Donald G. Rez focuses his practice in the areas of business and commercial litigation, antitrust and trade regulation. He has handled all types of commercial lawsuits, including cases involving trade regulation and antitrust, breach of contract, franchisor/franchisee issues, lender liability cases, professional malpractice, and intellectual property. He has been involved in complex multi-district litigation, and his antitrust experience has involved claims of virtually every kind.

Mr. Rez has represented diverse clients as the (then) San Diego Clippers, Exxon, Fotomat, Mashburn Sanitation and Recycling (see City of San Marcos v. Coast Waste Mgmt, Inc., 54 Cal Rptr 2d 588 (1996), Nevada Bob’s Pro Shop, Inc., and Orlimar Golf Co. In approving a consumers’ antitrust class action settlement in which Mr. Rez had been appointed co-lead plaintiffs’ counsel, the United States District Court Judge recognized the high quality of representation on behalf of the class. Shames v. Hertz Corp., 2012 WL 5392159 at *19 (S.D. Cal Nov. 5, 2012). (“The quality of representation in this matter was exceptional.”)

Active in the legal community, Mr. Rez is a past chair of the Civil Litigation Section of the San Diego County Bar Association (2013) and was co-chair in 2012, during which he organized and moderated many continuing education programs on topics such as California’s anti-SLAPP statute, e-filing in San Diego Superior Court and court funding. He was an editor of the Harvard Environmental Law Review, and was one of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California Lawyer Representatives to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference.  He has served on the Executive Committee of the Harvard Law School Association of San Diego.

Mr. Rez has an AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell which he has held for more than 30 years. He was selected by his peers for inclusion in the 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th and 29th edition of  Best Lawyers in America® in the field of Commercial Litigation. He has also been recognized as a San Diego “Top Lawyer,” “Super Lawyer,” and was recognized in the top 1% of The American Registry, “Best of the Best.” In addition, he was recognized by the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review for achieving highest level of professional excellence.

Education

• Harvard Law School, J.D., cum laude, 1978
• University of Texas, B.A., with highest honors, 1975

Mr. Rez is a co-author of California Pretrial Practice & Forms (James Publishing Co.), a landmark treatise on civil procedure before trial. He has written extensively and has published articles in various legal journals. He co-authored articles for the American Bar Association’s Forum Committee on Franchising, and has co-edited issues of the ABA’s Antitrust Law Journal and has lectured on procedure, discovery and trade regulation issues.

Publications:

• California Pretrial Practice & Forms, Kane & Rez, James Publishing Company, 2003 updated 2004-2017 https://jamespublishing.com/.
• Antitrust Law Journal National Institute Ed., Co-editor, American Bar Association 1981-1984.
• Antitrust Trade Regulation: Developments Relating to Franchising Sullivan & Rez, ABA Forum Committee on Franchising 1983.
• Let’s Get Rid of Big Cases Sullivan & Rez, 7 Litigation Nos. 4, p.8, Summer 1981.
• Antitrust Discovery Handbook and Supplement (Fraudulent Concealment and Sanctions) Contributor, ABA Antitrust Section (1980).
• Causation and Automatic Damages in Secondary-Line Cases Under Section 2a of the Robinson-Patman Act: Is Fowler v. Gorlich Dead?, 55 Notre Dame Lawyer 660 1980.

Seminars and Courses:

• Presenter, “California’s Prohibition Against Non-Compete Agreements (B&P Code § 16600), the Protection of Trade Secrets and the Practical Relationship Between the Two,” Sullivan Hill Rez and Engel CLE Seminar (September 2022); Meritas Capability Webinar Series, San Diego, April 2015, and California Western School of Law, Business Law Society, March 2015.
• Presenter, “eDiscovery Essentials,” Network Deposition Services Inc., San Diego, May 2014.
• Co-Presenter (with Judge Meyers), “Recent Developments in California Civil Procedure,” San Diego County Bar Association (Civil Litigation Section), April 2014.
• Presenter, Webinar, “What Works Well in Mediation?” San Diego County Bar Association (Civil Litigation Section), November 2013.
• Presenter, “Recent Developments in California Civil Procedure,” San Diego County Bar Association Civil Litigation Section, March 2013.
• Presenter, “Everything You Need to Know: Motion for Summary Judgment,” San Diego County Bar Association (Civil Litigation Section), April 2012.
• Presenter, “The Art of the Deposition: Deposition Procedure,” Veritext San Diego, February 2012.
• Presenter, “E-Discovery in the Mobile Age,” Veritext San Diego, August 2011.
• Presenter in Southern California seminar series entitled “Foreclosure Prevention & Debt Relief for Lawyers”.
• Lecturer, “E-Discovery Under the New Federal Rules of Civil Procedure,” Meritas Litigation Section Meeting, 2006.
• Faculty, Developing Deposition Skills, National Institute of Trial Advocacy NITA, 1999.
• Adjunct Professor of Law, Pretrial Procedures, California Western School of Law, 1984.
• Guest Lecturer, Antitrust Law Seminar, University of San Diego, 1999.
• Lecturer Business Litigation in the 1990’s – Tactics and Techniques, San Diego County Bar Association – Section on General Civil Litigation, 1989.
• Lecturer, Use of Videotaped Depositions, California Continuing Education of the Bar, 1982.
• Lecturer, Practicum, Federal Practice Institute, California Continuing Education of the Bar, 1979.

Representative Matters:

• Torrey Pines Logic, Inc. v. Gunwerks, LLC, 2020 WL 6365430 (S.D. Cal. Oct. 29, 2020)
• In re Vestavia Hills, Ltd., 618 B.R. 294 (Bankr. S.D. Cal. 2020), vacated sub nom. In re Vestavia Hills, Ltd U.S. Small Bus. Admin., No. 20-CV-01308-GPC-LL, 2021 WL 1165038 (S.D. Cal. Mar. 26, 2021), and vacated sub nom. In re Vestavia Hills, Ltd, 630 B.R. 816 (S.D. Cal. 2021)
• Cellular Transitions, LLC v. LG Electronics, Inc. et al, Case:3:18-CV-01955 (S.D. Cal)
• Adler v. Federal Republic of Nigeria, 107 F. 3d 720 9th Cir. 1997.
• Bischel v. Fire Insurance Exchange, 1 Cal. App. 4th 1168 Cal. App. 1991.
• Cellular Plus, Inc. v. Superior Court, 14 Cal. App. 4th 1224 Cal. App. 1993.
• City of San Marcos v. Coast Waste Management, Inc., 47 Cal. App. 4th 320 Cal. App. 1996.
• Daw Industries v. Proteor Holdings, S.A., 2008 WL 4103985 S.D. Cal. 2008.
• Durkin v. Shea & Gould, 92 F. 3d 1510 9th Cir. 1997.
• Durkin v. Shields, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20945 S.D. Cal. 1997.
• Hydranautics v. Filmtec, 204 F.3d 880 9th Cir. 2000.
• Hydranautics v. Filmtec Corp., 306 F. Supp.2d 958 S.D. Cal., 2003.
• Medical Imaging Centers of America v. Lichtenstein, 917 F. Supp. 717 S.D. Cal. 1996.
• SEC v. Integrated Equities, Inc., 2006 WL 3717487 D. Nev. 2006 representing court appointed receiver.
• Platypus Wear v. K.D. Co., 905 F. Supp. 808 S.D. Cal. 1995.
• Shames v. California Travel and Tourism Commission, 626 F. 3d 1079 9th Cir. 2010.
• Shames v. Hertz Corp. 2012 WL 5392159 S.D. Cal Nov. 5, 2012 approval of class action settlement and award of attorneys’ fees.
• Sionix v. Moorehead, 299 F. Supp. 2d 1082 S.D. CA. 2003.
• U.S. v. Guess, 2005 WL 1819382 S.D. Cal., June 28, 2005 representing court appointed receiver.

Mr. Rez is a member of the American Bar Association and a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He has also served as an adjunct professor at California Western School of Law and on the faculty at the National Institute for Trial Advocacy.

Mr. Rez has also been on the board of visitors of the University of San Diego School of Law and on the board of trustees of John Paul the Great Catholic University.

He is a past president of the Thomas More Society of San Diego, a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, and was co-chair of the 2015 Annual Meeting for the Western Lieutenancy in San Diego. He was the coordinator for the year of Mercy for the EOHSJ in San Diego and serves on its Spirituality Committee.  He made the keynote address at the annual St. Thomas More Society dinner which honored Bankruptcy Judge John Hargrove as its attorney of the year.

Mr. Rez has been a member of the Parish and Finance Councils at Our Lady of Refuge Roman Catholic Church, and was on the Diocesian Pastoral Council for the Diocese of San Diego (2002-2004). In addition, he has served on the board of directors of Catholic Exchange and is a past president of the San Diego Chapter of Legatus (2012-2014). He was the co-chair of the Friends of the Poor-Nigeria Fundraiser for Bishops Anthony Adaju and Martin Uzoukwu in August 2015.  He provides communion service at Wesley Palms Retirement Home.

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Shareholder Donald Rez Co-Authors California Pretrial Practice & Forms 11th Edition

Shareholder Donald Rez, In re Baral v. Schnitt 2016 WL 4074081 (August 1, 2016), State Bar of California, Business Litigation Committee, August 2016