Results

Since our formation in 2008, we have obtained over $30 million in settlements and judgments for our clients. These are some of our results:

• $3.5 million in settlements and judgments for a San Francisco tenant who was severely injured after falling through a poorly-maintained, unguarded skylight on the roof deck attached to her rental apartment.  Our investigation revealed that when he constructed the building, the landlord submitted plans to San Francisco authorities that called for a 46 inch high, quality skylight, but deviated from those approved plans by using an off-brand sklylight that was only a few inches high.  The plaintiff accidentally slipped onto the skylight while tending to her plants, and fell one story to a garage below, suffering serious orthopedic and brain injuries.
• $2.4 million settlement for a San Francisco pedestrian struck by a patrol car that was owned and operated by a San Francisco Police officer.  The plaintiff suffered multiple fractures and a traumatic brain injury. The SFPD accident report concluded that the pedestrian was crossing out of the crosswalk and against the light, and his case was passed over by a number of other law firms. Our investigation uncovered witnesses who testified that the plaintiff was actually in the crosswalk when the patrol car ran a red light, and our experts concluded that the patrol car, which was not on an emergency call, was speeding.
• $1.825 million medical malpractice settlement for the death of a young woman whose bacterial infection was repeatedly misdiagnosed by the defendant doctors, until the infection advanced too far to be treated.
• $1.8 million settlement for a San Francisco pedestrian who tripped and fell in a covered pedestrian walkway next to a construction site. During the course of litigation we discovered that the general contractor for the work site had received complaints about inadequate lighting and notice of tripping incidents, but failed to act promptly.
• $1.5 million settlement for a back seat passenger who was injured in a head-on collision near Seattle, Washington. He suffered a traumatic brain injury in the collision. The initial police report concluded that only one driver was at fault. Our investigation revealed that the drivers of both cars were playing chicken, and the insurance companies for both drivers settled with the plaintiff.
• $1.325 million settlement for an off-duty pilot injured in the failed takeoff of a cargo jet in China.
• $1.3 million trial verdict on behalf of a bicyclist who was struck by a San Francisco taxi cab.
• $1.3 million federal civil rights settlement for a Hayward man whose ankle was broken in the course of an arrest by Alameda County Sheriff’s deputies.  His case was rejected by several prominent Bay Area civil rights firms.  The deputies claimed in their reports that the man was resisting arrest, but our prosecution of this action resulted in the disclosure of a video that showed that their claims were not true.  See the article in the Bar Association of San Francisco journal.
• $1.25 million in settlements for a container truck driver who suffered a serious head injury while trying to secure a container that had been misloaded by stevedores at the Port of Oakland.  Our investigation uncovered evidence that the accident was the result of a combination of factors including a defect in the truck chassis that had been provided to the plaintiff, the misloading by stevedores, and lack of training by the plaintiff’s employer.
• $995,000 settlement in a federal civil right case, for the death of a county jail prisoner due to a drug overdose.  Through aggressive investigation we learned that the jail guards, with knowledge of their supervisors, were violating state regulations and not checking on prisoners on an hourly basis; the decedent spent most of his last night without being checked properly by guards.
• $775,000 settlement for a San Francisco man who was struck in the head with a glass at a nightclub. The plaintiff suffered a mild traumatic brain injury and facial scarring.
• $740,000 settlement for a San Francisco pedestrian who was struck by a MUNI bus. The plaintiff suffered a mild traumatic brain injury and scarring.
• $512,000 settlement for a San Francisco motorcyclist who was injured at a dangerous intersection. The plaintiff suffered multiple injuries including a ruptured spleen and fractured thumb.
• $500,000 settlement for a Central Valley plaintiff whose toes were run over by a forklift. The plaintiff suffered permanent nerve injuries and fractures.
• $500,000 settlement for a San Francisco woman who suffered a wrist fracture after her car was forced out of its freeway lane by a black SUV whose driver then fled the scene.  A good samaritan followed the defendant driver and reported his license plate to police.
• $495,000 settlement for a Belmont driver whose small car was sideswiped by a truck that improperly changed lanes in a San Francisco intersection. Although her treating doctors diagnosed only a mild concussion, our consulting doctors were prepared to testify that the plaintiff suffered a mild traumatic brain injury in the collision.
• $468,000 arbitration award for a pedestrian struck by a turning automobile.  Although the client’s visible injuries were minor, she struck her head in the accident and our experts were able to demonstrate that she suffered a mild traumatic brain injury that impaired her ability to work as a saleswoman at a large bank.
• $450,000 settlement for a San Francisco plaintiff who was T-boned at an intersection in San Francisco. She suffered a mild traumatic brain injury.
• $315,000 settlement for an East Bay woman who was hit by a vehicle while riding her bicycle to work. She suffered mostly soft tissue damage, but was unable to engage in the exercise that her doctors prescribed to help her deal with chemotherapy treatments.
• $255,000 settlement for an airline passenger who suffered a shoulder injury when luggage fell while being stowed by an off-duty flight attendant.  The airline had argued that it was not responsible for the negligence of its off-duty employee.
• $220,000 trial verdict for a Mill Valley bicycle rider who was hit by vehicle while riding in Mill Valley. The plaintiff suffered a fractured ankle that was surgically repaired, and faced the prospect of arthritic changes. We also obtained a $100,000 policy-limits settlement for the same gentleman after he was “doored” by a driver getting out of her parked car in San Anselmo.
• Numerous other six figure settlements and uninsured arbitration awards.