Mae has assisted hundreds of plaintiffs and defendants in various litigated disputes in California. During her career, Mae has assisted parties in cases involving workplace discrimination and harassment, individual, multi-party, and class-action wage, and hour claims, construction matters, harassment, civil harassment – restraining orders, and landlord-tenant disputes.

Over the years, she has worked with hundreds of people involved in civil claims filed in court and administrative agencies such as the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. Over the years she attended many mediations and was astounded by how effective it was in resolving even the most intractable disputes. Her experience inspired and convinced her to pursue a Master’s Degree in Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, and Peacebuilding from one of the best dispute resolution programs in the United States, California State University Dominguez Hills. In addition, Mae received extensive training from the prestigious Pepperdine University’s Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Mediating the Litigated Case program.

Mae has been a mediator for the Superior Court of Alameda County and a community dialogue facilitator for California State University Dominguez Hills’ Peace in Education Initiative.

Dedicated to providing equitable outcomes for all parties, Mae believes disputing parties can reach mutually beneficial solutions if parties come to the table thoroughly prepared and ready to negotiate in good faith.

Mediated Cases:

Wage and Hour

  • A wage and hour case of four caregivers of a nursing home facility claimed they were potentially owed $120,000 each for unpaid overtime wages. The case was mediated before a claim was filed in court or with the DLSE.
  • A wage and hour case was filed by a caregiver of a residential care facility. She claimed she was owed $215,000 of unpaid overtime wages and liquidated damages.

Employment

  • A wrongful termination case was filed against a major retail company for requesting to take certain days off so he can comply with his religious belief.
  • Sexual harassment claim made by a 3-year employee filed a workplace restraining order against her employer who was arrested for physically assaulting her.

    Landlord/Tenant, HOA, Neighbor Dispute

    • Discrimination and harassment claimed against the HOA by a tenant. The tenant filed a restraining order against an HOA member claiming the HOA was imposing outdated rules and that she was singled out because of her race.
    • Tenant claimed that the landlord failed to return the tenant’s security deposit. The landlord filed a cross-complaint for property damages caused by the tenant.
    • Neighbors in conflict for several years over various issues filed restraining orders against each other for claims of gardening tool noise and privacy violation when home security cameras were directly pointed at the window next door.

    Construction

    • Owner of apartment complex claimed that the contract worker he hired breached the construction contract when the contractor failed to complete the project on time.
    • Homeowner claimed that the Homeowners Association hired a contractor to do work on her condominium and did not complete the job in a good and workmanlike manner.

    Torts and Personal Injury

    • Defamation claim made against an attorney by a former defendant. The former defendant claimed that when the case was published online he suffered harm to his reputation.
    • A municipality claimed that an individual damaged its property when a private citizen crashed into the city’s vehicle.
    • Auto accident on the freeway that caused vehicles to crash into multiple vehicles. The driver that caused the accident and his insurance carrier sought to structure a resolution.

    Mae Villanueva

    (She/Her)

    Commercial Mediator 

    I Help Individuals and Businesses  Resolve Disputes.

    (925) 336-5272

    About Mae

    Knowledgeable, Tenacious, and Empathetic

    Mae has assisted both plaintiffs and defendants in various litigated disputes in California. During her career, Mae has handled cases involving workplace discrimination and harassment, individual, multi-party, and class-action wage and hour claims, construction matters, harassment, and landlord-tenant disputes.

    Mae has been a litigation analyst for over a decade. Over the years, she has worked with hundreds of diverse clients involved in civil litigation. Her experience with mediation in resolving conflict convinced her of the effectiveness of the process, which inspired her to pursue a Master’s Degree in Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, and Peacebuilding from California State University Dominguez Hills. In addition, Mae attended Pepperdine University’s Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Mediating the Litigated Case program. 

    Mae has been a mediator for the Superior Court of Alameda County and a community dialogue facilitator for California State University Dominguez Hills’ Peace in Education Initiative.

    Dedicated to providing equitable outcomes for all parties, Mae believes disputing parties can reach mutually beneficial solutions if parties come to the table thoroughly prepared and ready to negotiate in good faith.

     

    Mediated Cases:

    Wage and Hour

    • A wage and hour case of four caregivers of a nursing home facility claimed they were potentially owed $120,000 each for unpaid overtime wages. The case was mediated before a claim was filed in court or with the DLSE.
    • A wage and hour case was filed by a caregiver of a residential care facility. She claimed she was owed $215,000 of unpaid overtime wages and liquidated damages.

    Employment

    • A wrongful termination case was filed against a major retail company for requesting to take certain days off so he can comply with his religious belief.
    • Sexual harassment claim made by a 3-year employee filed a workplace restraining order against her employer who was arrested for physically assaulting her.

      Landlord/Tenant, HOA, Neighbor Dispute

      • Discrimination and harassment claimed against the HOA by a tenant. The tenant filed a restraining order against an HOA member claiming the HOA was imposing outdated rules and that she was singled out because of her race.
      • Tenant claimed that the landlord failed to return the tenant’s security deposit. The landlord filed a cross-complaint for property damages caused by the tenant.
      • Neighbors in conflict for several years over various issues filed restraining orders against each other for claims of gardening tool noise and privacy violation when home security cameras were directly pointed at the window next door.

      Construction

      • Owner of apartment complex claimed that the contract worker he hired breached the construction contract when the contractor failed to complete the project on time.
      • Homeowner claimed that the Homeowners Association hired a contractor to do work on her condominium and did not complete the job in a good and workmanlike manner.

      Torts and Personal Injury

      • Defamation claim made against an attorney by a former defendant. The former defendant claimed that when the case was published online he suffered harm to his reputation.
      • A municipality claimed that an individual damaged its property when a private citizen crashed into the city’s vehicle.
      • Auto accident on the freeway that caused vehicles to crash into multiple vehicles. The driver that caused the accident and his insurance carrier sought to structure a resolution.

       

      Book a Session Today.

      Mae Villanueva works with individuals and organizations involved in wage and hour, employment, construction, and landlord-tenant disputes. She is a qualified mediator who uses her skills to establish mutual understanding and assist parties crafting sustainable solutions amenable to all parties involved.