R. Rex Parris

Personal Injury

Holding to account energy companies and other corporate defendants is a major goal of R. Rex Parris’ successful plaintiff-side practice. Last year, he had leading roles in the $2 billion settlement with Southern California Gas Co. over the Aliso Canyon gas leak; in the $49.6 million jury award to a California Highway Patrol officer badly hurt in a rear-ender by a distracted driver; and in the $141 million awarded to a man who was left brain-damaged when his car was T-boned by a woman talking on her cellphone.

In late May, he was about to begin jury selection in a case involving PG&E and a deadly gas line explosion in Kern County. The big utility sued Parris’ client for employing Michael Ojeda, the man who struck the line with a bulldozer, incinerating him and injuring others. PG&E’s suit blames Parris’ client for conducting “illegal and unsafe” excavations; Parris said the pipeline was mismarked.

Parris is on the counterattack, accusing PG&E in a cross complaint of defamation and libel for conducting a media campaign to blame his client for the incident.

“I’m going to ask for a huge amount, $1.2 billion, including punitives,” Parris said. “This is a despicable company. They also operate nuclear power plants—and if they have the same safety culture there, the writing’s on the wall.” Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. Alexander, BCV-15-101623 (Kern Co. Super. Ct., filed Dec. 7, 2015).

In an email, Parris added, referring to deaths in the San Bruno pipeline explosion and the Paradise fire, “PG&E has been found guilty or pled to 92 counts of manslaughter in the last seven years, but there should have been 93 counts. It was PG&E’s gross negligence that caused Michael Ojeda’s death and PG&E has always known that.” Representatives from PG&E did not respond to emails for comment.

Parris is lead counsel in a class action that accuses the Los Angeles’ Department of Water and Power of covering up for at least three years a massive gas leak at the Sun Valley Generating Station. The leak allegedly harmed the largely Latinx and African American residents nearby, exposing them to poisonous fumes that caused recurring headaches, bloody noses, shortness of breath, severe anxiety and nausea. Pueblo y Salud et al. v. City of Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, 21STCV04346 (L.S. Super. Ct., filed Feb. 2, 2021).

“The current city attorney is deeply enmeshed with DWP, so we’re going to have to wait for the elections to appoint a new person to the post before we can move this case forward,” Parris said. “The situation shows that if you don’t have a culture of following the law, you can end up with thousands injured.”

– John Roemer