The driver in a crash that killed a family of four last year in West Portal is now accused of trying to hide her San Francisco property from the victims’ relatives, who could be entitled to compensation from her estate in an ongoing wrongful death lawsuit.
Mary Fong Lau, 80, was sued last month by four relatives of the family that was killed when her car struck a bus stop March 16, 2024.
Lau crashed her Mercedes SUV into the bus stop, killing Diego Cardoso de Oliveira, 40; Matilde Moncada Ramos Pinto, 38; Joaquin Ramos Pinto de Oliveira, 1; and Cauê Ramos Pinto de Oliveira, 3 months, according to prosecutors. Lau pleaded not guilty to felony vehicular manslaughter in July.
The parents of Cardoso de Oliveira and Moncada Ramos Pinto had already sued Lau for wrongful death when they claimed she fraudulently transferred her ownership of two San Francisco homes and a commercial building to Nevada-based limited liability corporations in August.
Lau was not allowed under state law to transfer the property while facing the wrongful death lawsuit, the new suit argues.
“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 Rebecca Coll, an attorney for the victims’ families.
Lau’s attorney, Seth Morris, said his client reorganized her property holdings because she was advised to do so after meeting with legal, financial, medical, and mental health consultants after the crash.
“None of these transfers were intended to evade potential damages arising from this heartbreaking event,” Morris said in an emailed statement Thursday.
Lau transferred a home at 250 Crestlake Drive to Sterling Haven Management LLC, while a house at 155 Pixley St. and a commercial structure at 2969 Mission St. were moved to Desert Canyon Ventures LLC, the lawsuit claims. Lau declared under oath that the transfers did not change the ownership structure of the properties, according to the suit.
The Crestlake home is worth around $1.65 million, while the Pixley address is worth around $1.5 million, according to Zillow. The Mission Street building houses the Mission Liberation Center and its taxable value is around $450,000, according to the Assessor-Recorder.
The victims’ families want a judge to void the property transactions and prevent Lau from unloading other assets. If Lau is found liable in the wrongful death case, the real estate portfolio will be factored into any award to the plaintiffs.
Lau “intends to cooperate fully in the criminal and civil cases that have been filed against her,” her attorney said in a statement. “She also grieves over the accident she was involved in and the losses suffered by all.”