Hon. James J. Di Cesare, Ret.

All types of Personal Injury, Business/Contractual, Employment, Insurance Bad Faith, Lemon Law, Professional Malpractice, Medical Negligence, Real Estate

A lawyer-friendly judge, Judge James J. Di Cesare has been described as the consummate judge and as "experienced, fair, and of the highest character."

Drawing upon 49 years of combined legal experience, including 29 years as a civil practitioner, Judge Di Cesare was appointed to the Orange County Superior Court bench in 2001. During his two decades of distinguished service, he presided over hundreds of jury trials, non-jury trials, and settlement conferences and served on the court's Unlimited Civil Panel for 15 years, presiding over a wide variety of civil disputes. Before and during the pandemic, Judge Di Cesare served as Civil Supervising Judge for almost two years.

Among Judge Di Cesare's credits is the precedent-setting, insurance bad faith case, Boicourt v. Amex Assurance Company, 78 Cal. App. 4th 1390 (2000). Regarded as a landmark victory for those negotiating with insurance companies in California and routinely cited in personal injury cases, the decision requires insurance companies to protect their insured by effectuating policy limit settlements when reasonable settlement opportunities are available.

Judge Di Cesare has received numerous awards and honors, including: the Orange County Bar Association's (OCBA) Franklin G. West Award for lifetime achievements that advance justice and the law (2015); the Orange County Trial Lawyers' Judge Oliver Award for Judicial Integrity, Compassion, and Courage (2009); and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABTL) Orange County Chapter's George Francis Judicial Civility Award for Judicial Integrity (2008). He was also recognized as "Judge of the Year" by OCBA's Business Litigation Section (2014) and the Orange County Women Lawyers Association (2013). Judge Di Cesare has also been honored with the California State Bar's Wiley W. Manual Award for pro bono legal services (1998), recognizing his efforts on behalf of low-income clients.

judgedicesare@judicatewest.com

714-834-1340

www.judicatewest.com/adr/james-dicesare