Hon. Suzanne Ramos Bolanos (Ret.)

• Landlord and commercial tenant negotiated a lease which provided for renewal of the lease but included two different sets of terms for the circumstances under which the lease renewal could occur. Successor landlord and tenant each sought declaratory judgment.
• Plaintiff investment banker sued his former employer alleging that employer had ignored promises of minimum compensation, breached an agreement regarding vesting of shares of the company’s stock, and was liable to Plaintiff in quantum meruit for uncompensated work performed prior to his termination. Defendant denied the allegations.
• Buyer sued the seller of a piece of commercial property for specific performance after seller backed out of the sale. Seller cross-complained against its listing agent, claiming that in handling the marketing and sale, listing agent misrepresented the fact that the property no longer had necessary permits for building residences on the property.
• Plaintiff co-owner of a company which operated a restaurant claimed, individually and derivatively on behalf of the company, that Defendant, the other co-owner, mismanaged the restaurant, stole the company’s assets, and ultimately caused Plaintiff to lose his entire investment as a result. Defendant denied the allegations.
• Owner of numerous investment companies retained consultant to assist in evaluating incoming deals and investments. Following several years of work, the parties went their separate ways, but consultant later contended that he was entitled to an ownership interest in numerous start-up companies based on an alleged oral agreement with owner.

• Two students who lived in Defendant university’s student housing brought a class action against the university alleging tenant harassment under a local ordinance.
• Defendant law firm was retained to advise a consulting company owned by Plaintiff and individual Defendants. Plaintiff alleged that the firm, however, breached its fiduciary duty to the company when the firm assisted the individual Defendants in cutting Plaintiff out of managing the business and diverting funds from the company to themselves.
• Large alcoholic beverage manufacturer entered into distribution agreements with distributor, each of which only allowed assignment of the agreements with the manufacturer’s consent. Distributor notified manufacturer that it intended to sell substantially all of its assets, but manufacturer withheld consent to assignment of its distribution agreement, which distributor claimed was unreasonable under the agreement.

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• Acted as coordinating judge supervising numerous individual cases in litigation arising out of a major fire disaster, including handling complex case management and discovery issues between homeowners, small business owners, insurance companies, government entities, and others.

• Plaintiff, a sales professional who formerly worked for Defendant investment firm, sued the firm for age discrimination and failure to pay substantial commissions owed at the time of his termination. Plaintiff alleged that his new supervisor made age-based derogatory comments about him shortly prior to firing Plaintiff.
• Large public union filed class action arguing that some members were denied statutorily mandated payments upon separation from government employment.
• Statewide public union Plaintiff brought suit on behalf of a subset of members claiming that they were misclassified and denied substantial raises as a result, collectively reaching into nine-figures. Defendant government entity argued the union misinterpreted the law.
• Plaintiff, a forklift operator, claimed his employer harassed him based on his race; retaliated against him when he complained about racial harassment; and ultimately wrongfully terminated him.
• Sex and race discrimination lawsuit against municipal department. Plaintiff alleged she was subject to a different standard for performance than her male colleagues and was not promoted to managerial position due to her sex.

• Race discrimination lawsuit against municipal department. Plaintiff alleged that after being unfairly passed over for a promotion, he filed a complaint with the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) and was then retaliated against for filing the complaint.
• Sex and race discrimination lawsuit against university and janitorial company. Plaintiff alleged she was subject to unwanted sexual advances and demoted due to her rejection of supervisor’s advances.

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• Plaintiff sued hospital and doctors alleging malpractice during delivery of Plaintiff’s child, leading to an unnecessary emergency hysterectomy. Defendants denied any negligence.
• Plaintiff, a minor infant, was admitted to university hospital where a catheter was placed in his heart as part of emergency medical treatment. The catheter pierced Plaintiff’s heart and caused cardiac arrest. Plaintiff sustained significant brain injury which left him permanently catastrophically injured and disabled. Defendant hospital and medical staff denied negligence.
• Plaintiff alleged that hospital and medical staff Defendants were negligent when, despite only being admitted for a headache, Plaintiff contracted a bacterial infection through an IV which spread to her spine and ultimately required a full spinal fusion. Defendants denied any liability.
• Plaintiff sued university hospital and treating urologist for failure to diagnose cancer resulting in mistreatment of his illness and wrongful death. Defendants denied any negligence.
• Plaintiff, decedent’s wife, sued university hospital and surgeons alleging surgical malpractice resulting in her husband’s death. Decedent was admitted to hospital for surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in his neck. During surgery, Decedent’s innominate artery broke leading to massive bleeding and death. Defendant hospital and doctors denied negligence.

• Plaintiff sued hospital and surgeons for medical malpractice related to knee replacement surgery, after which Plaintiff developed arterial occlusion resulting in severely diminished blood flow to her right lower leg and foot. Due to complicating problems, Plaintiff developed a permanent foot drop and limp.

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• Plaintiff, a union worker at a construction site, was injured while at work when an unsecured pocket door installed by Defendant fell and struck Plaintiff’s head, knocking him down. Plaintiff lost consciousness and suffered a traumatic brain injury, leaving him permanently disabled.
• Plaintiff, an employee at an outdoor venue, was hit by a security vehicle while in the parking lot at work. Plaintiff suffered a traumatic brain injury, skull fracture, and permanent hand disfigurement as a result of the accident.
• Plaintiff claimed she was injured in a car collision caused by the defective brakes of the municipal vehicle she was driving at the time of the accident. Plaintiff sued manufacturer of vehicle and distributor of brakes for failure to warn and negligence.
• Decedent climbed onto the “coupler” joining two municipal light rail vehicles (LRV) after attempting unsuccessfully to board the interior of the vehicle. As the LRV navigated the tracks, Decedent fell off the LRV and died when he rolled under the vehicle. Plaintiff, decedent’s mother, filed a claim against the municipal agency, alleging among other claims, negligence, breach of common carrier duties, and dangerous condition.
• After boarding a bus, Plaintiff fell as the bus pulled away and fractured her hip. The incident was captured by surveillance cameras. Plaintiff sued municipal transit agency. Agency maintained bus driver was not negligent.

• Plaintiff tripped on the edge of a fixture set into concrete outside a restaurant and sustained injuries. Both restaurant proprietor and property owner denied liability.
• Plaintiff and her husband were walking in a major commercial area when Plaintiff tripped and fell due to an uneven sidewalk caused by an allegedly negligently maintained tree planter. Plaintiff alleged Defendant property owners’ failure to properly maintain property caused her permanent ankle injury.
• Plaintiff, a passenger in a rideshare vehicle, suffered a neck injury in a highway vehicle accident which interrupted his ability to work as a surgeon for over two years. Plaintiff alleged that the accident occurred due to the negligence of the rideshare vehicle’s driver, including driving in excess of the speed limit on the highway.

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• Plaintiff, a professional gardener for a school district, used Defendant’s weedkiller on a daily basis at work for several years. When Plaintiff developed non-Hodgkins lymphoma, he attributed his diagnosis to Defendant’s product and filed a claim against Defendant alleging design defect, failure to warn, negligence, and breach of implied warranty.
• Plaintiffs were asleep in RV when laptop computer caught fire and engulfed vehicle in flames before all Plaintiffs were able to escape. Mother and one minor son suffered major injury but escaped through window. Father and other minor son died in RV fire. Plaintiffs sued RV manufacturer and computer manufacturer alleging design defect and negligence.
• Plaintiff, union sprinkler fitter at construction site, lost three fingers while using groover manufactured by Defendant. Plaintiff alleged that Defendant was negligent in shipping the groover to the construction site without a point of operation guard. Plaintiff sued manufacturer alleging failure to warn and negligent design.
• Plaintiff suffered severe burns on his leg while using a cold-therapy device prescribed by his orthopedic surgeon following knee replacement surgery. Plaintiff sued the orthopedist for medical malpractice and the manufacturer of the cold-therapy device for negligent design.