Diane Sammons is an experienced litigator practicing law for more than 25 years. She started her career as a criminal prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. After establishing an array of trial victories there, she began work at one of the largest commercial firms in the state, focusing on mass complex tort cases (including the DES’ litigation, tobacco litigation and fetal-alcohol syndrome), commercial litigation, insurance and white-collar criminal defense work. She came to work for Nagel Rice, LLP in 1990.

In 2001, she became part of a team representing national and international victims in an Austrian ski train disaster against European companies. Her efforts have contributed to several significant jurisdictional victories over multi-national corporations.

She has also secured a successful result for her representation of several Austrian anti-nuclear organizations who sought to close a nuclear power station on the southern border of the Czech Republic. Her work in securing documentation through the Freedom of Information Act was a resource to her clients who had been struggling for years to secure basic safety documents from the Czech Republic.

In 2003, she was appointed co-lead counsel of a 19-member team of attorneys in a multi-district litigation in a claim against corporations who profited from the transatlantic slave trade. From 2002, she has served as a lead attorney in the international suit seeking damages for the victims of apartheid in South Africa.

In 2004, Sammons was installed as Chancellor of the Episcopal Church of Newark, where she serves as special legal advisor to the Bishop and oversees all legal matters for the 113-church Diocese, including employment, real estate, transactional work, clergy discipline, ecclesiastical law and litigation. Sammons has been a frequent guest on radio and talk shows speaking about some of her cases. Such appearances include, CNN (March 30, 2002); CN8 “Real Life� (June 5, 2002); CN8 10:00 News (May 1, 2002); Channel 9 10:00 News (May 1, 2002); Rundshau, German television show (January 8, 2003); Africa Today, South African morning show (June 2002); National Public Radio (2002); BBC (2002): Voice of America (2002); National Public Radio, “Tavis Smiley Show� (2003); National Public Radio, “Morning Edition� (2004); Bloomberg News “Simply Put� (April 2004), WOR (2002); WNET (2002); WCTZ (April 2004).
 
Author

“Corporate Reparations for Descendents of Enslaved African Americans – Practical Obstaclesâ€�   Max DuPlessis, Stephen Pete, Repairing the Past?  International Perspectives on Reparations for Gross Human Rights Abuses.  (Intersentia  2007) at 315.

Presenter and Lecturer

"Report of Title IV Task Fare," Province II Synod (May 2009), Western Chancellor's Conference (May 2009), Standing Committee on Ministry Development (November 2008); "Breakthrough on Statute of Limitations Issue", North Carolina Conference of the NAACP CLE Seminar (October 2008); “Reconciliation at the Roundtableâ€�, The Desmond Tutu Center:  General Theological Seminary (September 2007); “Misuse of Church Computers:  What you May Want to Know More Aboutâ€�, National Chancellors’ Conference (May 2007); “National Canons:  History and Application of Title IVâ€�, Drew University Theological School (May 2007); “Authority in the Anglican Communion and the Windsor Reportâ€�, Episcopal Lawyers’ Volunteer Network (May 2007); “The Legal Case for Reparationsâ€�, Brooklyn Law School (February 2007); “The Moral and Legal Basis for Reparations for Historical Wrongsâ€�, Plainfield Unitarian Society (January 2007); “Excellence, Justice, Honor Through an Unflinching Look at the Harms of the Transatlantic Slave Tradeâ€�, Horace Mann High School Honor Society (May 2006); "The Case for Reparations and Comments on Film:  Slavery Reparations: The Final Passage", Brooklyn Film Festival (February 2006); "Human Rights Through Reparations Litigation", United Universalist Association Diversity Conference, New York (February 2006); "Bishop and Clergy Development Search Processes/Letter of Agreement, Western Chancellors’ Conference, 2005; "Human Rights as Tool for Social Changeâ€�, UNESCO, Institute of Comparative Human Rights Conference, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008; “Update on Reparations Litigation", Congressional Black Caucus Convention (September 2005); "Update in African-American Slave Descendants' Litigation and Apartheid Litigation," Stanford Law School (2004); "Reparations, a Legal Model," University of Connecticut School of Law (2002); "A Review on African-American Slave Descendants' Litigation," Union Theological Seminary (2002); "Class Action as a Mechanism for Enforcement of Human Rights Violations," Kean University (Fall 2002).  

Reported Cases

In re African American Slave Descendants’ Litig., 304 F.Supp.2d 1027 (N.D. Ill. 2004); In re African America Slave Descendent's Litig., 471 F.3d 754 (7th Cir. 2006); In re African American Slave Descendents’ Litig., 307 F.Supp.2d 977 (N.D. Ill. 2004); In re African American Slave Descendants’ Litig., 272 F.Supp. 755 (N.D. Ill. 2003); In re African American Slave Descendants’ Litig., 231 F.Supp.2d 1357 (Jud. Pan. Mult. Lit. 2002); In re Apartheid Litig., 346 F. Supp.2d 538 (S.D.N.Y. 2009); Khulmani v. Barclay Nat. Bank, 504 F.3d 254 (3d Cir. 2007); American Isuzu Motors v. Ntsebeza, 128 S.Ct. 2424, 171 L.Ed 2d 225, 76 USLW 3405, 76 USLW 3603, 76 USLW 3608 (U.S. May 12, 2008); In re South African Apartheid Litig. ___ F.Supp. 2d, 2009 WL 960078 (S.D.N.Y. April 8, 2009); In re Apartheid Litig., 238 F.Supp.2d 1379 (Jud. Pan. Mult. Lit. 2002); In re Ski Train Fire in Kaprun, 175 F.Supp.2d 1379 (Jud. Pan. Mult. Lit. 2001). 

Memberships

Sammons is admitted to the bar, 1981, New Jersey and New York, U.S. District Court, District Court of New Jersey, Southern District of New York and Eastern District of New York. Hogan-Morgenthau Associates; American Bar Association; Episcopal Chancellors’ Network; Ecclesiastical Law Society; Standing Commission of the Constitution and Canons of the National Episcopal Church; Subcommittee on Title IV Revision to National Episcopal Church; Presiding Bishop’s Chancellor’s Council of Advice; Episcopal Lawyers’ Volunteer Network - Diocese of Newark; Committee on Constitution and Canons – Diocese of Newark; N.J. State District Ethics Committee for Essex County, District V-B (1998-2002).  

Practice Areas 

Class Actions; International Human Rights; Canon Law; Commercial Litigation; Personal Injury; Employment Law; Criminal Law; Municipal Law.

 
Education
College of William & Mary (B.A.); Seton Hall School of Law (J.D.)