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R. Rex Parris
R. Rex Parris (born 1952) is a trial attorney, the mayor of Lancaster, California, and the founder of PARRIS, a law firm that specializes in personal injury, employment, and environmental law.

Rex’s notable verdicts and settlements as a trial attorney include a $370 Million verdict against Guess Inc., a $54 Million truck accident verdict against CRST, Inc., a $41.6 Million car accident verdict, and over $500 Million recovered in class action settlements. His law firm, PARRIS, has secured verdicts and settlements in excess of $1.4 Billion in the 30+ years since it was founded.

As mayor, Rex drastically dropped Lancaster’s unemployment and crime rates, and is pursuing the goal of making Lancaster the first net-zero energy city in the world. He is seen as a controversial but innovative leader working to improve the social, environmental, and economic conditions in Lancaster.

Childhood
Rex was born Raymond Rex Parris in Palmdale, California, a neighboring city to Lancaster. His father left at an early age and his mother, Jeanne Powers, worked as a waitress to support Rex and his three brothers. At times, his family collected welfare to make ends meet. Rex dropped out of high school in 10th grade and got a full-time job to support his family. Soon after, he started using drugs and nearly ended up in jail. After his run in with the law, Rex quickly realized that he needed to make a change. He went back to school and was accepted to the University of California Santa Barbara, where he studied Law & Society. After completing his undergraduate program, Rex went on to Southwestern School of Law to receive his Juris Doctor degree.

Today, Rex makes it a priority to give back to the same community he grew up in. He regularly opens his home to local underprivileged children to show that they too can achieve anything.

Legal Career
The circumstances surrounding Rex's early life went on to shape his future career path. When Rex was young, his father lost his leg in a motorcycle accident because of someone else’s careless driving. This loss is what inspired Rex to become a personal injury lawyer. He witnessed firsthand how damaging personal injuries can be to a family when the breadwinner is permanently disabled after an accident. In 1985, Rex opened PARRIS Law Firm, a law firm that specializes in personal injury, employment, and environmental law.

One of Rex’s most notable cases was a 2009 defamation lawsuit against Guess, Inc. brought on by five former employees. A jury found that Georges Marciano, one of Guess' co-founders, intentionally inflicted emotional distress onto his employees and awarded them $370 Million in damages. That case resulted in one of the largest single verdicts in California's history.

2018 marked a historic legal achievement for both Rex and PARRIS Law Firm when they secured two notable eight-figure personal injury verdicts that totaled close to $94 Million.


 * On February 21, 2018, Rex and his team obtained a Los Angeles County Superior Court jury verdict of $53,745,374 for two Southern California brothers who were severely injured following a head-on collision with a CRST, Inc. semi-truck.
 * Two months later on April 17, 2018, Rex and his team obtained a Los Angeles County Superior Court jury verdict of $41,634,170 for a 27-year-old former Antelope Valley native who became a paraplegic from a car accident.

Over the years, Rex and his law firm have obtained many more multi-million dollar personal injury verdicts and settlements.


 * In 2005, a DHL delivery van ran a red light and slammed into Rex's client at speeds in excess of 50 mph. During discovery, Rex's team found that the driver was under the influence at the time of the crash. DHL refused to take responsibility by claiming the driver was an independent contractor. In 2011, DHL settled the case and awarded Rex's client $10.5 Million.
 * In Palmdale, California, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department vehicle crashed into Rex's client and caused severe head and neck injuries. Rex and his legal team fought diligently to recover $15 Million for his young client and her passenger. Rex leveraged cutting-edge technology during the trial to help maximize her results.
 * In 2012, Rex secured a $31.5 Million verdict against Caltrans for a man who was severely injured after his motorcycle was hit by a car on Highway 138. The client suffered life-threatening injuries and now needs 24-hour nursing care. A jury found Caltrans to be at fault for creating the dangerous roadway conditions and for ignoring reports of the roadway's hazards.

In 2009, Rex expanded his law practice to help California workers when he opened an employment law class action department at PARRIS. Since then, Rex's team has recovered more than $500 Million for aggrieved workers all across California. The majority of the recovery has been on behalf of employees in wage-and-hour class actions against their employers.

In one of their largest class action lawsuits, Rex and his legal team represented State Farm claims adjusters who were not being paid overtime. An investigation uncovered that State Farm misclassified their adjusters as salaried employees to get around having to pay overtime wages. As a result of this misclassification, State Farm claims adjusters were owed $135 Million in back pay and penalties. A few years later, Rex was approached by one of these employees and was told that this case has exponentially changed his life for the better.

Rex's work in the class action and environmental law arena continues to help California employees and residents alike.


 * The SoCalGas mass action lawsuits were filed on behalf of people and fire fighters living near Porter Ranch, a Los Angeles neighborhood known as the home of E.T. Park. The largest gas leak in United States history caused many residents to suffer from nose bleeds, headaches, and rashes. The lawsuits against SoCalGas calls for the establishment of a medical monitoring program, compensation for individual personal injury claims, and the recovery of property value losses. The massive well failure was caused by years of failed maintenance by Southern California Gas Company. Public health officials still do not know if it is safe for people to live there. Residents continue to suffer from major health problems, and some have had to relocate because of the dangerous gases contaminating the air.
 * PARRIS was the first law firm to file a class action lawsuit against Southern California Edison for starting the historically catastrophic Woolsey Fire in November 2018. The Plaintiffs are seeking economic and non-economic damages inflicted upon homeowners, renters, and businesses.

In addition to personal injury, environmental and employment cases, Rex has also served as counsel on cases involving the California Voting Rights Act.


 * In 2012, Rex, alongside attorney Kevin Shenkman, successfully litigated a case against Palmdale, California in order to bring their elections into compliance with California's Voting Rights Act. This lawsuit was filed on behalf of Palmdale's diverse population so that voters could elect city officials who would better represent its residents. When Rex deposed Palmdale's Mayor Ledford during this case, it became an integral part of a corruption scandal within Ledford's office. This led to Ledford being federally charged with illegally receiving close to $500,000 from consultants and failing to publicly disclose this income. The City of Palmdale resisted the voting change and spent more than $4.5 Million over the course of three years litigating the decision, but ultimately the City settled the case. The City of Palmdale switched to by-district voting in November 2016.
 * In 2014, Rex and Kevin Shenkman settled a lawsuit with the City of Santa Clarita that accused the City of violating the California Voting Rights Act. This ruling led to moving elections to even-numbered years and employed cumulative voting.
 * In November 2018, Rex obtained another successful California Voting Rights Act verdict for the people of Pico Neighborhood in Santa Monica, California. The judge ruled that Santa Monica’s elections were intentionally designed to discriminate against minority voters. Plaintiffs fought to ensure that the Pico Neighborhood would have equal representation throughout the City's local government. With this ruling, the residents of the Pico Neighborhood can finally have a say in how the City is governed.

Rex attributes his trial success to incorporating cognitive science principles into his legal practice to give him an edge in the courtroom. By leveraging research-based psychology into his trial preparation, Rex was able to win a number of multi-million dollar verdicts. Due to his experience and expertise in the courtroom, Rex is regularly asked to speak at events for attorney organizations such as Consumer Attorneys of California/Los Angeles/Inland Empire, American Association of Justice, and other associations all over the country.

Rex has won many legal awards throughout his career, including Largest Verdict in the United States in 2009 for $370 Million, 2018 Best Lawyers Lawyer of the Year by U.S. News & World Report, Top Attorneys in Southern California, and Antelope Valley’s Trial Attorney of the Year.

Rex was named 2018 Person of the Year by Metropolitan News-Enterprise, and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti paid tribute to Rex in a special video created to honor him. Rex was also named one of the 10 most influential mayors in America by GQ Magazine because of his incredible successes.

Philanthropy
Throughout his career, Rex started a number of charities in the Antelope Valley, including but not limited to Lancaster Child Abuse Task Force, Antelope Valley War on Gangs, and Valley Volunteers Program.

Additionally, Rex and his wife Carrol Parris helped establish the R. Rex Parris High School, a high school that serves students who are significantly behind in meeting their high school graduation requirements. Additionally, the school serves students who have consistently violated school discipline rules, substance abuse infractions, and severe attendance issues in other Antelope Valley public and charter schools. R. Rex Parris High School enrolls approximately 1000 students per academic year, with 600 to 700 attending at any one time.

In 2014, Rex and Carrol donated $2 Million to Pepperdine University School of Law for the establishment of the Parris Institute of Professional Formation. The purpose of the Parris Institute is to provide first-year law students with the tools and resources they need to develop professional, moral, and ethical leadership skills.

In 2018, Rex and PARRIS Law Firm started PARRIS Cares, the sister brand to PARRIS. Through PARRIS Cares, PARRIS Law Firm commits to giving back to their community by partnering with local organizations to meet the needs of community members, performing community service, and supporting local education. Recent work of PARRIS Cares has included hosting clothing and blood drives and donating a truck to the Jacob Hefter Foundation.

Political Career
In 2008, Rex invested $400,000 in a campaign for Mayor of Lancaster and won by 352 votes. Since his initial election in 2008, Rex has been re-elected 3 times, receiving 67% of the popular vote in 2016.

Since Rex took office in 2008, unemployment rates have dropped and the city has been internationally commended for transforming into a "clean energy powerhouse." Statistics from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office show that Rex has helped bring the crime rate in Lancaster down by almost 30%, with gang-related crimes down by 80%.

Rex said he aims to make Lancaster "the best small city in America." He has received media attention for his plan to make Lancaster residents more content by playing bird noises over the public sound system, and his desire to build sidewalks that calm the mind, with gentle "wave-like curves." He supported the Opportunity Bus Pass Program, a program that covers the expense of a one-way bus ticket for homeless people to return to their hometowns or wherever they have support. Rex donated $10,000 to that program.

Regarding gangs in Lancaster, Rex said, “There is no mercy. You don't work with them, you destroy them. It's simple.” In 2009, when the Mongols motorcycle club was planning to host its annual meeting at a hotel in Lancaster, Rex immediately shut the hotel down, citing several violations including the hotel's failure to pay the transient occupancy tax. That same year, in an attempt to dissuade the use and abuse of pit bulls by gangs, Rex passed a law allowing the city to castrate unregistered pit bulls.

In 2012, Rex started to use a spy plane to monitor crime in his city. Despite uncertainty from some residents, the plans were met with general approval.

Rex also led several efforts to bring business and jobs to Lancaster starting in 2013. This began with a partnership with Morton Manufacturing to bring a total of 350 jobs to the Antelope Valley, which helped stimulate the local economy.

That same year, Rex persuaded Chinese electric car and bus maker, Build Your Dreams (BYD), to open a factory in Lancaster. The BYD factory met its pledge of creating 200 jobs in Lancaster in its first three years of operation. BYD currently employs over 750 workers in the United States. Rex is primarily responsible for bringing BYD, its jobs, and the economic growth it spurred to Lancaster.

Rex brings his wife and business partner Carrol to many mayoral functions, valuing her support for his initiatives in office.

Rex's current mayoral term ends in April 2020.

Green Energy Advocacy
In his early days as Mayor of Lancaster, Rex traveled to a renewable energy conference in Dubai. There, he came to the realization that he could use the sunny setting of Antelope Valley to Lancaster's advantage, with solar power. After checking solar radiation maps of the area, his hunch was confirmed and he set a goal for the city to become a net-zero energy community.

In partnership with Solar City, Rex completed the first test building: city hall. The benefits were immediate as the cost of power dropped by half for the municipal building. Within two years, the technology was saving the City of Lancaster tens of thousands of dollars in utility costs, and solar-leasing brought in close to $400,000 for the City in just two years.

Under Rex's leadership, Lancaster has quickly become one of the leading cities in the country for solar technology. During an interview with the New York Times, Rex said he "absolutely" thinks climate change is a threat to our world. Rex said he realized that one of the big limiting factors surrounding solar energy was the amount of time and work required to get all the necessary permits and approvals. To combat this, he made all solar permits in Lancaster same-day over-the-counter, the first US jurisdiction to put this approach in place.

In 2013, Rex made Lancaster the first US city to require every new home be constructed with solar panels.

In October 2018, Rex traveled to Australia to be the international keynote speaker for the Cities Power Partnership Summit, Australia’s leading local government climate change forum. He has quickly become one of the biggest voices in local government to speak up about environmental issues.

PARRIS Law Firm’s building itself is further representation of Rex’s commitment to going green. It is an energy-efficient building and is LEED Gold certified from the U.S. Green Building Council. It also received rebates from the Savings By Design Program as well as a tax deduction for IRC section 179D. PARRIS has a score of 65/110 on their LEED scorecard, and the gold certification is one of the highest one can get on its scale.