Driver accused of killing family in West Portal crash tried to hide assets, lawsuit claims
SAN FRANCISCO - The driver accused of killing a family of four at a bus stop in San Francisco's West Portal neighborhood has been hit with a new civil lawsuit.
The suit alleges that Mary Fong Lau, 79, is trying to avoid financial accountability for the victims' families by fraudulently transferring assets while a wrongful death case against her is pending.
The backstory
Lau also faces four felony counts of vehicular manslaughter in connection with the March 2024 crash that killed Diego Cardoso de Oliveira, 40; Matilde Ramos Pinto, 38; their 1-year-old son, Joaquin; and 3-month-old son, Caue Ramos Pinto de Oliveira. The crash occurred near Ulloa Street and Lenox Way.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said speed and gross negligence were factors in the crash, which happened when Lau allegedly slammed her 2014 Mercedes-Benz SUV into the family.
Lau's attorney, Jim Geller, said that she was delivering lunch to her brother when "her car just took off." He said the crash was an isolated incident and not habitual behavior.
Jenkins said mechanical failure was ruled out as a factor in the crash.
Lau remains free on bond ahead of her criminal trial.
What they're saying
The law firm Quadra & Coll LLP, representing the victims' families, filed the new civil suit under the Uniform Voidable Transactions Act. The firm alleges Lau transferred her interest in San Francisco real estate to hide assets after the wrongful death lawsuit was filed in June 2024. The new suit seeks to block Lau from transferring any more of her real estate assets.
According to the complaint, Lau transferred her stake in three San Francisco properties in August to two newly formed Nevada limited liability companies: Sterling Haven Management LLC and Desert Canyon Ventures LLC. The day after the transfer, her legal team filed a motion to stay the wrongful death case pending the outcome of the criminal trial.
"This new lawsuit exposes an intentional scheme by Ms. Lau to place assets beyond the reach of grieving families seeking justice, showing an unwillingness by Ms. Lau to take accountability for her actions," said attorney Rebecca Coll.
Added attorney Jim Quadra, "The law provides clear remedies when someone tries to play legal shell games."
Lau's attorney said she did not transfer her properties to avoid paying damages in the civil suit.
"We want to be clear that this is not the case. In the aftermath of the accident, Ms. Lau and her family sought professional help from legal, financial, medical, and mental health consultants. While Ms. Lau was advised to reorganize her property holdings in the months following the accident, none of these transfers were intended to evade potential damages arising from this heartbreaking event," said Lau's attorney Seth Morris.
Morris said Lau will fully cooperate in the criminal and civil cases.
"As a mother and grandmother, she acknowledges the immense suffering of those who lost loved ones and understands their families deserve to be compensated for their very unfortunate loss," said Morris.
According to court records, Lau has a preliminary hearing scheduled for July 17.
The Source
Quadra & Coll, LLP, Seth Morris of Morris Law, PC, along with previous reporting.
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