Biography
Hon. Rex Heeseman (Ret.) was appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court (LASC) in 2005; before then, he litigated a variety of employment lawsuits for more than three decades. Until retirement from that court in 2014, he presided over 93 jury trials, a few of which addressed employment issues, and adjudicated in excess of 100 bench trials. His judicial experiences gives him a unique perspective on likely judicial rulings and verdicts.
During the course of his career as a judge and at JAMS, Judge Heeseman has spent a considerable amount of time on a wide range of employment matters. He has been particularly sought after for his trial background and his insurance expertise. He co-authors a leading insurance treatise, was an adjunct professor of law, and is now a legal commentator and MCLE speaker, thus bringing an academic, judicial, and practical perspective.
General Experience
- Supervision of and judicial participation in LASC’s CRASH I, II, and III
- Statutory violations (e.g., Labor Code and FEHA)
- Misclassification
- Wage and hour
- Failure to accommodate
- “Whistleblower”
- Retaliation
- Sexual harassment
- Discrimination due to age, disability, gender, or race
- Pregnancy related claims
- Award of attorney fees
Representative Matters
- Author of published DCA appeal regarding employee vs. independent contractor
- Individual and class actions, including:
- failure to pay and minimum wage and overtime
- failure to provide meal and rest breaks
- off-the clock activities
- Claims for commissions
- Business owner against former employee for
- breach of non-disclosure agreement and theft of trade secrets
- Female employee’s sexual harassment claim due to customer’s misconduct
- Medical condition discrimination
- Gender discrimination and retaliation lawsuits
- Disability discrimination and failure to accommodate
- Presided over jury trial regarding school district’s failure to accommodate
- Presided over jury trial regarding pregnancy discrimination
Publications
- Co-author, TRG's "Insurance Litigation," California Practice Guide
- Legal Columnist, Los Angeles Daily Journal
- “Business Torts”
- “Punitive Damages”
- “Insurance Law”
Speaking Engagements
- The Rutter Group
- "COVID-19: Coverage, Claims, and Civil Litigation" (2020)
- “Insurance Litigation Update” (annually, since 1991)
- “Anatomy of an Insurance Policy” (5 times)
- “Critical Coverage Topics” (4 times)
- “Shernoff Bad Faith Seminar” (5 times)
- Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA)
- “Trial of Bad Faith Case”
- “Premises Liability”
- “Government Tort Liability”
- West Coast Casualty (WCC) Seminar
- “Use of Experts"
- "WRAP Policies"
- MC and CLM Seminar
- “Judicial Perspective on CD Litigation”
- "Impact of CC&Rs"
- Justice Pro Tem, Second District Court of Appeal (Division 3) (2013)
- BA, Claremont McKenna College, and LLB, Stanford Law School
- Adjunct Professor of Law, Loyola Law School, 2002-2014
- Lecturer, UCLA Law School, 2002
- Assistant and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney
- Captain, U.S. Army
- Attorney-Member, State of California's Judicial Council
- Member, Ninth Circuit's Advisory Committee
News
Events
Practice Areas
- Arbitration
- Business/Commercial
- Construction Defect
- Employment
- Health Care
- Insurance
- Personal Injury/Torts
- Real Property
- Special Master
Locations
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Additional Information
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