Caroline Antonacci, Esq. has nearly 25 years of dispute resolution experience as a mediator, arbitrator, and special master. Since joining JAMS, Ms. Antonacci has mediated and arbitrated a wide-range of complex disputes including business/commercial, real property, employment, construction, family law/matrimonial, intellectual property, insurance and personal injury matters and has served on numerous tripartite arbitrations.

Throughout her career, Ms. Antonacci has cultivated considerable experience handling highly sensitive matters, including those involving sexual misconduct and abuse. She has completed training programs in SafeSport, Title IX, sexual harassment, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion topics. Ms. Antonacci has extensive investigative and report writing experience and has assisted in the drafting of hundreds of opinions. She is uniquely qualified to provide intelligent, practical, and thorough evaluations as part of a thoughtful, balanced, and confidential resolution process.

Prior to joining JAMS, Ms. Antonacci served as the full-time Director and Special Master for the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department's Special Masters Mediation Program, where she settled thousands of complex and high value cases in a wide range of practice areas. Preceding her service as Director and Special Master, Ms. Antonacci served as a Principal Court Attorney at the First Department for and prior to that served as Deputy Appellate Counsel for the New York State Organized Crime Task Force, as Assistant Deputy Attorney General for the New York State Department of Law Antitrust Bureau, as an Examining Attorney for the New York City Department of Investigation and as a Special Assistant US Attorney for the Southern District of New York with Rudolph Giuliani.

Ms. Antonacci is known for her conscientiousness, tenacity and creativity in achieving both mediation settlements and managing an efficient and reliable arbitration process. She is well-regarded for her ability to effectively work with contentious and adverse interests and is respected by thousands of practitioners in the New York legal community.

Representative Matters

• Business/Commercial
• Arbitrated and mediated matters involving breach of contract, fee disputes, loan repayment disputes, fraudulent misrepresentation, malpractice, accounting fraud, and malfeasance
• Arbitrated disputes regarding franchise agreements
• Arbitrated a breach of contract matter between a company and a financial advisor
• Mediated dispute over enforceability of an appearance agreement from a popular reality television show
• Mediated high-value business disputes, break ups, and partnership dissolution matters
• Successfully mediated partnership dissolution issue involving rights of three owners of a private NY school
• Arbitrated billion-dollar malpractice and fee dispute involving major law firm
• Arbitrated and mediated complicated insurance coverage issues, including matters involving directors, officers and executives
• Arbitrated billion-dollar dispute involving a pharmaceutical company with royalty and patent disputes
• Arbitrated matter seeking removal of managing member of LLC and money damages for alleged misappropriation of funds
• Arbitrated consumer fraud cases including Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)
• Arbitrated matters alleging violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act
• Arbitrated breach of contract disputes related to the installation of solar panels
• Arbitrated individual credit card member agreements disputes
• Arbitrated matters involving alleged violations of the Credit Repair Organizations Act
• Arbitrated disputes between individuals and banks 
• Construction/Labor
• Arbitrated construction defect matters involving the repair and maintenance of solar panels
• Settled hundreds of Labor Law 240(1), 241(6) and 200 cases with multiple defendants, complex insurance coverage issues, and most involving severe physical injury
• Mediated breach of settlement agreement entered into with an underlying commission dispute involving a multi-million-dollar construction company
• Employment
• Resolved hundreds of cases through arbitration and mediation involving discrimination (age, race, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation), sexual harassment, hostile work environment, and wrongful termination and retaliation
• Arbitrated employment matters involving licensed real estate agents
• Arbitrated and mediated claims involving non-compete agreements and executive compensation
• Resolved an employment dispute involving a multi-million-dollar intellectual property issue
• Successfully mediated claims of gender and religious discrimination involving an employee at a nationally recognized advertising firm
• Environmental
• Arbitrated and mediated toxic clean-up cases
• Resolved many mold, lead paint, bed bug, and illegal dumping cases
• Settled a multi-million-dollar toxic tort case involving the airline industry and national and international insurance carriers where the settlement ultimately received Bankruptcy Court approval
• Estate/Probate/Trust
• Resolved multi-million-dollar estate dispute involving the jewelry business with allegations of fraud
• Arbitrated and mediated a range of family disputes involving complex and high-value assets, real estate holdings and family-held properties
• Settled numerous business and estate conflicts involving multi-generational wealth
• Settled disputes related to the modernization of a family-held business, rent-setting, and real estate capital improvements including holdings of hundreds of apartments
• Family Law
• Settled hundreds of matrimonial cases, many involving high profile and high net-worth sports, arts, financial, entertainment, and political figures
• Resolved numerous matters involving foreign clients, international choice of law issues, pre-nuptial agreements, and pre- and post-judgment claims
• Insurance
• Mediated and arbitrated numerous cases involving complex coverage claims, casualty and loss claims, bad faith, coverage denial issues, and D&O insurance as well as primary and excess insurance coverage for property and bodily injury claims
• Settled a $24.5-million-dollar catastrophic injury case with complex insurance coverage issues
• Settled a high-value insurance securities matter involving claims of employee and corporate fraud
• Settled numerous matters involving settlement of insurance death benefits
• Intellectual Property
• Arbitrated a billion-dollar commercial intellectual property matter involving licensing agreements
• Settled multi-million-dollar intellectual property dispute involving design rights and employment issues
• Personal Injury/Torts
• Arbitrated products liability disputes
• Resolved hundreds of cases involving wrongful death, accident, catastrophic injury, products liability, New York City Transit Authority and Housing Authority, medical malpractice, automobile, construction site, defamation, libel/slander, elder care, product liability, design defect, and Workers' Compensation
• Settled a $23 million-dollar catastrophic injury case where, prior to the mediation, the case was appealed multiple times to the Appellate Division and the Court of Appeals
• Successfully resolved nursing home, hospital, physician, patient abuse and bedsore cases
• Arbitrated premises liability matters involving trampolines
• Real Property
• Successfully mediated and arbitrated complex real property cases involving sales and purchase agreements, construction, commercial leases, and foreclosures of commercial and residential buildings
• Arbitrated and mediated contract disputes involving environmental impact and toxic cleanup
• Arbitrated co-op and condominium disputes including non-payment, high-end multi-million-dollar conflicts, and COVID-19 related disputes
• Arbitrated complex dispute involving the termination of a multi-million-dollar residential real estate purchase agreement
• Resolved numerous disputes involving the fashion industry and major Fifth Avenue and SoHo retail properties
• Resolved numerous real property cases with major New York City real estate developers, universities, and hospitals
• Resolved co-op and condo disputes involving boards and residents over financial issues, renovations, use of premises, and neighbor/owner disputes
• Successfully mediated several Times Square redevelopment condemnation disputes
• Resolved breach of contract dispute involving a major condominium complex in Brooklyn, NY with claims of professional malpractice against design professionals and unfair business practices
• Successfully mediated real estate contract dispute with alleged non-disclosure issues
• Settled multi-national company breach of contract claim involving the right to purchase under lease agreement
• Resolved dispute between seller and listing agent involving a celebrity real estate agent
• Settled dispute involving hospital property with issues regarding the right to purchase
• Resolved internationally known fashion brand’s disputed lease agreement with a major property owner in New York City
• Sexual Misconduct and Abuse
• Arbitrated many U.S. Center for SafeSport matters resolving abuse and misconduct claims affecting various sports under the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement
• Mediated and arbitrated multiple matters involving allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse, including cases with high-profile parties in the sports and entertainment industry and from academic institutions
• Sat on tripartite panel arbitrating complaints including claims of sexual harassment, sexual violence and rape

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

Background and Education