Judge Hurwitz brings an illustrious legal career spanning over 45 years to Judicate West, marked by deep experience across a wide range of civil matters, including family law, complex litigation, and personal injury. Recognized for his judicial temperament, procedural expertise, and ability to navigate high-conflict cases with clarity and compassion, he is highly respected throughout the legal community for his thoughtful approach to even the most challenging disputes.
He spent 17 years of his judicial tenure in the Family Law Division of the Orange County Superior Court, where he presided over virtually every type of family law matter. During that time Judge Hurwitz served as Supervising Judge of the Department and handled thousands of cases involving custody, financial disputes, domestic violence, dissolution, surrogacy, relocation “move away”, Hague Convention, elder abuse, paternity, and parental termination, many of which are among the most complex issues in family law. His extensive experience with emotionally charged litigation has sharpened his skills in de-escalation, nuanced negotiation, and achieving durable resolution, qualities that define his style as a mediator and arbitrator.
In the final four years of his judicial service, Judge Hurwitz was assigned to Unlimited Civil and then the Complex Civil Litigation Panel, where he managed a diverse docket of sophisticated civil cases including mass torts, wage and hour class actions, Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) claims, business and commercial disputes, and other high-stakes matters. His ability to efficiently and equitably handle these large, multifaceted cases earned him the respect of practitioners across the legal spectrum. Prior to taking the bench, he built a successful practice for 25 years as a civil litigator, focused on construction defect and personal injury cases.
Judge Hurwitz is known for his commitment to helping parties resolve disputes. His philosophy from the bench extends to the private sector, believing that all litigants must have a chance to be heard, be treated fairly and with respect, and be told the truth about their case.
- All types of Family Law Matters
- Business/Commercial
- Construction Defect
- Employment
- Insurance
- Personal Injury
- Professional Malpractice
- Real Estate
Judge Hurwitz enjoys traveling and exploring new places.
- Full-time Neutral, Judicate West (2025-Present)
- Judge, Orange County Superior Court (2010–2025); Supervising Judge, Family Law Division (2015–2021); Assigned to Unlimited and Complex Civil (2021-2025)
- Commissioner, Orange County Superior Court (2004-2010)
- Mediator, Law Office of Lon F. Hurwitz (1999-2004)
- Partner, Law Office of Hurwitz & Humphreys (1979-1998); Specialized in construction defect and personal injury
- J.D., Southwestern University School of Law (1979)
- B.A., California State University, Long Beach (1976)
- ADR Certification, Pepperdine University School of Law Straus Insititute (1999)
- Adjunct Professor, UCI School of Law (2013-2015)
- Member, Family Violence Council (2010-2015)
- Member, State Domestic Violence Task Force (2008-2010)
- Faculty Member, New Judges Orientation Program (CJER, Judicial Council of California (2008-2025)
- Member, Judicial Council of California by Appointment of Chief Justice Ron George (2008-2010)
- President, Robert A. Banyard American Inn of Court (2008)
- President, Orange County Trial Lawyers Association (1994); Member (1985-2010)
- Member of Californnia Judges Association, American Judges Association, American Bar Association Committee for Veterans and the Courts, and Celtic, Hispanic, Jewish and Italian Bar Associations
- Orange County Trial Lawyers Association Judge of the Year Award (2024)
- American Board of Trial Advocates Judge of the Year Award (2023)
- Southwestern Law School Judge of the Year Award (2022)
- Orange County Jewish Bar Association Judge of the Year Award (2021)
- Veteran Advocate of the Year, Veterans Legal Institute (2019)
- Association of Certified Family Law Specialists Judge of the Year Award (2016)
- Orange County Bar Foundation Judge of the Year Award (2013)
- Celtic Bar Association of Orange County Judge of the Year Award (2013)
- American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Judge of the Year Award (2012)
- Orange County Bar Association Family Law Section Judge of the Year Award (2012)
- Contributor, Judicial Council’s Elder Abuse Judicial Handbook (2012)
- Legal Leadership Award, Whittier Law School Alumni Association (2010)
- Family Assesment Counseling & Education Services (FACES) Child Advocacy Award (2010)
- Creator, U.S’s first Family Law Veterans’ Domestice Vioence Diversion Program (2009)
Complex Commercial
- Presided over an action brought by a global technology company against thousands of individually named defendants. The defendants had demanded arbitration under the End User License Agreement, alleging product fraud and unfair competition.
Contractual
- Presided over an action by an LLP and its court-appointed receiver against multiple LLCs seeking to recover an arbitration award. The plaintiffs alleged that the LLCs engaged in dozens of fraudulent property transfers under a reverse alter ego theory.
Family Law Issues
- Presided over a complex Family Law case involving the sale of a major business valued in the nine-figure range. The husband violated Automatic Temporary Restraining Orders by forming multiple LLCs and purchasing dozens of properties using substantial hard money loans. A receiver was appointed to take control of all assets and LLCs pending payment of the wife’s agreed-upon share of the community property, which was ultimately paid in full.
Coverage
- Presided over an action against an insurance carrier for declaratory relief concerning the carrier’s duty to defend a plaintiff company in a governmental investigation, which concluded in a consent settlement with the plaintiff.
- Presided over a coverage dispute stemming from an underlying construction defect case. The central issue was whether a subcontractor had shut down his business (as claimed by the carrier) or passed it on to his son who continued operations (as claimed by the plaintiff).
Subrogation
- Presided over a fire litigation case against a public utility company. The case was bifurcated into insurance carrier subrogation actions and individual homeowner claims.
Dental
- Presided over a dental malpractice mass tort case involving multiple dentists and dental practices, with over two hundred plaintiff children. The case had been in litigation for five years. A tentative settlement was proposed, but there was no formal agreement, and not all plaintiffs had agreed, despite the defense's position that unanimous agreement was required. The court ordered a draft agreement and held multiple status conferences until all plaintiffs signed. To expedite the process, all minors' compromise hearings were conducted in our department rather than in Probate Court, reducing the estimated duration from one year to eight weeks. The case also involved Medi-Cal lien reductions (Ahlborn hearings), reimbursement of common benefit fund costs, attorney’s fees, blocked accounts, and structured annuities.
Breach Of Contract
- Presided over a real estate dispute involving multiple LLCs, where a member filed an action against the managing members for breach of fiduciary duty. The managing members had exercised an involuntary withdrawal of the suing members, allegedly in accordance with the LLC operating agreements.
Land Slide
- Presided over a bench trial concerning a landslide case related to the expansion of a freeway. The case involved geological issues including the Capistrano Formation, a continuous clay seam, 60 feet of fill from 1965 with unknown compaction ratios, and a ground anchor tieback system for a retaining wall that used high-pressure injection grouting.
Business Torts
- Presided over an action filed by a non-lawyer against a law firm partner and clients of the law firm for malicious prosecution. The case stemmed from a prior action filed by the lawyer and clients against the non-lawyer for breach of fiduciary duty related to an alleged partnership in the law firm.
