The Antelope Valley Times

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Quadriplegic wins nearly $42 million in Palmdale crash verdict

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Anthony Taylor [Image via gofundme.com]
LOS ANGELES – A 27-year-old man who was left a quadriplegic following a 2015 auto accident in Palmdale won a nearly $42 million civil judgment, his attorneys announced Tuesday.

The Los Angeles Superior Court jury decided Monday that Samantha Schilling, who was driving the car that crashed into a vehicle carrying Anthony Taylor, must pay $41.6 million to the former Antelope Valley native, who suffered a broken neck in the collision.

“Our client never had it easy,” plaintiff’s attorney R. Rex Parris said. “He was born with developmental disabilities and was given up for adoption. Thankfully, he found a home where he was loved and cared for.”

Prior to the crash, Taylor worked, had a fiancee and was entirely self-sufficient despite his disabilities, said Alexander R. Wheeler, another of the plaintiff’s attorneys.

[Image via gofundme.com]
“This young man overcame all odds to only fall victim to the careless actions of another driver,” Wheeler said.

Taylor’s court papers stated that on Dec. 19, 2015, Taylor, his fiancee and her mother were leaving the Antelope Valley Mall after shopping for some last-minute Christmas gifts. The collision happened at Avenue O and 15th Street West when Schilling drove away from a two-way stop sign and into the path of the car in which Taylor was riding, according to his lawsuit.

“Samantha told police at the scene the last thing she remembers before the crash was texting on her cell phone,” according to court papers submitted by Taylor’s attorneys.

Schilling admitted responsibility for the accident, so jurors were tasked with deciding Taylor’s damages, according to his attorneys.

“While money will not make him whole again, this groundbreaking verdict will go a long way toward improving his living conditions,” Parris said.

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Filed Under: Palmdale

23 comments for "Quadriplegic wins nearly $42 million in Palmdale crash verdict"

  1. yeah but Rex will get his first. im sure he personally represented this high dollar case. smh

    • I may not like him, but if he did personally represent this high dollar case, I’m glad. Anthony Taylor and his family will need as much money as he can get. The rest of his life will be an extreme challenge, so this monetary compensation will help.

  2. Rex does nothing that does not benefit himself first. Nothing. Nada. Zippo.

  5. Parris talks like if the money will actually be coming through. Lets hope so, otherwise this poor guy will end up in a county nursing home, wishing he had been hit by a Pepsi truck.

  6. So he is awarded &42,000,000
    How much will he actually get?? The sad part of all of this is that very little will actually get paid out. The insurance company has policy limits. The person is then solely responsible.
    I see the 1 billion Parris has in decisions. They should post how much has actually paid out.

    • If Rex posted what was actually paid versus what the awards were, he would be exposed as the true exaggerator, bloviator, and fatalist that he really is.

  7. What about the drunk judge J4ckson and friend of R Rex Parris who was DUI and killed that little boy all those years ago? He never served time and that poor mother was distraught. Not even a slap on the wrist!

    J4ckson now lives in Genoa, Nevada near Carson City.

      • @Johnnie Walker…This accident happened in Palmdale, and the DUI driver was not bailed out by Parris. The man that ended up being a quadriplegic was the victim.

        • Alexis, I was responding to the comment about drunk judge J4ckson. Work with me. Follow the threat. Drunk judge, Rex bails out. DUI Drew, Rex bails out. How many people does he now own for his uncanny ability to bail people out?

  8. What percentage will Mr. Parris receive is the real question? I doubt that he is on the lookout for Mr. Taylors well being and future cost care.

    • … no one’s getting anything. No one is ever going to see not one red cent, out of the goodness of Samantha Schilling’s heart. I suspect the limits of her automobile insurance policy were indeed meager. She’ll marry; change her name; they’ll lose track of her. For all intents and purpose, she’s off the hook, scoff free –

      • Gee , that sounds familiar. Same thing happened to my son when he was hit by a 17 yr old drunk driver who flew thru a stop sign and hit him right behind the driver door of his eclipse. He had his seatbelt on , it broke from the impact and he went thru his soft convertible roof.
        He had just come home from the Army 6 months prior on an honorable medical discharge.
        She married a military guy and moved to Europe somewhere.
        Perris said the case was not going to bring enough to him and his firm so they brushed us off.
        We went to Kuysck and was able to settle for some to pay some of the medical bills.
        But they never could find her to come to court or anything.

    • What difference does it make, what % Rex Parris makes? What matters is that this man’s medical expenses will be paid, and other compensations will be there for him and his family.

  9. The at fault persons insurance will pay the money. I am sure this verdict will be appealed. R Rex Parris is full of crap. The at fault person must not have had an attorney. I mean why would anyone say the last thing they remember was texting. She sunk herself.

  10. The smile on his face in the photo says everything. Also, how is it possible that the person at fault will be able to pay that much money.