Karsten H. Rasmussen

Karsten H. Rasmussen is a retired Circuit Court Judge and full-time mediator. He served as a Judge with the Lane County (Eugene, Oregon) Circuit Court for 19 years, from 1999 to 2018, and as Presiding Judge for 6 of those years. He has adjudicated and mediated complex trucking, insurance coverage, commercial, construction, auto, personal injury, medical malpractice, and business cases. He has held over 2000 formal settlement conferences and mediations including multi-million dollar settlements in major forest fire, trucking, medical malpractice claims, products liability cases, construction cases, auto, and personal injury claims. Judge Rasmussen is widely acknowledged as one of the few mediators with extensive insurance coverage experience. Prior to joining the Circuit Court, he practiced civil litigation for 16 years throughout Oregon. He taught Oregon Civil Procedure, legal history, and insurance law at the University of Oregon School of Law for many years as an adjunct professor. He is a co-author of the textbook, “Oregon Practice and Procedure,” (4th ed.).

Judge Rasmussen holds a B.A. from the University of Oregon (Phi Beta Kappa), an M.A. (with honors) from the University of Chicago, and a J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law. He has been a member of the Oregon State Bar since 1983 and was a member of the Oregon State Senate from 1993-95