Cathy Yanni

Cathy Yanni is an American lawyer, special master, and mediator at Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services. She has handled class actions and multi-district litigations throughout the United States with a focus on corporate bankruptcy and pharmaceutical, technology, employment and food & beverage mass tort.
Early Career
Cathy Yanni attended Dartmouth College, graduating in 1975 with a Bachelor of Arts in art history and completed her Juris Doctorate from Golden Gate School of Law in 1981. She worked as a discovery referee for the Superior Court of California, San Mateo County with a focus on discovery issues with privilege, trade secrets, attorney fees, settlement conferences, small claims court appeals and evictions. After joining JAMS, an alternative dispute resolution company in 1998, she began focusing on mediation for class actions, privacy and data breach, employment, and elder abuse cases.
Notable Cases
In 2005 Yanni was appointed special master by Jack Weinstein of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York to design and implement claims administration and distribution of an $800 million settlement concerning overpayment for zyprexa
In 2007 Yanni was appointed mediator for state court cases in 318 F.Supp.2d 879 by Richard Kramer of the San Francisco Superior Court involving wrongful deaths from silicone gel breast implants.
In 2007 Yanni was appointed federal mediator by Denise Hood of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan to handle the Dow Corning settlement fund
In 2012 Yanni was appointed special master in the case of MDL No. 1909 by Dan Polster to settle MDL cases involving allegations of catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death from the misuse of gadolinium contrast dyes.
In 2013 Yanni was appointed special master in the case of MDL No. 2197 by David Katz of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio to administer and implement a $2.9 billion settlement concerning ASR hip implants.
In 2015 Yanni was appointed special master in the case of MDL No. 2187 by Joseph Goodwin of the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia to administer, implement, and allocate MDL settlements concerning defective transvaginal meshes against defendants Boston Scientific, Covidien, Coloplast, Advanced Medical Solutions Group, BARD, and Ethicon.
In 2017 Yanni was appointed special master in the case of MDL No. 2804 by Dan Polster of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. Judge Polster was designated by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to preside over a multidistrict litigation (MDL) concerning more than 400 cases brought by cities, counties, hospitals and tribes against various defendant opioid makers, wholesalers, and distributors.
In 2017 Yanni was appointed special master in the case of MDL No. 2734 by Casey Rodgers of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida concerning a MDL of 700 cases concerning the alleged compulsive side effects of the drug Abilify, which is used to treat bipolar and schizophrenic behavior.
In 2018 Yanni was appointed administrator of the $105 million Wildfire Assistance Program fund of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company bankruptcy case following the Camp Fire of 2018.
Achievements and Awards
* Chambers and Partners "National Mediators" List 2019-2020
* The National Law Journal “ADR Champion” List 2016, 2018
* Daily Journal "Top Master" 2013

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