretation of a business interruption insurance policy.
- Adjudicated a case regarding the coverage of water intrusion onto commercial property.
General IP
- Adjudicated a trade secret misappropriation and breach of contract case relating to real estate agent and broker’s clients.
- Adjudicated a commercial case regarding the assignment of a patent by the CEO of a company to a former executive of that company.
Medical Malpractice
- Adjudicated a medical malpractice case involving the claim of injury to a newborn’s finger.
Professional Malpractice Legal
- Adjudicated a legal malpractice case relating to estate planning.
- Adjudicated a case alleging accountant malpractice and partnership agreement to flip homes.
- Adjudicated a legal malpractice case relating to the disclosure of confidential information.
Real Property
- Presided over a court trial regarding quiet title as to acreage adjacent to a public highway.
- Adjudicated a fraud case regarding an inspection report provided to the plaintiff in connection with the purchase of real property.
- Adjudicated a case regarding partition actions involving the division of properties between relatives.
- Adjudicated a dispute regarding the scope of an agreement to use the car wash portion of a commercial property.
- Adjudicated a commercial landlord-tenant dispute.
- Adjudicated a dispute regarding terms of leases of multiple rent-controlled apartments.
- Adjudicated a dispute over enforcement of easement within a commercial building.
- Adjudicated multiple habitability cases including a jury trial.
- Adjudicated a commercial unlawful detainer case.
- Adjudicated a case involving public nuisance regarding the unpermitted use of commercial antennae.
- Adjudicated a case involving a breach of a commercial contract with an affirmative defense that the tenant was excused from paying rent because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Adjudicated multiple wrongful eviction cases including jury trial.
- Adjudicated a case involving a negligence action against the city claiming street repair caused water intrusion into an adjacent commercial building.
- Adjudicated a case involving a suit by the city attempting to prevent short-term residencies as in violation of the original development agreement with the city.
- Adjudicated a case involving a suit regarding water seepage from one property onto the adjoining downhill property.
- Adjudicated a case involving an unlawful detainer with habitability defense alleging the presence of toxic chemicals.
- Adjudicated multiple cases involving boundary disputes between neighbors.
Warranty of Habitability
- Adjudicated a negligence and public nuisance case alleging bedbugs in a hotel.
Elder Abuse
- Adjudicated an alleged elder abuse case.
Personal Injury
- Adjudicated a negligence case relating to a fall in an auditorium.
Judge Bachner is wonderful. Both in trial and in motion practice. She very carefully LISTENS to both sides and then breaks down logical arguments, pros and cons. What I particularly appreciate is her willingness to make tough decisions. She calls it right. Congratulations on partnering with her. I would recommend her without hesitation.
- Founding Partner at a Los Angeles Law Firm and Recognized as One of the Nation's Top Trial Lawyers
Before the mediation, the parties were at polar opposites and thus my expectations were low that anything could be accomplished through mediation. Judge Bachner moved both parties significantly off their positions.
- Partner at a Global Law Firm
It was handled in a professional and efficient manner.
- Attorney on a Business Contractual Fraud Case
Judge Bachner had a great temperament as a jurist and settlement officer while she was on the bench. She is very intelligent and analytical and clearly sees the issues from all angles.
- Partner at a Top Law Firm, Focused on Complex Civil Litigation and Business Matters
