Hon. Daniel P. Ramirez (Ret.)

Profile

Hon. Daniel P. Ramirez (Ret.) is a full-time mediator with ADR Services, Inc., bringing over 26 years of civil and family law judicial experience. Appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1994 – one of the youngest judges ever named to the bench – he later served on the Los Angeles Superior Court following court unification in 2000.

During his tenure on the bench, Judge Ramirez presided over a wide range of civil and family law matters and held key leadership roles, including Assistant Presiding Judge and Presiding Judge. He earned recognition as a highly effective settlement judge and was widely regarded by his colleagues as the “go‑to” for resolving complex disputes. He conducted thousands of settlement conferences spanning personal injury, business litigation, and family law, helping parties achieve efficient and equitable resolutions.

Known for his diligence, preparation, and dedication to fairness, Judge Ramirez is described by attorneys and litigants as fair‑minded, patient, and fully engaged. His strengths include active listening, discerning the underlying interests of the parties, and guiding them toward constructive, practical, and mutually beneficial outcomes.

AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION

  • Family Law
  • Landlord/Tenant Disputes
  • Business Litigation
  • Personal Injury
  • Homeowners Association (HOA) Disputes

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2025-Present   Mediator, ADR Services, Inc.

  • Family Law mediator successfully providing neutral dispute resolution services in dissolution, custody, and property division matters.

2022-2024   Judicial Council, Assigned Judge for the State of California

  • Presided over unlimited civil and family law cases.
  • Judicial coverage and case management under statewide assignment authority.

2020-2022   Mediator

  • Conducted mediation in business litigation, personal injury, and family law.

2000-2020   Judge, Los Angeles Superior Court

  • Presided over both limited and unlimited civil and family law cases.
  • Elevated to Superior Court upon court unification in 2000.

1994-2000   Judge, Los Angeles Municipal Court

  • Served as Assistant Presiding Judge and Presiding Judge.
  • Presided over limited civil cases.

1989-1994   Deputy District Attorney, County of Los Angeles

  • Criminal prosecution, specializing in the prosecution of gang-related homicides.
  • Received letters of commendation from the District Attorney for the successful prosecution of felony homicide cases.

1988-1989   Meyer, Wagner, and Associates

  • Private law practice specializing in personal injury matters.

ADR EDUCATION

2021   Judicial Council, Civil Mediation (30 hours)

2020   “Mediating the Litigated Case”, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution (42 hours)

2019   Certified Civil Mediator by The National Judicial College (40 hours)

EDUCATION

1987   J.D., Western State University College of Law

1984   B.A., Northern Illinois University

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

  • Los Angeles County Bar Association
  • Whittier Bar Association
  • Southeast Bar Association
  • Alliance of California Judges
  • Latino Judges Association
  • California Judges Association

Representative Cases

Family Law

  • Complex Family Law Case: Several multi-million residential properties, long-term marriage with a disabled spouse seeking spousal support, custody, visitation, and school selection issues. Case settled at mediation.
  • Breach of Fiduciary Duty: Allegations of forgery in acquiring real property, dispute over business valuation, spousal support, and property division. Case settled at mediation.
  • Marital Home Division: Disputes over multiple retirement plans, tax debts, Epstein credits, Watts charges, antique vehicle valuation, division of personal property, spousal support, Ostler/Smith calculations, cohabitation issues, and attorney fees. Case settled at mediation.
  • Property Division: Overseas and California real estate, spousal support, attorney fees, and pension disputes. Case settled at mediation.
  • Long-Term Marriage: Allegations of cohabitation after separation, overtime reduction, firearm valuations, pension plans, and marital home division. Case settled at mediation.
  • Moore/Marsden Calculations: Disputes over spousal support, marital home division, child custody, and child support involving a high-income earner spouse and unemployed homemaker. Case settled.
  • Revocable Trust Execution: Moore/Marsden, validity of revocable trust, and division of pension plans. Due to the complexity the parties estimated that forensics and trial would exceed $100,000 in litigation cost for each party. Case settled at mediation.
  • Transmutation and Domestic Violence: Allegations of domestic violence, transmutation of the marital home, retirement account division, spousal and child support disputes, high-conflict custody issues. Case tried to judgment.
  • Spousal Support and Fiduciary Breach: This case involved undisclosed substantial gambling debts, property division, pension disputes, burial plot division, and tax issues. Case settled at mediation.
  • Multi-Million-Dollar Business and Move-Away Dispute: The parties disputed that the date of separation and the amount that the business was valued. Case settled at mediation.
  • Short-Term Marriage Property: Dispute involving separate real property and title changes. Case settled at mediation.
  • Foreclosure Dispute: Parties contested the sale of a marital home in foreclosure. Case settled at mediation.
  • Business and Attorney Fee Dispute: Dispute over marital home division and spousal support. The parties also disputed the amount of attorney’s fees to be paid. Case settled.
  • Failure to Pay Debts: Issues surrounding IRS and FTB debts, failure to pay spousal support, QDRO distributions, and property division. Settled.
  • Mutual Domestic Violence Restraining Orders: Spousal and child support arrears, pension plans, and credit card debt allocations. The parties were also able to resolve the DVROs. Settled.
  • Child Custody and School Selection: Dispute settled at mediation.
  • Grandparents’ Involvement in Childcare: Contested child support and visitation. Case settled at mediation.
  • Child Sexual Abuse Allegations: Custody and visitation dispute with conjoint therapy and monitored visitation. Case settled.
  • High-Conflict Parents in Custody Dispute: Husband, an attorney, and Wife, a government worker, are high-conflict parents. The parties also disputed retirement plans and the characteristic of the house. Case settled at mediation.
  • Substance Abuse and Custody Dispute: Allegation of substance abuse, real property division, professional practice valuation, and child support. Case settled.
  • Domestic Violence, Drug Abuse, and Child Safety: Safety concerns for children resolved through mediation.
  • Inability To Be Gainfully Employed: Issues surrounding spousal support, allegation of fraudulent disability claims, and property division. Case settled at mediation.
  • Property Division: Disputes over Moore/Marsden, pension plans, and spousal support. Case settled.
  • Violation of ATROS: Concealment of assets, violation of ATROS, breach of fiduciary duty, and business valuation. Case settled at mediation.
  • Business Valuation and Spousal Support: This dissolution involved forensic accountants, imputation of income, vocational examination, and a wide range of property issues. Case settled.
  • Putative Spouse Status: Spouse disputed the legality of the marriage. After the wedding ceremony, the parties claimed to be husband and wife, purchased a house together, raised their children, and filed jointly. Settled at mediation.
  • Disabled Spouse: Issues surrounding long term marriage involving a disabled spouse, spousal support, pension rights, and attorney’s fees. Case settled.
  • Short-Term Marriage Property Division: Disputes over real estate, vehicles, furnishings, and debts. Case settled.
  • Business Continuity Post-Divorce: Dispute concerning marital home and joint business interest were both settled at mediation.

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Business

  • Breach of Contract in Used Car Sale: Disputed title and fraud allegations. Case proceeded to judgment.
  • Business Account Dispute: Plaintiff and Defendants are logistic companies doing business in the US and in China. Plaintiff alleged that Defendants used their freight account numbers without permission. Defendants disputed the claim citing a mutual agreement use the freight accounts in exchange for giving Plaintiff compensation. Settled.
  • Mediator’s Proposal: Plaintiff is a Hong Kong company with manufacturing facilities in China. Plaintiff manufactures and sells garments. Defendant ordered and failed to pay for garments manufactured and shipped by Plaintiff. Defendant alleges the garments shipped were defected. Defendant filed two MSJs which were denied. Mediator’s proposal sent. Case Settled.
  • Cannabis Business Dispute: Plaintiff causes of action were for breach of contract, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud and negligent misrepresentation. Plaintiff, a pharmacist, ran a cannabis business which was sold to Defendant. Plaintiff was promised three installment payments for the business. Defendant failed to pay the second and third installments, claiming that Plaintiff breached terms of their agreement. Case Settled.
  • Common Counts: Plaintiff’s assignor sold livestock feed to defendant. At the end of the relationship, there was a balance due. However, defendant contended that they were due an offset for products that plaintiff’s assignor refused to pick up from defendant. Plaintiff’s assignor sued defendant, alleging common count theories of recovery. Plaintiff alleged that defendant owed for goods sold. Defendant contended that it was entitled to credits. Settled.

    Employment

    • FEHA Dispute: Plaintiff brought several causes of action against her employer for Disability Discrimination in violation of the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Failure to Prevent Harassment, Discrimination and Retaliation. Plaintiff alleges that she was temporarily laid off. Several months later, her employer filled Plaintiff’s position. Settled.
    • Employee Caregiver or Independent Contractor: Plaintiff worked as a caregiver for Defendant’s elderly mother. Plaintiff alleges that she was an hourly employee and not an independent contractor. Plaintiff claims included unpaid minimum wages, overtime wages, and liquidated damages. Settled.
    • Failure to Reasonably Accommodate Claims: Plaintiff alleged employment discrimination because of disability, failure to reasonably accommodate disability, failure to engage in timely, good faith interactive process, and wrongful termination. Plaintiff worked for Defendant, an overseas company. After contracting COVID, Plaintiff notified Defendant. Plaintiff returned to work after he was symptom free. Plaintiff again contracted COVID. Defendant allegedly fired Plaintiff for failure to work knowing that Defendant was unable to work due to health-related reasons. Defendant alleges that Plaintiff was terminated due to his unsatisfactory work performance and not due to illness. Settled.
    • Hours and Wages Violation: Plaintiff causes of action were for failure to provide living wages in violation of Labor Code Section 1194, failure to provide legally compliant rest periods, failure to timely pay all earned wages, and failure to pay final paycheck upon separation of employment. Defendant asserts that Plaintiff stop coming into work and that he rarely worked more than six-hours in a shift. Further that Plaintiff left his position without giving any notice effectively abandoning his job. Case Settled.

    Habitability

    • Apartment Complex Conditions: Substandard living conditions and tenant claims. Case proceeded to judgment.
    • Breach of Implied Warranty of Habitability: Plaintiff causes of action included breach of implied warranty of habitability, negligence, breach of contract, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Plaintiff alleged that her apartment was infested by rats, ticks, and cockroaches. Additionally, Defendant failed to provide hot and cold water. Defendant was also cited by the Public Health Department. Settled.
    • Breach of Implied Warranty of Habitability: Plaintiff filed for breach of warranty of habitability, negligent maintenance of premises, elder abuse, and infliction of emotional distress. Plaintiff alleged that Defendant is a slumlord who failed to correct dangerous conditions such as mold, water leaks, damage to cabinets, and cockroach infestation. Plaintiff also alleged that Defendant discriminated against non-Hispanic tenants. Los Angeles Housing Department previously cited Defendant for various deficiencies. Defendant denied all allegations by providing proof that maintenance workers resolved Plaintiff’s complaints. Settled.
    • Breach of Implied Warranty of Habitability: Landlord/Tenant dispute where Tenant failed to pay six months of rent. Tenant claimed breach of the implied warranty of habitability. Landlord asserted that the property was in good repair. Settled at mediation.

    Insurance

    • Limited Insurance: Defendant driver was not the registered owner in this four-vehicle collision. The registered owner's maximum property damage responsibility pursuant to Vehicle Code Section 17151 was capped at $5,000. Liability was not disputed. Defendant driver claimed to be homeless and insolvent. Settled.
    • Insurance Bad Faith Allegation: Plaintiff alleged insurance bad faith and filed a complaint for insurance bad faith, breach of contract, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing. Plaintiff sought compensatory, punitive damages, and attorneys' fees under Brandt. The parties previously signed White Waivers. Plaintiff’s home was flooded as a result of a leaking pipe. The defense asserted that the leak occurred over an extended period of time and denied the claims. There was evidence that the pipe was leaking for an extended period of time due to the mold and water stains on the drywall. Case settled at mediation.
    • Subrogation Action: Plaintiff sought to recover property-related damages from an auto accident. Newly discovered information at mediation revealed that Defendant was in fact insolvent and that a supplemental financial declaration was needed to close the case. Settled.

    Personal Injury

    • Multi-Vehicle Collision: Defendant claimed homelessness and insolvency. Case settled.
    • Auto Collision Dispute: Plaintiff alleges that Defendant failed to stop at red light thereby colliding with her vehicle. Defendant claimed that she went through a green light and Plaintiff failed to stop at her red light causing the collision. Plaintiff’s medical damages were over $70,000.00. Plaintiff sought more than the amount of the policy stating that the insurance policy "popped" because Defendant failed to accept policy limits demand after full disclosure of losses in excess of the policy. Defendant disputed that the insurance policy lid was off or opened since no offer was tendered, liability was disputed, and damages were also in dispute.
    • Auto Collision Dispute: Plaintiff sustained substantial personal injuries when her vehicle was totaled in an intersection. Defendant claimed that Plaintiff was at fault by entering the intersection against the red light and hitting his vehicle when he was making a right turn. There was no corroborating evidence such as admissions, police report findings, or independent witnesses to substantiate either party's claim that the other party was at fault. Case Settled.
    • Slip and Fall: Plaintiff slipped and fell on water while shopping at a grocery store. Defense asserted that Plaintiffs admitted that Defendant did not have actual nor constructive knowledge of the condition of the floor. Settled.
    • Dog Bite Case: Elderly Plaintiff walking his dog when the Defendant's German Shepard attacked him on his right leg causing Plaintiff to fall backward sustaining serious injuries. Case settled at mediation.
    • Auto Collision Dispute: Rear end auto collision causing soft tissue injuries. Liability was not disputed. Less than a month later, Plaintiff was allegedly involved in another auto collision. However, Plaintiff denied being involved in the subsequent accident. The defense also claimed that Plaintiffs treatment was not reasonable nor necessary. Settled.
    • Auto Collision Dispute: Personal injury resulting for a two-car accident where damages to the vehicles were moderate and medical treatment was minimal. Liability disputed. The defense asserted comparable negligence. Settled at mediation.
    • Auto Collision Dispute: Defendant, A 35-year-old delivery truck driver, came to a controlled intersection and brought his truck to a stop for a red light. When Defendant’s light changed to green, he pulled to mid-intersection and then stopped to allow oncoming traffic to clear. After Defendant's traffic light phased to yellow and then to red, he commenced his left turn. Plaintiff entered the intersection and struck defendant's truck as it was clearing the intersection. Plaintiff claimed her light was yellow and defendant executed his left turn in front of her path of travel, failing to yield the right-of-way as required. Defendant contended he commenced his turn after his light had phased to red and when plaintiffs' car was still a sufficient distance away that she should have been able to stop safely. Case settled.
    • Toxic Tort Litigation: Decedent was exposed to various chemicals while working at factory. This litigation involved twenty corporations. Sixteen of the twenty corporations settled.

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    Real Estate

    • Sibling Property Dispute: Plaintiff brought a quiet title action against her sister. Plaintiff claimed that she deeded the property over to her sister through false pretenses. Defendant asserts Plaintiff signed over the property to her after being compensated for the property. Settled.