Cathy Yanni has settled tens of thousands of cases, facilitated distribution of billions of dollars in settlement funds to Claimants, and designed and implemented dozens of claims processes. She has been a Court Appointed Special Master and/or Mediator in cases involving wildfires, multi district litigation, mass torts, and class actions. Yanni became the Trustee of the Fire Victim Trust on July 1, 2022. The trust was created from the PG&E bankruptcy. As trustee, Yanni is in charge of the claims program, third-party litigation and monetizing the stock.

In addition to being appointed as an appeal panelist in the Takata Airbag Tort Compensation Trust Fund established in the TK Holdings Inc. bankruptcy case, she has been appointed as an Administrator, Special Master, or Mediator in thousands of other cases. She also worked to formulate a resolution program for the 2007 San Diego fire cases, ultimately acting as mediator and arbitrator for the program.

Cathy Yanni's substantive knowledge, focused attention to detail, and persistent follow-up are the keys to her high success. Yanni has regularly been included on the "National Mediators" List, Chambers USA since 2019, where she is acknowledged for her "'high-quality' reputation." She is praised for her ability to " bring order to the most complex settlement scenarios." Chambers USA (2024). 

Representative Matters

• Bankruptcy
• Yanni became the Trustee of the Fire Victim Trust effective July 1, 2022. As Trustee, Yanni oversees the resolution of over 254,000 claims from nearly 72,000 claimants damaged by the 2015 Butte, 2017 North Bay, and 2018 Camp Fires, paying over $12.76 billion to fire survivors.  The Trust was created in July 2020 and funded with both cash and 477 million shares of stock pursuant to PG&E’s Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization.  Under Yanni’s financial stewardship, the Trust finalized stock sales, realizing over $750 million more than the $13.5 billion funding anticipated at its formation. The trust has given determination notices to 100% of the claimants and 99% of all claimants has accepted
• Appointed by the Hon. Dennis Montali to be the Administrator of the $13.5B Fire Victim Trust, which was created as part of PG&E’s bankruptcy settlement. The US Bankruptcy Court approved formation and funding of the Trust to compensate approximately 70,000 victims of the 2015 Butte Fire, 2017 North Bay Fires, and 2018 Camp Fire
• Appointed to be the Administrator of the Wildfire Assistance Program fund on June 5, 2019 by the Hon. Dennis Montali in the matter of In re: PG&E Corporation and Pacific Gas and Electric Company, No. 19-30088- DM (Bankruptcy case). The $105 million-dollar fund was distributed to the victims of the 2017 and 2018 Northern California Wildfires
• Appellate review officer for Takata Airbag Tort Compensation Trust Fund.  The $140 million Trust was established pursuant to a February 2017 criminal plea agreement between the US Department of Justice and Takata to resolve felony charges brought by the government against Takata in connection with the design, manufacture and sale of defective airbag inflators
• Business Commercial
• Mediated numerous breach of contract cases between all sizes of business entities, issues included valuation, accounting, patents, trade secrets, and securities
• Mediated breach of warranty claims by high tech computer company
• Mediated dispute between large utility company and university regarding ongoing contractual agreements
• Class Action & Mass Tort

Pharmaceutical/Biotech/Medical Device/Life Sciences Mass Torts

• Special Master for In Re National Prescription Opiate Litigation MDL. Appointed by Hon. Daniel A. Polster, United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. Liaison to the tribes and coordinating state and federal litigation
• Settlement Special Master for the Abilify MDL. Appointed by the Hon. M. Casey Rodgers, United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
• Settlement Special Master for Medtronic Infuse. Appointed by the Hon. John D. Minton, Kentucky Supreme Court, mediation and allocation
• Special Master and Mediator: Transvaginal Mesh (TVM) Cases. Appointed by The Hon. Joseph Goodwin, Southern District of West Virginia as Special Master to assist settlement and allocation of multiple settlements in the Boston Scientific, Covidien, Coloplast, AMS, and BARD MDLs involving thousands of claims and heard hundreds of appeals.
• Special Master and Mediator by agreement of the parties for the St. Jude Riata Lead Wire Medical Device Litigation
• Special Master for St. Jude Medical/Eon Mini Model Cases. Acted as Mediator and Special Master for settlement and allocation
• Special Master for In re: DePuy Orthopedics, Inc., ASR™ Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation. Appointed by the Hon. David A. Katz, Northern District of Ohio to assist with distribution of multiple billion dollar settlements. Special Master and mediator CA JCCP
• Special Master by agreement of the parties for Kelly v. Xoft, for claims arising out of alleged tungsten migration used in breast cancer treatment
• Mediator for the Zimmer Biomet Hip Litigation
• Mediator for the Wolf Morcellator Litigation
• Mediator for the Advanced Bionics and Cochlear implants litigation
• Special Master by The Hon. Dan Polster, US District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, in Gadolinium Contrast Dyes Product Liability Litigation. Settled MDL and state court allocated settlements.
• Special Master by The Hon. Richard Kramer, Superior Court of California, San Francisco County by agreement of the parties for the JCCP, Gadolinium Contrast Dyes Product Liability Litigation
• Mediator appointed by the Hon. Anthony Mohr, Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County, for PPA cases, settled Federal MDL litigation and state court cases, allocated settlements
• Appointed Federal Mediator in Baycol MDL by The Hon. Michael J. Davis, District of Minnesota, settled MDL and state court cases
• Mediated and allocated claims for Avandia, Yaz and Yasmin litigation
• Mediator for over 1,000 Fen-Phen diet drug related cases: Federal MDL and state court
• Settlement Special Master for the Bextra MDL to allocate and distribute proceeds
• Settlement Special Master for the Ortho Evra MDL to design, implement and distribute proceeds
• Settlement Special Master for the Zyprexa I, II MDL appointed by the Hon. Jack Weinstein, Eastern District of New York, to design and implement claims administration process and allocation of settlement
• Appointed Federal Mediator in Silicone Gel Breast Implant Litigation by The Hon. Denise Hood, US District Court Eastern District Michigan

Privacy/Data Breach/Technology Class Actions 

• Special Master and Mediator in data breach and privacy class actions
• Special Master and Mediator for consumer class actions involving multiple high-tech companies
• Mediator in claims concerning operating systems, apps, desktop and notebook computers, software, computer displays, and digital music players

Food and Beverage Class Actions 

• Mediated class actions involving food products including food additives, supplements, dried fruit, eggs, and yogurt
• Mediated false advertising class actions claims including raw milk and coconut water

Other Mass Actions

• As a Special Master designed, implemented, and allocated the Oso Landslide Washington state settlement.  The slide killed 43 people
• Special Master and Mediator for Americans with Disabilities Act class actions against major public and private universities, monitoring of post-settlement consent decrees

Commercial Class Actions

• Served as a Mediator in California Business and Professions Code §17200 cases involving financial institutions and automotive dealers
• Mediated class actions involving the citizens of Guam and distribution of $90 million dollars of earned income tax credits (mediated in Guam)
• Served as mediator in cross-border, multi-national class action (mediated in Japan) involving Japanese conglomerate and U.S. companies’ banking dispute
• Employment Law

Employment Class Actions

• Mediator in Polo Ralph Lauren California wage and hour and overtime pay class action
• Mediated employment discrimination class action involving African American claimants against a Fortune 500 company
• Appointed by the Hon. Marilyn Hall Patel, US District Court, Northern District of California, to oversee all aspects of a multiparty racial discrimination case
• Special Master and Mediator in wage and hour class actions including PAGA claims involving financial institutions, insurance companies, retailers, automotive dealers, and vehicle rental companies
• Settlement Special Master allocated and adjudicated claims involving financial institutions, insurance companies, retailers, automotive dealers, and vehicle rental companies
• Special Master of numerous wage and hour cases involving allocation of settlement proceeds among class members
• Mediated numerous wage and hour class action and individual cases including alleged misclassification of employees as exempt, failure to provide meal and rest periods, donning and doffing cases, improper distribution of tips, and PAGA claims

Wrongful Termination

• Mediated numerous breach of contract claims including commission issues and intellectual property (non-competition and trade secret) 
• Mediated executive termination cases including restricted stock, valuation of stock options, and stock option vesting
• Mediated public entity wrongful termination and whistleblower cases
• Mediated retaliation claims allegedly for engaging in protected activity and unlawful practices

Discrimination

• Acted as Special Master and mediator in class actions and individual claims involving age, race, gender, disability, religion, national origin or sexual orientation
• Mediated pregnancy and family medical leave/family rights discrimination cases involving termination of employees on leave and failure to reinstate employees

Sexual Harassment

• Mediated individual and multiple claims including minors, sexual abuse, and significant psychological injuries involving federal and state law
• Fertility
• Mediated and allocated settlements in cases involving fertility product liability claims involving allegations of manufacturing defect, design defect, negligence, and negligent failure to recall.
• Mediated and allocated settlements in cases involving product liability claims against multiple manufacturers of a solution used in the fertility process (IVF)
• Health Care
• Mediated claims involving hospitals, nursing homes, doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel
• Mediated all types of physical and financial elder abuse cases including actions against skilled nursing facilities, residential care facilities, assisted living facilities, and hospitals, plus claims of understaffing, fraud, mishandling finances, and unfair business practices
• Intellectual Property
• Mediated trade secret, copyright, and trademark dispute between competing dental groups
• Mediated breach of contract dispute between 3D computer game designer and game company
• Mediated breach of contract dispute between high-tech company and software supplier
• Mediated corporate dissolution between founder and company regarding intellectual property rights and employment issues
• Mediated e-commerce dispute between internet interactive educational corporations
• Mediated partnership dissolution issues involving copyright, trademark, and royalty rights
• Mediated trademark case involving misuse of trade nam
• Product Liability
• Mediated all types of product liability cases involving airplanes, automobiles, sport utility vehicle rollovers, faulty brakes, tires, airbags, seat belts, and gas tank explosions
• Wildfire and Fire
• Mediated and created a resolution program for thousands of claims including business losses, property damage, and personal injury claims arising from the October 2007 San Diego wildfires

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

•  Included on the "National Mediators" List, Chambers USA, 2019-2024
• Recognized as an “ADR Champion,” National Law Journal, 2016, 2018
• Recognized as "Top Master," Daily Journal Top California Neutrals List, 2013
• Recognized as a "Top California Neutral," Daily Journal, 2003-2008, 2010-2012
• Recognized as AV Preeminent in Martindale-Hubbell Lawyer Ratings
• Woman of Achievement Award, Legal Momentum, 2008
• Past President and Board of Directors, Academy of Court-Appointed Masters (ACAM)
• Lecturer, Mediation and Negotiation, Stanford Law School, University of California Berkeley School of Law, University of San Francisco School of Law, Golden Gate Law School, University of California College of the Law (UC Law SF), University of San Diego School of Law, Santa Clara University School of Law, Duke University Law School
• Conducts CLE seminars on ADR: Mediation, Negotiation, Ethics, Bias, Employment, Special Masters and Referees, Intellectual Property.
• "Big Cases, Personal Touch," Daily Journal, ADR Profile

Background and Education

• Panelist, JAMS, 1998-present
• Discovery Referee, San Mateo County Superior Court, 1994-1998
• Litigation Partner, major San Francisco law firm
• Harvard Law School Program of Instruction for Lawyers, Mediation Workship
• J.D., Golden Gate University School of Law; Editor, Law Review
• B.A., Mount Holyoke College; Dartmouth College; Honors Commendation