William J. Rea, 85; U.S. Judge in L.A. Known for His Independence

U.S. District Judge William J. Rea, who earned a reputation for independence and decency during more than 20 years on the federal bench, died Wednesday from an apparent heart attack. He was 85.

Rea died while recuperating from surgery at St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, a court spokesperson said.

He had been in frail health for some time, using a walker to get around the downtown courthouse, but he continued to maintain a busy work schedule and was trying cases until the time of his death.

“He will be greatly missed by his colleagues and many friends among the court family,” Chief Judge Consuelo B. Marshall said in a statement.

An appointee of President Reagan, Rea won praise for his decisions from some unlikely quarters.

In 2000, he issued an unprecedented ruling allowing a victim in a Rampart police abuse case to sue the Los Angeles Police Department under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

Rea’s decision was “absolutely gutsy” for a conservative judge, said Brian Lysaght, who served as co-counsel for the plaintiff.

However, that case and 30 other Rampart-related suits were subsequently consolidated under another federal judge, Gary A. Feess, who found that the plaintiffs did not have standing to sue under RICO.

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is reviewing Feess’ ruling. Civil rights attorney Stephen Yagman, who brought the original case, predicted Wednesday that Rea’s decision would be upheld.

Yagman, who has clashed with a number of judges on the Los Angeles federal bench, described Rea as an “old school” gentleman.

“I’ve known Bill Rea over 25 years -- before he was on the federal bench -- and what always struck me was his enormous decency as a person,” the lawyer said. “His decency as a person dictated everything he did. He was a conservative guy, but he always followed the law whether he agreed with it or not.”

Yagman said he admired the fact that despite his frail health, Rea went to work every day. “And he was just as sharp toward the end as he was 20 years ago,” he said.

“He was just a terrific and decent judge,” said attorney Roger Jon Diamond, who has represented adult theaters and nightclubs in zoning disputes with Southern California cities.

In 1994, Rea ruled unconstitutional a zoning ordinance that Simi Valley had enacted to prevent an adult theater from opening. His decision was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Diamond said that the city mounted another protracted legal attack against the theater but that Rea dismissed that attempt as well. The case was finally settled this year, according to Diamond.

Born in Los Angeles, Rea earned an undergraduate degree in economics from Loyola University in Chicago in 1942. He played baseball in college, attracting the attention of the Chicago Cubs, but duty to his nation came first.

After graduation, he joined the Navy and rose to the rank of lieutenant commander before being discharged in 1946.

He graduated from the University of Colorado law school in 1949, then returned to California, where he worked as a trial lawyer.

In 1968 then-Gov. Reagan named him to the Los Angeles County Superior Court. When Reagan was in the White House in 1984, he appointed Rea a District Court judge.

The jurist was a frequent guest lecturer at the Loyola, USC and UCLA law schools. He also received numerous awards, including honors from the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, the Southern California Defense Counsel Assn., the Consumer Attorneys Assn. of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Bar Assn.

He is survived by his wife, Kathy, and a son, William J. Rea Jr., an attorney. Memorial services are pending.