Irene Takahashi, Esq.

• Edgewater Holding Corporation leased commercial space in a shopping center to two women for their business. One of the two transferred her 50% ownership of the business to a third person but maintained her personal guaranty for the commercial lease. Then, Covid 19 and closures of businesses hit, and defendants alleged they could not pay the rent, but continued to use the space for an unrelated business.. Landlord refused to negotiate with them.
• Plaintiffs alleged that they were defrauded by false representations made by defendants and were thereby induced into contracting for the construction of commercial buildings. Within months of the start of construction, serious construction problems arose and other material misrepresentations were discovered. Plaintiffs ultimately cancelled the contract with defendants and proceeded to hire new contractors at a substantially higher contract price. Plaintiffs filed suit and cross complaints followed. At mediation, plaintiffs' demand was $855,000. Case settled for a confidential sum. Defendants were not covered by insurance.

• Settled dispute between plaintiff, a long term employee at an emergency response provider, and her employer over the extent of injuries and job duty capabilities following two motor vehicle accidents and claimed mild TBI with cognitive difficulties. Global settlement ultimately reached following mediator's work with an additional intervenor in the case.
• Pre-litigation. A seasoned instructor at a public charter school takes an active part in addressing the local school district's concerns so as to prevent the school from losing its accreditation. In the process, a new Executive Director is hired to replace the existing one. In previous years, claimant held leadership positions, but after the new administration was in place, she lost those positions (which came with a small stipend at the end of the year). Claimant assumed that the new Director was responsible for taking her leadership roles from her and gave them to other instructors. Claimant did not know that, when put to a committee vote, she lost to other interested and qualified teachers. Claimant had planned to retire at the end of the school year. Despite problems co-workers experienced working with her over the years, they did not come forward to complain until claimant's behavior changed for the worst and they felt safe when their school was under new leadership. Claimant alleged that the new Director discriminated, harassed and failed to accommodate her disability in many ways, thereby creating a hostile work environment. Claimant had already planned to retire at the end of the school year; however, due to her failure to correct her behavior, she was terminated two months short of her announced retirement. Respondents vigorously disagreed with all of claimants accusations and presented a well-documented and investigated defense.
• Plaintiff claimed that her employer failed to pay proper wages, including overtime and for all hours worked; pay wages timely upon termination of employment; maintain accurate records; and provide and maintain accurate itemized wage statements; and provide required meal and rest breaks, and indemnity and reimburse her for all expenses incurred for the cost associated with maintaining/laundering her uniform and safety footwear. Plaintiff also claimed that her supervisors harassed and discriminated against her based on her age, gender and national origin in retaliation for making complaints. She also claimed that she was denied promotions and higher pay.

• Resolved heated dispute between homeowner and purported tenants involving an allegedly verbal rental agreement, habitability issues, and allegations of lies and objectionable behavior by both sides, including self-help eviction notices and arranging harassing visits by local code enforement authorities. Ultimately settled through careful, measured mediating, despite strong insurer position limiting availability of insurance settlement proceeds.
• For years, plaintiffs rented a house in East Palo Alto and alleged that their wealthy landlord/owner refused to repair their heater despite numerous requests. Landlord claimed that he didn't know that the heater didn't work all the time and assumed that his tenants had fixed it themselves or had it repaired. Tenants claimed that they just gave up asking and were afraid to complain to the authorities because they feared they'd be evicted or that the property would be deemed uninhabitable and that they'd be forced to move.
• Plaintiff's claimed that they entered into a verbal rental agreement to rent a converted basement from an elderly couple who lived in the house. Defendants claimed that they allowed plaintiffs to live in the basement for 3 months for free until they could get enough money to pay the rent. There were habitability problems from the start. When plaintiffs' behavior became a problem, defendants tried to get them to leave and engaged in ill advised self help by posting a notice of eviction and calling Code Enforcement. Both sides claimed the other was lying.
• Plaintiff is a long-term rent-controlled tenant who lived in her apartment for 30 years. Over the years and through two owners and management companies, she made many habitability claims. Despite written and verbal complaints, plaintiff could not get management to address her concerns until she sought relief throughTenant Protection Ordinance and Department of Fair Housing snd Employment and, ultimately, two separate legal actions.
• Settled a dispute caused by the plaintiff's roof being blown off their section 8 home.

• Plaintiff and her family (husband and 3 children) rented a 2-bedroom apt. in San Leandro and claimed habitability problems (including mold, asbestos in ceiling material, plumbing, and cracks in wall joints and ceiling.
• Plaintiff alleged causes of action for negligence, negligent inflation. Emotional distress, breach of contract, invasion of privacy, breach of covenant of quiet environment, breach of warranty, habitability, retaliatory eviction, breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealings and sexual harassment by the property manager of a rental home in the East Bay. Plaintiff alleged various habitability deflects as well as unwanted sexual overtones that resulted in severe anxiety, fear and a belief that the defendant was spying on her and that his "work" on the home to address defects was a pretense to have contact with her.
• Plaintiffs made written and verbal complaints concerning habitability defects over almost 2 years of occupancy. Parties pursued mediation prior to litigation pursuant to the rental contract, where a settlement was reached.
• Plaintiff discovers that her "landlord" is the beneficiary of Section 8 housing which is paid for by another individual, and has been pocketing her rent for over a year. Actual Section 8 tenant and property manager boarded up the apartments to bar her from entry. Plaintiff suffered conversion, illegal lock-out and emotional distress.
• Plaintiff and her family (husband and 3 children) rented a 2 bedroom apt. in San Leandro and claimed habitability problems (including mold, asbestos in ceiling material, plumbing, and cracks in wall joints and ceiling.
• Plaintiff alleged causes of action for negligence, negligent inflation. Emotional distress, breach of contract, invasion of privacy, breach of covenant of quiet environment, breach of warranty, habitability, retaliatory eviction, breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealings and sexual harassment by the property manager of a rental home in the East Bay. Plaintiff alleged various habitability deflects as well as unwanted sexual overtones that resulted in severe anxiety, fear and a belief that the defendant was spying on her and that his "work" on the home to address defects was a pretense to have contact with her.
• Plaintiffs made written and verbal complaints concerning habitability defects over almost 2 years of occupancy. Parties pursued mediation prior to litigation pursuant to the rental contract, where a settlement was reached.
• Plaintiff discovers that her "landlord" is the beneficiary of Section 8 housing which is paid for by another individual, and has been pocketing her rent for over a year. Actual Section 8 tenant and property manager boarded up the apartments to bar her from entry. Plaintiff suffered conversion, illegal lock-out and emotional distress.
• Woman with seven (7) children sues owner of building for habitability and discrimination claims
• Tenant claims racially-motivated physical and verbal assault and eviction

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• In police car versus private auto collision, Plaintiff claimed the officer driver was at fault and negligently driving over the speed limit. Both vehicles were totaled, and while the officer driver was off duty for three months due to injuries, plaintiff went back to his gym after one week. Municipality defendant argued that the officer acted appropriately when he was en route to a police emergency and argued that plaintiff driver was at least 75% at fault, despite Plaintiff's lay and off duty police witnesses corroborating the speed of the officer's vehicle.
• Plaintiff slipped and fell at a store and then drove herself to a hospital emergency room. X-rays taken showed no structural damage, and though she was told to follow up with her primary care physician, she did not. Plaintiff had experienced a motor vehicle accident prior to this fall, and years later, slipped and fell down her stairs and injured her ankle and back. Two years post-subject incident, she had continuing pain in her lower back with radiation that came on without warning. Her treating physicians gave her injections, prescribed medications, and said she may need surgery. Currently, takes meds and does home exercises. Complex patchwork of low-cost in-network treatment and high-cost out of network treatment complicated matters, along with unproven claims that Plaintiff has MRI results showing an extruded disc after the subject incident, but before the subsequent fall.
• Plaintiff slipped and fell at a grocery store and later claimed total knee replacement resulted. Defense says that plaintiff had pre-existing degenerative changes and that there is no evidence of post traumatic injury superimposed on degenerative knees that would have required surgery. Defense took strong position, pointing to extensive medical records review by a orthopedic knee specialist.
• Claimant was driving his vehicle with his mother as a right front seat passenger when the offending underinsured vehicle struck the right front quarter panel of his truck resulting in moderate to major damage. Underlying driver's insurance company already paid its policy limit, so Claimant sought the remainder from his insurance company. Resolved via mediator's proposal.
• Settled a contentious dispute arising from a car-versus-bicycle accident. Plaintiff, who was not wearing a helmet, entered a busy intersection on her bicycle. Defendant, driving a car, also entered the intersection. Neither saw the other due to a large van which blocked the parties' view of each other. Plaintiff's bicycle collided with the car and Plaintiff was thrown from her bicycle, landed on the hood of defendant's car, and fell to the street, sustaining significant injuries. Liability was disputed.

• Settled dispute between plaintiff, a long term employee at an emergency response provider, and her employer over the extent of injuries and job duty capabilities following two motor vehicle accidents and claimed mild TBI with cognitive difficulties. Global settlement ultimately reached following mediator's work with an additional intervenor in the case.
• Plaintiff stepped towards the edge of a brick walkway at an upscale outdoor mall in Danville and broke her ankle. No surgery needed but mobilization, non weight-bearing and walking cast made ADLs and working extremely difficult because she lives in a second story apartment and is aesthetician.
• 74 year old woman with history of prior lumbar fusion in 2014 and successful surgery sustained back pain and left leg radiation following three successive impacts to the rear of her parked vehicle in 2018. A drunk driver backed into her car three times, the last of which pulled off her bumper. A passenger and two male eyewitnesses came to her rescue and summoned medical help. Claimant felt immediate and severe back pain that developed into constant radiation of pain for which Oxycodone provides some relief. SURGERY at Kaiser is scheduled for mid September. This UIM case collected $15,000 from the underlying drunk driver.
• Two experienced concrete workers were injured during a concrete pour when an "explosion" occurred in the cement line. The pressure from the concrete hose cased it to whip around and strike the plaintiffs. Both sustained internal injuries, but were able to return to work with few residuals. The plaintiffs argued that their injuries were caused by the pump operator's failure to properly prepare the area and prime out the concrete hose. The defendant claimed that the plaintiffs were at fault for touching (bending) the hose which caused a "kink" in the hose, resulting in a build up of concrete under pressure.
• Plaintiff, aged 75, sustained an head injury when he fell 6 feet after the ladder he was on collapsed. He was transported to Kaiser by ambulance and a CT was taken. No evidence of concussion. Many months later, plaintiff was still experiencing headaches and tinnitus and went to a private neurologist. Medical bills totaled $ 5,300. No wage loss.The problem for plaintiff was that the subject ladder was allegedly stolen from plaintiff's shed. Three other defendants were named but did not appear or participate. Plaintiff intends to pursue default judgments and collect more money from them.
• Plaintiff was stopped with son in back seat when rear-ended by defendant. Property damage was $925. ER and chiropractic for both plaintiffs. The defense offer for minor son was fair and mother/driver's DC treatment was somewhat excessive. Subsequent accident complicated plaintiff's claims of still hurting. No wage loss claim. No depos and no defense medical taken prior to mediation. This was a case where the costs of prosecuting and defending would be more than net settlement if case proceed to trial. No trial date.
• Plaintiff alleged that he was renting a substandard and "illegal" studio that was built without permits and never should have been rented in the first place. Plaintiff further alleged that the owner/landlord "harassed" plaintiff for rent during the Covid moratorium and fraudulently applied for government relief, claiming more than was actually owed.
• Intersection collision with $5,000 property damage to plaintiff's vehicle. Clear liability and filed (Limited Jurisdiction) in Contra Costa County. Plaintiff goes to Kaiser three days post accident and is prescribed medication. Physician found deceased side-bending and rotation due to tight muscles and tenderness of trapezius and cervical muscles. Plaintiff does not ask for refill or return for follow up. Instead, he treats with a chiropractor for two months and is charged $1,486. Total meds are about $2,000. Chiropractor certifies that plaintiff is disabled and plaintiff collects disability from EDD for two months. Wage loss claim is for $26,500. Defense position is that a jury in Contra Costa would not give him more than two weeks wage loss.
• Plaintiff was a fed Ex delivery driver when his truck was struck at 2.5 mph. Plaintiff felt nausea afterwards and went to Urgent care. DX head and neck soft tissue. Next day, he complained of knee pain. Ultimately, WC paid for arthroscopic knee to repair torn meniscus. Plaintiff says his pre existing degenerative condition made him an eggshell plaintiff. Pl counsel emphasized that pl had pre-existing degeneration but no pain or treatment for rt knee; therefore, the MVA caused symptoms that required surgery. Defense and Allstate say it was "impossible" that this MVA caused the need for surgery. At most, it caused a bruised thigh because meniscus tears are caused by twisting motion. Problem: no evidence of pre-existing right knee pain or treatment prior to the injury.
• 58 year old plaintiff trips over a black plastic drain pipe sticking out from bushes as she walks in front of her car while returning to her car. Immediately after, she trips over a concrete car stop that is not anchored down. Photos show the property is in general disrepair, despite the fact that owner, a wealthy woman who lives in New York and visits the property from time to time, has a property management company taking care of the property. Plaintiff fractured her femur and spent 4 days in the hospital following ORIF. Still has discomfort and says she'll have the hardware removed. No wage loss.
• Plaintiff is injured when vehicle hits his bicycle and throws him to the ground. He suffers right patella - fracture requiring open reduction, internal fixation, removal of surgical hardware, physical therapy and alleged future post-traumatic arthritis and passive knee replacement.
• An elderly quadriplegic gentleman confined to a wheelchair for the previous 23 years sustained a fracture to the lower extremity when he fell forward from his specially designed wheelchair as the sling from the Hoyer lift was being removed by an in-home medical aid. Conservative treatment on the form of splinting failed, after ORIF surgery was performed with fair results.
• Underinsured motorist. Mother (Driver) rear-ended by motorist and sustained moderate damage to the rear of their vehicle. Underlying case settled with a third party. Mother had pre-existing neck and back chronic condition and the daughter had recently undergone hand surgery. Daughter claimed a second surgery was necessitated by trauma sustained in the car accident. She complained of the scar on hand and residuals.
• Young Adult male and his friends had been drinking and approached the family dog despite the dog growling and barking near the mother of one of the young men. The mother tells plaintiff to leave the dog alone as the dog backs up and continues to bark and appears to want to protect its owner. Plaintiff is told to stop approaching the dog but plaintiff ignores the warnings.
• Plaintiff claimed wage loss after sustaining injuries in an auto accident, but medical records and social media data did not support and even contradicted her claims.
• Plaintiff is injured when vehicle hits his bicycle and throws him to the ground. He suffers right patella - fracture requiring open reduction, internal fixation, removal of surgical hardware, physical therapy and alleged future post-traumatic arthritis and passive knee replacement.
• Plaintiff was rear - ended by a young man driving his father's car. The impact caused minor damages to the plaintiff's vehicle. Police responded the following day; plaintiff went to Kaiser complaining of mid back pain. No X-rays were obtained. The mid-back discomfort continued causing plaintiff to return several times over the next several months. He declined physical therapy in favor of home exercises. When plaintiff retained counsel, he was sent to a private pain specialist who ordered MRI. Compression fractures were revealed consistent with the pain complaints. Plaintiff works 2 jobs to support his wife and 3 children in Mexico. He lives with his parents and 13-year-old son in the US. No past wage loss and minimal medical • Plaintiff was rear - ended by a young man driving his father's car. The impact caused minor damages to the plaintiff's vehicle. Police responded the following day; plaintiff went to Kaiser complaining of mid back pain. No X-rays were obtained. The mid-back discomfort continued causing plaintiff to return several times over the next several months. He declined physical therapy in favor of home exercises. When plaintiff retained counsel, he was sent to a private pain specialist who ordered MRI. Compression fractures were revealed consistent with the pain complaints. Plaintiff works 2 jobs to support his wife and 3 children in Mexico. He lives with his parents and 13-year-old son in the US. No past wage loss and minimal medical
• Settled a case in which a 40-year-old woman was killed by a large eucalyptus tree branch that fell on her as she walked on a paved path on land owned by the county. A wrongful death action was filed by her adult son and minor son, who was 12 years old at the time of his mother's death. The plaintiffs alleged that the tree branch fell as a result of improper tree maintenance and sued the county to keep the path and surrounding public area neat, safe, and clean. The defendants blamed each other for the incident.
• Plaintiff steps off a 10-inch curb outside a bank at a strip mall and falls, resulting in permanent knee and ankle injuries requiring multiple surgeries. Plaintiff had undergone an ACL reconstruction repair with a graft approximately one year prior to the subject incident.
• High school freshman is assaulted by an upper classman at school. She continued to experience harassment. When she reported the incidents to school officials, they failed to immediately contact child protective services or the police. Plaintiff alleged that the school district failed to protect her from continued harassment, which left her with anxiety and depression.
• An elderly quadriplegic gentleman confined to a wheelchair for the previous 23 years sustained a fracture to the lower extremity when he fell forward from his specially designed wheelchair as the sling from the Hoyer lift was being removed by an in-home medical aid. Conservative treatment on the form of splinting failed, after ORIF surgery was performed with fair results.
• Underinsured motorist. Mother (Driver) rear-ended by motorist and sustained moderate damage to the rear of their vehicle. Underlying case settled with a third party. Mother had pre-existing neck and back chronic condition and the daughter had recently undergone hand surgery. Daughter claimed a second surgery was necessitated by trauma sustained in the car accident. She complained of the scar on hand and residuals.
• Young Adult male and his friends have been drinking and approached the family dog despite the dog growling and parking near the mother of one of the young men. The mother tells plaintiff to leave the dog alone as the backs up and continue to cark and appears to bark and appears to want to protect its owner. Plaintiff is told to stop approaching the dog but plaintiff ignores the warnings and is injured with bills total approximately $11,000.
• Plaintiff claimed wage loss after sustaining injuries in an auto accident, but medical records and social media data did not support and even contradicted her claims.
• Plaintiff steps off a 10-inch curb outside a bank at a strip mall and falls, resulting in permanent knee and ankle injuries requiring multiple surgeries. Plaintiff had undergone an ACL reconstruction repair with a graft approximately one year prior to the subject incident.
• Asian family in automobile is rear-ended by an alcohol impaired driver
• Woman driver, unfamiliar with the changing lane markings as a freeway onramp lies ahead, collides with a motorcycle, sending its rider airborne and resulting in injury and damages
• Elderly woman shopping at outdoor market in Oakland sustains injury when an employee accidentally rolls a dolly loaded with boxes of crabs over her foot
• Woman waiting in line at major retail store is injured when lumber leaning against a nearby counter falls on her
• Female tenant is scalded by hot water coming from bathtub fixture in low income residential facility and sues the building’s owner and manager
• Young man driving his parents’ vehicle rear-ends a woman’s vehicle. Plaintiff sustains soft tissue injury as a result of the three-car chain reaction accident on the freeway. Defense alleged that plaintiff’s complaints and claimed damages are pre-existing and stem from four (4) prior motor vehicle accidents, and as such, plaintiff’s claimed medical treatment is excessive and unrelated to the subject accident
• Young woman is jumping on a trampoline and, after she does a drop-seat maneuver, suffered vaginal lacerations after a metal T ball stand located under the trampoline pierced through the trampoline’s surface
• Slip and fall accident on artificial butter in a movie theater results in plaintiff’s fractured knee, bruised hip, and sprained ankle. She sustained substantial medical and chiropractic treatment and attendant wage loss to the woman who owned her business
• Wrongful Death- Elderly man living in a low-income apartment is severely burned over 1/3 of his body and, after three agonizing weeks in the intensive care unit, dies. Plaintiffs were his two adult sons who had not seen their father for more than a year before his death. Plaintiffs believed that the fire started from a gas leak from the living room furnace and that there were no working smoke/fire alarms in the apartment. The defense was convinced that the decedent was drunk and had fallen asleep while smoking in bed and had, essentially, set himself on fire. The defense argued that the smoke alarms in the apartment could not be heard because decedent had taken them down in order to smoke in his apartment. Facts, liability and damages were hotly contested. Opening plaintiffs' demand- $1 million; Opening defense Offer - $0.

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• A mysterious fire of uncertain origin rages through a business and spreads to the restaurant next door, resulting in devastating property damage and rendering stored food ruined

• In dispute was the fair market value of property that the city intends to use for a street project to improve traffic and safety for its citizens. The city seeks to construct of a portion of a new roundabout on the subject property with landscaping and a storm water treatment area. The property was undeveloped and did not contain any building structures.
• Following torrential rains and flooding, a tree on the defendants' property fell into a creek that divided the property of the plaintiff and the defendants. The tree dammed the creek and the flowing water eroded the land on the plaintiff's property, resulting in a loss of 300 cubic feet. The plaintiff spent hundreds of hours and more than $140,000 on civil engineers, geo-technical permits, material, and consultants to repair the damage. Defendants claimed no liability and that the damage resulted from an act of God.
• Elderly tenant with dementia moved into a senior living condo in SF and was required by the CC&Rs to obtain insurance for his unit. Part of his homeowners’ dues went towards insurance to cover the HOA. One night, the tenant’s toilet malfunctioned and water flooded his unit as well as units 10 floors below, resulting in more than $230,000 in property damage. The insurance company for the HOA sued the tenant in subrogation after he moved to an assisted living facility.
• Defendants purchased a 2-story, 4 -unit building built in the 1920s. Plaintiffs lived in apartments above and below one another. The upstairs tenant’s toilet broke while she was away, resulting in massive flooding that forced her to vacate her apartment to permit repairs. The downstairs tenant also sustained substantial water damage /property damage. Defendants' insurance company paid for the damage and their loss of rent. The lawsuit arose as a result of the plaintiffs (tenants) complaint that they were severely inconvenienced and personal suffered economic loss during the 11 months they were displaced from their apartments.
• Commercial real estate dispute following a sale of commercial real estate for use as a beer garden/restaurant in downtown Oakland. Disputes initially arose over a third party’s claim that they had an established right to enter the land to maintain their utility box. Once litigation was contemplated, numerous and mutual allegations of breach of contract arose. This began as a scheduled Arbitration. Following discovery disputes and filing of a MSJ, the case settled after it was submitted for decision, but prior to the decision being served on the parties.

• Elderly woman filed suit against HOA for its alleged failure to warn pedestrians of a electrical utility box mounted on a concrete slab that was in plain view of plaintiff. Plaintiff suffered broken front tooth and fractured pinky finger as a result of a fall and claimed that defendants should have built a fence around the concrete base and/or painted the concrete base bright yellow.
• Eminent Domain involving dispute over the value of undeveloped property that owner claimed he had not yet developed for use as a hotel following the economic downturn of 2008 and resultant depressed economy.
• HOA brought suit following unsuccessful attempts to obtain permission to enter the unit to inspect and make necessary repairs after the downstairs tenant complained of a water leak coming from the upstairs tenant’s unit. Permission had been denied for months because the upstairs tenant wanted the HOA to agree in writing and in advance to pay for any damage to her property during the course of repairs, including tearing out partial walls and ceramic tile flooring. She was concerned when she learned that the slow leak had from her unit caused extensive dry rot and that the tenant below was prohibited from using their own bathroom for fear that their bathroom ceiling might cave in from above. The HOA had already spent $100,000 on a LA attorney and wanted to resolve the issues cost-effectively.

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• High school freshman is assaulted by an upper classman at school. She continued to experience harassment. When she reported the incidents to school officials, they failed to immediately contact child protective services or the police. Plaintiff alleged that the school district failed to protect her from continued harassment, which left her with anxiety and depression.
• Young woman demands compensation for parental acts and omissions against her mother and alleged sexual misconduct by her stepfather