Latest news with #MaryFongLau
Daily Mail
16-05-2025
- Daily Mail
She killed Apple exec, his wife and children with her Mercedes...but what she's accused of doing next is truly evil
A San Francisco Mercedes driver accused of killing an Apple executive and his family allegedly tried to transfer her assets to avoid losing her fortune in any civil suit filed over the tragedy. Mary Fong Lau, 79, is accused of mowing down Diego Cardoso de Oliveira, 40, Matilde Ramos Pinto, 38, and their two children with her SUV as they waited at a bus stop in the West Portal neighborhoo d last year. In a new lawsuit filed against Lau, she was accused of hiding her assets after being hit with civil action by the victim's families. Lau is facing the lawsuit under the Uniform Voidable Transactions Act, which alleges that she fraudulently transferred her interest in real estate in San Francisco to avoid losing them in financial restitution. Lau was hit with a wrongful death lawsuit in June 2024, and according to the lawsuit first reported by KTVU, she transferred her stake in three properties in August. The day after she transferred her stake to two newly formed Nevada limited liability companies, her attorneys filed a motion to halt the wrongful death case until her criminal trial is over. Lau's attorneys quickly shot back at the allegations, saying: '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.' Lau's attorney Seth Morris insisted that she will fully cooperate with both criminal and civil cases against her. '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.' Lau is set for a preliminary hearing on July 17, with her case upended after she was alleged to have changed her story over the horror crash. The San Francisco Standard reported that Lau told witnesses at the scene that she was trying to park when she accidentally hit the accelerator during the fateful incident on March 16. However, Lau told cops at the hospital that the 2014 Mercedes-Benz GLK 350 she was driving malfunctioned before she plowed into the bus shelter where the family of four was struck. Investigators found no problems with Lau's car, which they said was traveling at an estimated 66 to 75 mph, the Standard reported. The crash killed the couple and their sons, 1-year-old Joaquin Ramos Pinto de Oliveira and three-month-old Cauê Ramos Pinto de Oliveira, as the family was waiting to catch a bus to the zoo. Lau has pleaded not guilty to vehicular manslaughter. She was ordered not to drive and to turn over her driver's license to the court. Her attorney, Samuel Geller, told the Standard that there is a 'level of hearsay' in the witness statement given to police, noting that the witness was paraphrasing comments made by Lau in the wake of a traumatic incident. 'I would ask the public to reserve judgment until the court process has taken its course,' Geller said. 'This is a horrific tragedy, and Ms. Lau continues to mourn this incident to this day.' Some witnesses said Lau suffered a medical incident before the crash. Others said she got out of the car yelling, 'What have I done?' Diego and Joaquin were killed at the scene while Matilde and Cauê succumbed to injuries in hospital. The family lived in the Mission District and planned to spend a day at the zoo for their wedding anniversary, friends said. Diego, a creative director at Apple, was from Brazil and Matilde was a film and advertising producer from Portugal. Other people waiting for the bus to arrive were also injured in the crash and received medical attention. One witness, Nikki Mashburn, told The San Francisco Chronicle that she heard the crash and that is sounded like 'an explosion.' She said that the victims suffered head injuries. 'When the paramedics showed up, you could tell … they didn't know what to do first,' Mashburn said. Following the tragedy, advocacy group Walk San Francisco and locals voiced concerns about the intersection of Ulloa Street and West Portal Avenue where the bus stop is located. The group noted that around the intersection, there are multiple places frequented by families and children, like a library, schools and train stations.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
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.
