Longtime Redding lawyer and philanthropist, Dugan Barr, dies at 77

Damon Arthur | Redding

Dugan Barr, a longtime North State lawyer who handled some of the highest profile legal cases in the Redding area during the past 20 years, has died.

Barr, who had suffered heart issues recently, died Friday night at Mercy Medical Center in Redding. He was 77 years old.

While he was known as a "legend" in the Shasta County legal community, friends and clients also said he was equally famous for his generosity.

"He was a big man with a very soft heart," said Mel Corbett, who became friends with Barr after she and her husband sold a home to Barr's mother some 35 years ago.

The son of a Siskiyou County Superior Court judge, John Douglas Barr acquired the nickname "Dugan" to distinguish him from his father, also named John.

He was born and raised in Yreka and attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon, and obtained his law degree from the University of Chicago.

With his father still a judge in Siskiyou County, he felt he couldn't return to Yreka to set up a law practice there.

So after being admitted to the California bar in December 1967 he went to work for William Coshow and stayed on until 1973, when he set up his own practice, he told the Record Searchlight in a 1983 story.

He had litigated more than 200 cases to verdict in civil trials covering everything from personal injury and products liability to medical malpractice, according to a bio on his law firm's website.

He was also active in Democratic Party politics and was a businessman in Redding beyond his law firm.

His friend, Redding attorney Wayne Maire, said Barr was well known far beyond Shasta County.

"He truly was a legend in Shasta County jurisprudence," Maire said.

"Dugan has a state and national reputation," he said. "I know lawyers from all over the country and state and everybody knows Dugan."

His list of awards and memberships in legal organizations was extensive.

He was a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and was president of the Sacramento Valley chapter in 1991. Among the many other accolades Barr received, he was named Trial Lawyer of the Year by the ABOTA Sacramento Valley chapter in 2005.

He was also named a fellow for the American College of Trial Lawyers and fellow for the International Academy of Trial Lawyers.

Barr was an effective trial lawyer because he worked hard, he knew how to prepare and how to relate to jurors, said Redding attorney Joe Gazzigli.

"He's probably tried more personal injury cases than anybody in town," Gazzigli said. "He had the ability to relate well with people. Most jurors liked him."

"I think Dugan is one of the smartest men I ever met," said Doug Mudford, his partner in the law firm Barr & Mudford.

But he was also generous to his clients and others in the community, he said. For the ones that needed it, he sometimes charged less than he should or in some cases didn't ask for a fee at all, he said.

When Mudford questioned the practice, Barr waved it off.

"His answer would be, 'You worry too much. It'll work out,'" he said.

In one of his most famous cases, he represented patients in one of several lawsuits filed against Redding Medical Center — the former name of Shasta Regional Medical Center — and four Shasta County physicians.

The nearly 800 plaintiffs in the cases claimed doctors at the hospital performed unnecessary open-heart surgery on hundreds of patients. The hospital's former owner, Tenet Healthcare Corp., paid $395 million in a 2005 settlement. The doctor's settled for $24 million.

Barr also sued the city of Redding and the California Department of Transportation this year on behalf of more than 400 people who claimed they were affected by the 2018 Carr Fire that burned 229,651 acres and destroyed 1,079 homes.

Carr Fire lawsuit gets first court hearing A lawsuit faults the state for the start of the Carr Fire and blames the city of Redding for the way it spread into the west side of Redding.

That case is not affected by Barr's death, said Brandon Storment, an attorney working for Barr & Mudford.

While his colleagues point to his renown in the legal profession, others in the community say he was more than just a lawyer.

"He traveled all over California, but he wasn't just a Shasta County lawyer," said Kenny Breedlove, co-owner of the Market Street Steakhouse in Redding. "He's literally changed a lot of people's lives and made people's lives better."

Barr ate at the steakhouse when it first opened and became a regular customer there, said Leah Sullivan, who manages the restaurant.

He was proud of his Irish heritage and would enjoy a shot of Irish whiskey and telling a dirty Irish limerick, Breedlove said.

"It was always poetry," Sullivan said. "He was always a storyteller."

While he was a "bulldog" in the courtroom, he was a "gentle giant" to the clients he worked for, she said.

He didn't forget his clients after a case was finished, but stayed in touch with them for years to make sure they were OK, she said.

"He was so giving. He had the biggest heart with his family and friends," said Sarah Dickerson, a long-time executive assistant at Barr & Mudford.

He is survived by his wife, Terry, daughters, Catie Barr, Carin Barr, Erin Zepeda and son, Ben Barr. Dickerson said services are planned after the first of the year.

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Damon Arthur is the Record Searchlight’s resources and environment reporter. He is among the first on the scene at breaking news incidents, reporting real time on Twitter at @damonarthur_RS. Damon is part of a dedicated team of journalists who investigate wrongdoing and find the unheard voices to tell the stories of the North State. He welcomes story tips at 530-225-8226 and damon.arthur@redding.com. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!