Hon. Richard Hodge

Hon. Richard Hodge (Ret)

During his 20 years of service to the Alameda County Superior Court, Judge Hodge has presided over civil trials and settlement conferences encompassing personal injury, professional negligence, products liability, contracts, wrongful termination, asbestos, environmental and CEQA issues, commercial and consumer fraud and a variety of class actions. He served several years as law and motion judge and also served in the criminal, mental health and juvenile departments.

Judge Hodge has served on the Judicial Council and on four separate occasions has served as Justice Pro Tem of the First District Court of Appeal, authoring nearly 100 opinions. He was recognized as Trial Judge of the Year by the Alameda-Contra Costa Trial Law Lawyers Association and in 1994 was named California's Superior Court Judge of the Year by the California Trial Lawyer's Association.

Educational Background

Judge Hodge is a 1960 graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and a 1963 graduate of The University of Chicago Law School

Private Practice

1979- 1981 Partner with Gordon & Hodge, specializing in entertainment law.
1968-1979 Practiced in San Francisco with Hodge and Zweig specializing in criminal defense and entertainment law. Represented a broad spectrum of musicians, artists, novelists, publishers and directors.
1966-1968 Served as a litigation associate with Miller, Starr & Regalia
1964-1966 Served as Deputy District Attorney for Contra Costa County handling criminal cases of every variety and magnitude, including major felony trials, murder trials, and consumer fraud trials.

Honors / Awards

2007     Named "Top 40" Neutral in California by the Daily Journal
2006     Named "Top 30" Neutral in California by the Daily Journal

Non-Judicial Legal Experience

Judge Hodge has lectured extensively before attorney organizations, environmental groups, at various educational institutions, including Boalt Hall, University of California at Berkeley, Hastings Law School and Golden Gate Law School. He has lectured on various legal and ethical issues, but primarily on trial practice and procedures, settlement techniques and environmental issues. For the past ten years, he has lectured extensively on "The American River Case" (Environmental Defense Fund v. East Bay Municipal Utilities District), a case decided by Judge Hodge which has spawned extensive legal commentary.

Commentary

Over the course of a 20-year career on the Alameda County Superior Court bench, Judge Hodge presided over every type of civil matter imaginable from personal injury to employment law, from asbestos and toxic tort to consumer fraud and class actions. Those who argued those cases before him all agree that he was intelligent, fair, honest and conscientious. He is best typified by his landmark ruling in Environmental Defense Fund v. East Bay Municipal Utility District, a 17-year-long battle between a utility and environmental interests over water rights in the American River. The case involved issues ranging from water law to the public trust doctrine, and Judge Hodge's 130 page ruling was hailed by both sides as an example where sensible justice prevailed.

Voted the Judge of the Year by the Alameda-Contra Costa Trial Lawyers Association and trial Judge of the Year for the State of California by the California Trial Lawyers Association, Judge Hodge has earned the respect of both sides of the bar. Raised in rural Ohio, he wanted to become a preacher and even ran his own church while putting himself through college. Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird changed the direction of his life however and he chose to pursue the law and entered the University of Chicago Law School. For 20 years the judge would recite a passage from Atticus Finch's closing argument in the book to the jury panel advising them "A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up." After a brief time in the District Attorneys office, he opened his own office where he did criminal defense work. His practice eventually evolved toward entertainment where he represented some of the biggest stars of the 70's including Steve Miller, Boz Scaggs, Kenny Loggins and Sam Peckinpah.

Since he has retired in April, 2001, Judge Hodge has already established a busy private practice. Available as a mediator, arbitrator, referee or private judge, Judge Hodge has already established a busy practice as a private neutral. Praised for his diligence, understanding and adaptability, he continues to mediate and arbitrate a broad array of civil matters as was the case while on the bench.

Representative Cases

Within the recent past, since his retirement in 2001, Judge Hodge has mediated or arbitrated cases involving the following types of disputes:

  1. Contract dispute between energy producer and end-user arising from the California "energy crisis".
  2. Trade secret misappropriation between cosmetic manufacturers regarding formulas and customers.
  3. Breach of contract and trade secret misappropriation between pharmaceutical manufacturers.
  4. Breach of contract between cable television company and municipality.
  5. Breach of contract between professional sports franchise and municipality.
  6. Breach of contract between professional sports franchise and cable television station.
  7. Numerous landlord-tenant case involving issues of wrongful eviction and habitability.
  8. Numerous employment cases involving gender, race, age and disability discrimination.
  9. Public nuisance dispute between municipality and national restaurant franchise.
  10. Numerous landslide and soil subsidence cases.
  11. Numerous cases involving breach of contract, fraud, and failure to disclose defects in the purchase and sale of real property.
  12. Numerous construction defect cases.
  13. Numerous product defect cases involving elevators, heavy construction equipment, vehicles, scaffolding, warehouse equipment (fork-lifts, etc.), surgical tools, welders, etc.
  14. Several medical malpractice cases.
  15. Several legal and professional malpractice cases.
  16. Breach of contract between estate of deceased recording artist and recording and publishing companies.
  17. Wage and hour class action between construction company and minority employees.
  18. Class action alleging racial discrimination between manufacturer and minority employees.
  19. Several cases alleging breach of commercial real estate leases.
  20. Several cases involving allegations of sexual molestation, assault and rape involving teacher/student, cab driver/passenger, employer/employee, etc.
  21. Alleged assault and battery by professional athlete.
  22. Several easement and right of way cases.
  23. Numerous vehicle accident cases.
  24. Several cases involving the contractual allocation of financial risk between an HMO and various medical providers.
  25. Contract dispute between wholesaler and retailer regarding shipments of spoiled seafood.
  26. Contract dispute between art dealers and galleries.
  27. Lease/contract dispute between restaurant owner and building owner.
  28. Contract dispute between participants in venture capital companies.
  29. Contract/fraud dispute between property owner and bank.
  30. Contract dispute between grape grower and winery.
  31. Contract/fraud dispute between Latin American produce farmers and distributors.
  32. Contract dispute between telecommunications manufacturer and purchaser of equipment.
  33. Contract dispute between independent film maker and investor.

Back to Top

This page was last modified in March 2008

Disclaimer: Please be advised that the contents of this web site and any other statements contained herein are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be represented as legal advice in any way.


Web Site Development by Program This! Web Solutions