Hon. Mary Thornton House
Los Angeles County Superior Court, Retired
Judge House retired in 2018 after 22 years on the Los Angeles Superior Court, where she presided over countless jury and court trials in the Civil and Probate departments. With experience serving as the Supervising Judge of the Northeast and North Central districts, Hub Operations and Assistant Supervising Judge of Civil countywide, Judge House brings a unique and in-depth understanding of all aspects of civil case processing and case values. She is touted for her calm demeanor and unbending graciousness to all that appeared in front of her, as well as her extraordinary and relentless, common-sense approach to settling cases.
Practice Areas
- Probate
- Family Law
- Law and Motion
- Civil Litigation
- Personal Injury
- Medical Malpractice
- Legal Malpractice
- Real Property
- Employment
- Business and Contract Disputes
- Government Liability
- Police Civil Rights
- Excessive Force Actions
Conflict Resolution Experience
Judge House was the first Municipal Court Judge to become a Supervising Judge for the Superior Court in the Northeast District. Elevated in 2000, she presided over mandatory settlement conferences in both limited and general civil matters, reducing the civil caseloads throughout the Northeast and North Central Districts.
In 2004, she moved to a Civil direct calendar court at the Mosk Courthouse, handling civil matters including personal injury, contract, employment, professional malpractice, asbestos and products liability. She routinely conducted successful settlement conferences for her colleagues and her own matters. She returned to Pasadena in 2010, presiding over Probate and Family/Civil harassment cases. In 2016, she returned to a downtown Probate Department for two years before retiring in 2018.
Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge House was an Assistant City Attorney for
the City of Los Angeles. Initially, she was a criminal prosecutor, but transferred to the civil branch to defend lawsuits against the City and its employees. Her last five years included advising the Los Angeles City Council, Police Commission and Fire Commission. She successfully defended the City’s Police and Fire departments in high-dollar-value and high-profile cases in bot ederal and state courts.
Organizations & Achievements
Education & Training
- Recipient: Los Angeles County 2004 Woman of the Year; Pasadena Bar Association's 2004 Judge of the Year; California Judges Association's 2008 Bernard F. Jefferson Award for Excellence in Judicial Education; California Judges Association 2010 Vice President; San Fernando Valley Bar Association's 2011 Excellence in Judicial Administration award; Dean, B.E. Witkin Judicial College, 2011-2012; San Fernando Valley Bar Association's 2014 Judge of the Year; Civil Law Instructor for Chinese Judges selected by Yale Law School's China Law Center in conjunction with the U.S. State Department, Beijing, 2007
- Former Member: Judicial Council’s Civil and Small Claims Advisory Committee 1998-2004; Vice-Chair, California Judicial Education and Research (CJER) 2010-2017; California Judicial Council Workgroup Chair for Civil 3-Track Protocol and Development/ Implementation of California’s Expedited Jury Trial Legislation 2010-2016; Judicial Council KLEPS Award Committee 2004 -2013
- Current Activities: Adjunct Professor, University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law, 2014 to Present; Current President of ICAN Associates; Present on The Board of Directors of the Pasadena Community Orchestra
- Author of the California Civil Jury Instruction Companion Handbook, a comprehensive resource for judges and attorneys, providing guidance on effective jury instruction and trial practices, including best practices and legal principles
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Member of the National Association of Distinguished Neutrals
- J.D., University of San Diego School of Law (1978)
- B.A., University of California at Los Angeles (1975)
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Testimonials From People We’ve Helped
Very professional place to mediate a legal matter. Many places to have a private conversation, comfortable surroundings
Linda L Mitchell
Honorable Mary Thornton House mediated over our impossible case. I never thought this could get resolved, as we were stuck on both sides for almost 4 years. Honorable Mary Thornton House listened to both sides and was able to communicate in a way that both sides understood. She was tenacious, diligent and had attention to details with the accounting and figures presented. We went back and forth into the night. But, she was able to calmly able to get a resolution on both sides. The honorable judge said that in ruling a case in court. You have an instant friend and a permanent enemy. In this case, I received a fair resolution. Grateful, that I did not have to go to court. Glad that our case got resolved. I highly recommend honorable Mary Thornton House