Blog : Personal Injury

$3.85 Million Settlement for Injured Cyclist

$3.85 Million Settlement for Injured Cyclist

Minami Tamaki LLP Partner B. Mark Fong and Senior Associate Seema Bhatt recovered a $3.85 million dollar settlement for a 52-year-old cyclist who was struck by a car while riding to his job as an aircraft cleaner at San Francisco International Airport.

The initial facts of the case were unfavorable. Based on witness statements the police concluded our client ran the red light, causing him to be struck by the defendant, a Canadian citizen driving a rental car. Our client also tested positive for methamphetamine at the hospital.

Through tenacious investigation, we were able to obtain security video from the airport that showed our client entered the intersection on a green light, and the driver struck him before he had a chance to clear it. Based on this, the police prepared an amended report which found the driver at fault for the crash. We also argued the drug in our client’s system did not cause the driver to run the red light.

Our client suffered significant orthopedic injuries and bleeding on his brain in the crash. His case was further complicated when he suffered a stroke two years after the crash, which could have been caused by his methamphetamine use. At mediation, Mark and Seema obtained a settlement of $3.85 million dollars for the client, which will allow him to fulfill his dream of reuniting his family in the United States.

Minami Tamaki LLP Ranked on ‘Best Law Firms’ for 10th Year

Minami Tamaki LLP Ranked on ‘Best Law Firms’ for 10th Year

Best Lawyers today announced that Minami Tamaki LLP is again ranked on its “Best Law Firms” list. This is the 10th year that the firm has been recognized with this distinction.

The firm’s Immigration and Nationality Law practice received a National Tier 2 ranking, the fifth year of being nationally ranked. The practice ranked Metro Tier 1 for the ninth consecutive year. The firm’s Personal Injury practice ranked as Metro Tier 1 for the 10th consecutive year.

The Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer review from leading attorneys in the field, and review of additional information provided by law firms as part of the formal submission process. To be eligible for a 2024 ranking, a law firm must have at least one lawyer recognized in the 14th edition of The Best Lawyers in America list for that particular location and specialty.

Earlier this year, Best Lawyers in America recognized nine Minami Tamaki LLP attorneys in its 2024 edition. Partners Sean Tamura-Sato, B. Mark Fong, Olivia Serene Lee, Suhi Koizumi, Senior Counsel Dale Minami, and Senior Associates La Verne A. Ramsay and Angela Mapa made the Best Lawyers list. Senior Associate Seema Bhatt and Associate Lisa P. Mak were selected for Best Lawyers: Ones To Watch.

The Immigration and Nationality Law Practice Group of Minami Tamaki LLP offers expertise in a broad array of immigration services, routinely assisting employers and employees in obtaining temporary and permanent employment-based visas. The firm’s immigration attorneys also help individual clients to secure family-based immigration status through marriage or other qualifying family relationships. The practice group includes Partner Suhi Koizumi, Partner Olivia Serene Lee, Senior Associate La Verne A. Ramsay, Senior Associate Angela C. Mapa, and Associates Dian Sohn, David Palmer, and Julia Pilkington.

The attorneys in Minami Tamaki’s Personal Injury Practice Group fight for the rights of people who are injured or have suffered the loss of loved ones due to the carelessness of others. A team approach brings all the resources of the practice group to cases. This has allowed the firm to recover multimillion-dollar settlements and verdicts for its clients. Senior Counsel Dale Minami founded the firm’s personal injury practice, which is led by Partner B. Mark Fong and includes Senior Associate Seema Bhatt and Associate Ember Oparowski.

Dale Minami Honored with Japan Foreign Minister’s Commendation

Dale Minami Honored with Japan Foreign Minister’s Commendation

The Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs bestowed a Foreign Minister’s Commendation on Minami Tamaki LLP Senior Counsel Dale Minami, one of only 150 individuals outside of Japan to be honored in 2023.

The Foreign Minister’s Commendations are awarded by the Foreign Minister of Japan to individuals and groups with outstanding achievements in international fields, in order to acknowledge their contributions to the promotion of friendship between Japan and other countries and areas. The Commendations also aim to promote the understanding and support of the Japanese public for the activities of the recipients.

The Commendation was awarded to Dale for his contributions to the status of Japanese Americans, according to a representative of the agency. Among his numerous accomplishments, Dale was part of the legal team that successfully overturned Fred Korematsu’s conviction in Korematsu v. U.S. and was appointed by President Bill Clinton as Chair of the Civil Liberties Public Education Fund in 1996.

Dale joins firm Senior Counsel and former Managing Partner Donald K. Tamaki in being honored with this distinction. In November 2019, the Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs awarded Don with a Foreign Minister’s Commendation for his dedication to “preserving and promoting Japanese culture in San Francisco.” Don was also part of the Korematsu legal team and since 2006 has served as President of the San Francisco Japantown Foundation board of directors.

Mark Fong and the Story Behind the Skrillex Case on The Legal MD Podcast

Mark Fong and the Story Behind the Skrillex Case on The Legal MD Podcast

Minami Tamaki LLP Partner Mark Fong and Emergent LLP Partner Seth Rosenberg appeared on the August 22, 2023, episode of The Legal MD Podcast to reveal details behind their successful lawsuit against DJ and producer Skrillex on behalf of their client Jennifer Fraissl.

The Legal MD Podcast host Dr. David Grundy is a renowned medical legal consultant with years of experience in clinical practice and forensic medicine. Together with host Sydney Delaney, Dr. Grundy brings insightful discussions and analysis on the intersection of medicine and law.

A Los Angeles jury on November 20, 2018, awarded Ms. Fraissl $4.5 million in damages against Skrillex (real name Sonny John Moore), his touring company, Lost Boys Touring Company, Inc., and the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles. It was the first successful jury award in a case involving injuries resulting from a performer’s crowd dive.

The San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association named Mark and Seth as one of four finalists for the 2019 Trial Lawyer of the Year award for their work in obtaining compensation for Ms. Fraissl.

From the podcast episode’s show notes:

In this episode,  we chat with San Francisco legal giants Seth Rosenberg and Mark Fong, who recently nabbed a colossal $4.5 million victory for Jennifer Fraissl, injured during an EDM concert by the famous artist and Coachella headliner Skrillex (Sonny John Moore). Seth and Mark dissect the intricate details of this five-year legal rollercoaster, shedding light on the complex medical and legal hurdles they navigated. They open up about the defining moments where they pushed back against rival counsel’s claims, expertly neutralized their expert’s testimonies, and painstakingly untangled the knotty threads of this case.

We step into the murky waters of proving medical probability of injury from the defendant with Seth and Mark. They share how they outfoxed the rival expert witnesses, and how their savvy analysis of a crucially relevant Disneyland case tipped the scales in their favor. Unraveling the minute details from video footage, and arguing from the famous 1928 precedent of Palsgraf v. Long Island Railroad, they demolished the argument that since Skrillex had not directly struck Jennifer he was not responsible for her harm. 

As we reach the end of this engrossing journey, Seth and Mark lay bare the specifics of the legal battle involving Skrillex. They scrutinize the strategies that worked, the challenges they faced, and the broader implications of stage diving and safety protocols in the entertainment industry. 

Listen to the podcast here.

Nine Minami Tamaki LLP Attorneys Named to 2024 ‘The Best Lawyers in America’ Lists

Nine Minami Tamaki LLP Attorneys Named to 2024 ‘The Best Lawyers in America’ Lists

The Best Lawyers in America recognized nine Minami Tamaki LLP attorneys in its 2024 edition. Partners Sean Tamura-Sato, B. Mark Fong, Olivia Serene Lee, Suhi Koizumi, Senior Counsel Dale Minami, and Senior Associates La Verne A. Ramsay and Angela Mapa made the Best Lawyers list. Senior Associate Seema Bhatt and Associate Lisa P. Mak were selected for Best Lawyers: Ones To Watch.

Dale, Mark, and Seema are part of the firm’s Personal Injury practice group. Best Lawyers has recognized one or more of the firm’s personal injury attorneys for the past 11 years.

Suhi, Olivia, La Verne, and Angela are part of the firm’s Immigration and Nationality Law practice group. Best Lawyers has recognized one or more of the firm’s immigration attorneys for the past seven years.

Sean and Lisa are part of the firm’s Consumer and Employee Rights practice group. Best Lawyers has recognized one or more of the firm’s consumer and employee rights attorneys for the past three years.

Lawyers on the Best Lawyers list are divided by geographic region and practice areas. They are reviewed by their peers based on professional expertise and undergo an authentication process to make sure they are in current practice and in good standing.

The Ones To Watch awards are recognitions given to attorneys who are earlier in their careers for outstanding professional excellence in private practice in the United States. Lawyers are not permitted to pay any fee to participate in or be recognized by Best Lawyers.

These individual awards qualify Minami Tamaki LLP for consideration by the Best Lawyers Best Law Firms list, which is announced in November. The firm has been recognized nine times on the Best Law Firms rankings, which are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer review from leading attorneys in their field, and review of additional information provided by law firms as part of the formal submission process.

Best Lawyers has published its list for more than three decades, striving to earn the respect of the profession, the media, and the public as a reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals. Its first international list was published in 2006 and since then has grown to provide lists in over 75 countries.

Minami Tamaki Attorneys Named to 2023 Super Lawyers

Minami Tamaki Attorneys Named to 2023 Super Lawyers

We’re proud to announce that nine Minami Tamaki LLP attorneys were selected as Northern California Super Lawyers and Rising Stars for 2023. A special congratulations to Senior Counsels Dale Minami and Don Tamaki on being named to Super Lawyers for all 20 years! This is a distinction achieved by only 0.4 percent of attorneys in Northern California in 2023.

PERSONAL INJURY
Dale Minami (Top 10, 2013-2018; Top 100, 2007-2023; Super Lawyers, 20 years)
B. Mark Fong (Super Lawyers, 14 years)
Seema Bhatt (Rising Stars)

IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY LAW
Olivia Serene Lee (Super Lawyers, 3 years)
Suhi Koizumi (Super Lawyers, 5 years)
Dian Sohn (Rising Stars)

CONSUMER AND EMPLOYEE RIGHTS
Sean Tamura-Sato (Super Lawyers. 3 years)
Lisa P. Mak (Super Lawyers)

CORPORATE/NONPROFIT
Donald K. Tamaki (Super Lawyers, 20 years)

Each year, no more than five percent of the lawyers in California are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive Super Lawyer honors and no more than 2.5 percent are selected to receive the Rising Star recognition.

Super Lawyers, part of Thomson Reuters, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual selections are made using a patented multiphase process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates and peer reviews by practice area. The result is a credible, comprehensive, and diverse listing of exceptional attorneys.

The Super Lawyers lists are published nationwide in Super Lawyers Magazines and in leading city and regional magazines and newspapers across the country. Super Lawyers Magazines also feature editorial profiles of attorneys who embody excellence in the practice of law. For more information about Super Lawyers, visit SuperLawyers.com.

PHOTO – Top Row (L-R): B. Mark Fong, Suhi Koizumi, Sean Tamura-Sato, Olivia Serene Lee, La Verne A. Ramsay; Middle Row (L-R): David Palmer, Dale Minami* Top 100, Donald K.Tamaki, Seema Bhatt; Bottom Row: (L-R): Lisa P. Mak, Ember Oparowski, Angela C. Mapa, Dian Sohn, Julia Pilkington. – *Chosen to 2023 Super Lawyers **Chosen to 2023 Rising Stars

Dale Minami Named to Forbes ‘Best’ Personal Injury Attorneys List

Dale Minami Named to Forbes ‘Best’ Personal Injury Attorneys List

Forbes Advisor ranked Senior Counsel Dale Minami first on its list of ten Best Personal Injury Attorneys in San Francisco for 2023.

“For decades, Dale has been recognized by his fellow attorneys for his competence and ethics in personal injury law,” said the Forbe Advisor profile. “Although he has transitioned to the role of Senior Counsel in the firm he founded, he still represents clients and has won notable victories both in personal injury litigation as well as in civil rights cases.”

Forbes Advisor collects public data from a variety of sources and uses a model to calculate a specific rating and reviews these results to find the best attorneys in a given practice area. Within the model, Forbes Advisor takes into account factors that legal professionals and consumers value in an attorney’s qualifications. After assigning weighted scores to hundreds of data points, we narrowed the field down to our top choices based on seven criteria.

Dale has received numerous other honors. In 2019, Mr. Minami was honored with the ABA Medal, the American Bar Association’s highest honor. He is the first Asian American to receive the award in its 90-year history.

Dale was selected as a Super Lawyer for each year from 2004 through 2023 in the Personal Injury category, one of the Top 100 Super Lawyers for Northern California in 2005 and from 2007 to 2023, and in the Top Ten Super Lawyers in the Personal Injury Category from 2013 through 2018.

He was also named to the Best Lawyers of America list for nine straight years from 2014-2022 by Best Lawyers, recognized four times as one of the 500 Best Lawyers in America by Lawdragon Magazine (2005, 2014, 2015, 2018), one of Top 100 Litigation lawyers in the State of California by the American Society of Legal Advocates in 2014, and the top three percent of attorneys in the nation by The Legal News.

Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus 50th Anniversary Gala to Honor Dale Minami, Don Tamaki, Peggy Saika

Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus 50th Anniversary Gala to Honor Dale Minami, Don Tamaki, Peggy Saika

Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus will honor Minami Tamaki LLP co-founder and Senior Counsel Dale Minami, former Managing Partner and Senior Counsel Donald K. Tamaki, and Peggy Saika with Yuri Kochiyama Visionary Awards at its 50th Anniversary Gala on Friday, November 18, 2022, at Hilton San Francisco Union Square.

The milestone celebration theme is “Tomorrow’s World is Ours to Build” and draws from Yuri Kochiyama’s powerful call to action to commemorate 50 years of civil rights advocacy for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) and Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (AMEMSA) communities. 

The gala will be emceed by actress Tamlyn Tomita and feature musical performances from Jiten Daiko, an exciting comedic performance by Negin Farsad, and a special conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Viet Thanh Nguyen.

The Asian Law Caucus was founded in 1972 as the nation’s first legal and civil rights organization serving low-income, immigrant, and underserved AAPI communities. The organization’s event announcement read: “In the spirit of this legacy and Kochiyama’s rallying call, it is our privilege to recognize three leaders who have played critical roles in the vision and direction of ALC. We honor Dale, Don, and Peggy because as ALC staff in our early years, they exemplified the spirit of compassionate community lawyering that continues to inspire our staff today. Dale, Don, and Peggy would emerge as respected civil rights leaders beyond their time at ALC, helping to shape the struggle for social justice over several decades.”

Dale Minami, Senior Counsel at Minami Tamaki LLP, has litigated significant civil rights cases for Asian Pacific Americans including leading the legal team that overturned Fred Korematsu’s landmark 40-year-old conviction. Minami received the American Bar Association’s highest award, the ABA Medal, and the ABA’s Thurgood Marshall and Spirit of Excellence Awards. He has also been recognized as a Super Lawyer in Northern California for 18 straight years. He co-founded the Asian Law Caucus, the first public interest law firm serving Asian Americans in the country, AALDEF, and the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area, the first Asian American bar in the country.

Don Tamaki, Senior Counsel at Minami Tamaki LLP, and former executive director of the Asian Law Caucus (1980-1983), is known for his historic work serving on the pro bono legal team that reopened the landmark Supreme Court case of Korematsu v. the United States. He is co-founder of Stop Repeating History, a campaign focused on drawing parallels between the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II and the targeting of minority groups based on race or religion. In 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Tamaki to serve on the Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans.

Peggy Saika, Executive Director of Common Counsel Foundation since 2019, has worked for over four decades as a social justice leader in movements for racial equity; gender, sexuality, and reproductive justice; environmental justice; and immigrant and workers’ rights. Previously the Executive Director of Asian Law Caucus from 1983 to 1991, Saika also served as the founding Executive Director of the Asian Pacific Environmental Network from 1993 to 2001, and as the CEO of Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy from 2002 -2015. She is a co-founder of the Asian Women’s Shelter, API’s for Choice, the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, and the NY Committee to Free Chol Soo Lee.

The Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus 50th Anniversary Gala is on Friday, November 18, 2022, at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square. The reception starts at 6 p.m., and the evening’s program and dinner will begin at 7 p.m. Purchase your ticket at https://bit.ly/3soFpcf or contact development@advancingjustice-alc.org for sponsorship details.

U.S. News ‘Best Law Firms’ Ranks Minami Tamaki LLP for 9th Year

U.S. News ‘Best Law Firms’ Ranks Minami Tamaki LLP for 9th Year

U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers announced that Minami Tamaki LLP has been ranked in the 2023 “Best Law Firms” list nationally for its Immigration and Nationality Law practice and regionally for its Personal Injury practice.

The firm’s Immigration and Nationality Law practice received a National Tier 2 ranking, the fourth year of being nationally ranked. The practice ranked Metro Tier 1 for the eighth consecutive year. The firm’s Personal Injury practice ranked as Metro Tier 1 for the ninth consecutive year.

The U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer review from leading attorneys in the field, and review of additional information provided by law firms as part of the formal submission process. To be eligible for a 2023 ranking, a law firm must have at least one lawyer recognized in the 13th edition of The Best Lawyers in America list for that particular location and specialty.

Earlier this year, The Best Lawyers in America recognized seven Minami Tamaki LLP attorneys in its 2023 edition. Partners B. Mark Fong, Olivia Serene Lee, Suhi Koizumi, Senior Counsel Dale Minami, and Senior Associate La Verne A. Ramsay made the Best Lawyers list. Associates Lisa P. Mak and Seema Bhatt were selected for Best Lawyers: Ones To Watch. These selections qualified the firm to be considered for the Best Law Firms list.

The Immigration and Nationality Law Practice Group of Minami Tamaki LLP offers expertise in a broad array of immigration services, routinely assisting employers and employees in obtaining temporary and permanent employment-based visas. The firm’s immigration attorneys also help individual clients to secure family-based immigration status through marriage or other qualifying family relationships. The practice group includes Partner Suhi Koizumi, Partner Olivia Serene Lee, Senior Associate La Verne A. Ramsay, Senior Associate Angela C. Mapa, and Associates Dian Sohn and David Palmer.

The attorneys in Minami Tamaki’s Personal Injury Practice Group fight for the rights of people who are injured or have suffered the loss of loved ones due to the carelessness of others. A team approach brings all the resources of the practice group to cases. This has allowed the firm to recover multimillion-dollar settlements and verdicts for its clients. Senior Counsel Dale Minami founded the firm’s personal injury practice, which is led by Partner B. Mark Fong and includes Senior Associate Seema Bhatt and Associate Ember Oparowski.