Jin N. Lew Interviewed by Daily Journal Discussing Miramonte Sex Abuse Cases
Jin N. Lew, attorney with Michels & Watkins, was interviewed by the Daily Journal in the article "LA school abuse claims erupt as court weighs liability." The article discussed the Miramonte Elementary school sex abuse scandal, explaining how a forthcoming California Supreme Court decision in the case of C.A. v. William S. Hart Union High School District could potentially shield the Los Angeles Unified School District from liability related to the recent sexual abuse case involving two Miramonte Elementary school teachers. In response to the school district launching their own internal investigation, and ordering the replacement of the entire staff at Miramonte Elementary, Mr. Lew stated, "They're doing this now, where they have complete control over the witnesses. We're concerned about undue influence, whether inadvertent or intentional."
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the victims.
Principal Philip Michels Interviewed by NBC, ABC and FOX Discussing Miramonte Elementary Sex Abuse Case
As lead attorney representing four children who were alleged victims of sexual abuse at Miramonte Elementary School, NBC, ABC and FOX turned to Philip Michels of Michels & Watkins to discuss the details of the case, including:
- Michels & Watkins' plan to hold the elementary school accountable, as well as to ensure schools are safer for children.
- When the school intends to disclose to parents what happened to their children.
- Why these sexual abuse happens in schools.
Michels & Watkins has successfully represented children in sexual abuse cases against school districts, including LAUSD. If you or someone you know has witnessed any of the events described in this article, or has any other information, please contact Michels & Watkins at (310) 444-1200 or info@michelswatkins.com.
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the victims.
Michels & Watkins Work Crucial in Obtaining $74.5 Million Award in Medical Malpractice Trial
Attorneys Philip Michels, Shirley Watkins and Jin Lew with Michels & Watkins, were recognized in the April 26, 2012 edition of the Daily Journal for their work in one of the largest medical malpractice verdicts in California's history.
A San Luis Obispo jury awarded $74.5 million to a couple whose daughter's birth was mishandled, resulting in her developing cerebral palsy. The unprecedented award includes $53 million for the child's future medical expenses and $10 million for loss of future earnings. According to Nicholas C. Rowley with Carpenter, Zuckerman & Rowley, LLP, one of the attorneys who is representing the family, "Our clients never wanted to sue Dr. Haupt or the hospital...[but the] insurance companies insisted that this case be tried by a jury." Mr. Rowley also noted the invaluable role that Mr. Michels, Ms. Watkins and Mr. Lew played in the legal process.
Philip Michels, Shirley Watkins and Jin Lew with Michels & Watkins Selected for Inclusion in Super Lawyers 2012
Principal Philip Michels, senior associate Shirley Watkins and associate Jin Lew with Michels & Watkins have been named to the list of Southern California Super Lawyers 2012, recognized for their work in medical malpractice and personal injury. Mr. Michels is also included in the Top 100 Southern California Super Lawyers and Ms. Watkins has been selected in the Top 50 Southern California Women Super Lawyers.
Super Lawyers is an annual ranking of outstanding lawyers from more than 60 practice areas who have achieved a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Five percent of the total lawyers in the state are selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers.
Principal Philip Michels Authors Article in Advocate magazinePrincipal Philip Michels and 2011 president of Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles authored the article, "Citizens United: The Protest Version," published by the Advocate magazine. The article discussed the widely-publicized "Occupy Wall Street" movement, a protest on the burgeoning economic inequality in the U.S. and the inability of the conventional political process to lessen that inequality. Some of the concerns that have been expressed by protestors include rising unemployment, mounting consumer debts, shrinking opportunity and refusal of the banks and quasi government agencies to help refinance underwater home mortgages. Mr. Michels' explained, "Wall Street is the symbolic focus of the movement, the 'shadow of wealth, greed and thievery.'"
Principal Philip Michels Authors Article in Advocate magazine
Principal Philip Michels and 2011 president of Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA) authored the article, "A Collaborative Effort: Promises Made and Kept," published by the Advocate magazine. The article discussed CAALA's 2011 wish list and what the organization has achieved in the past year. Some goals were to increase membership, diversity and enhance participation, while better meeting the needs of their changing membership demographic. So far in 2011, CAALA added 600 new members, a 50% increase from last year. Mr. Michel's commented, "Running CAALA is definitely a collaborative process. No one person leads alone. Effective leadership really depends on constant interaction between our dedicated staff, the executive board, the board of governors and the broader membership."
Principal Philip Michels Authors Article in Advocate magazine
Philip Michels authored the article, "Clean Torture: Being Alone is Not Necessarily a Humane Sentence," published by the Advocate magazine. The article discusses how holding prisoners in solitary confinement is an inhumane form of punishment, leading prisoners to commit more violent crimes once they have been released. Mr. Michels explains that once subject to solitary confinement, the only way to return to the normal prison population is by disclosing incriminating information about another prisoner. "The only way out is snitch, parole or die," Mr. Michels states.
Principal Philip Michels and Attorney Shirley Watkins Selected for Inclusion in the 2012 listing of Best Lawyers in America®
Principal Philip Michels and attorney Shirley Watkins have been selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2012 listing of The Best Lawyers in America® which recognized their work in medical malpractice. The selection to Best Lawyers is based on a comprehensive and meticulous peer-review survey comprised of more than 3.9 million confidential evaluations by the top attorneys in the country.
Additionally, Mr. Michels has been named as the "Los Angeles Best Lawyers Professional Malpractice Law Lawyer of the Year" for 2012 and Ms. Watkins has been named as the "Los Angeles Best Lawyers Medical Malpractice Law Lawyer of the Year" for 2012.
After more than a quarter of a century in publication, Best Lawyers is designating "Lawyers of the Year" in high-profile legal specialties in large legal communities. Only a single lawyer in each specialty in each community is being honored as the "Lawyer of the Year."
Founder Philip Michels Authors Article in the Advocate magazine
Mr. Michels authored the article, "Ways Around the Logjam," published by the Advocate magazine discussing the new Voluntary Efficient Litigation Stipulations (VELS). VELS is comprised of three stipulations whose goals are "...to save court time and parties' expense by encouraging early and meaningful cooperation between counsel," Mr. Michels states. The three stipulations identified in VELS are: 1) an Early Organizational Meeting or "EOM," 2) a Discovery Resolution Stipulation, and 3) a Motions in Limine Stipulation. Mr. Michels states that cooperating with these new stipulations brings professionalism and civility, while reducing traffic within the court system. Thus far, these stipulations have been adopted as a pilot project by the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Downtown Los Angeles.
Founder Philip Michels Authors Article in the Advocate Magazine
Mr. Michels, CAALA president, authored the article, "The Impact of Court Budget Cuts," published by the Advocate Magazine discussing the effects of proposed budget cuts to the Los Angeles Superior Court, including the closing of 70 courtrooms, 4 neighborhood courthouses, and 830 staff lay-offs. Mr. Michels writes that such cuts would mean shorter hours of service, delays in domestic violence protective orders, longer lines at service windows, backlogs in processing paperwork, and delays in proceedings for child custody and conservatorships. He concludes that "Efforts of the trial bars to lessen the burden on the court by voluntary efforts at resolution of litigation disputes are our primary weapons to keep us moving forwards, not falling back."
Founder Philip Michels Authors Article in the Advocate Magazine
Mr. Michels, CAALA president, authored the article, "CAALA Vegas Convention 2011," published by the Advocate Magazine discussing the upcoming Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles' Las Vegas Convention. Mr. Michels writes that this convention is "the place to earn your MCLE credits by day and enjoy the non-stop excitement of shows, shopping and gaming by night." The convention, which will be held from September 8th through the 11th at the Palazzo Hotel, will feature over 100 speakers covering everything from advanced trial skills to website advertising and beyond. Mr. Michels concludes that "CAALA Vegas is the hardware store of the plaintiff's civil trial bar. Get a hammer to nail down your case, the hack saw to cut off junk defenses, the duct tape to seal it tight on appeal. It is all there."
Phil Michels Featured in Orange County Register
The Orange County Register article, "Parents Target Cities, Schools for Teen's Crosswalk Death," discusses the recent claims filed by Michels & Watkins on behalf of the parents of Sydney Ramirez, a 16-year old girl who was struck and killed in a crosswalk near her high school. The claims were filed against the cities of La Palma and Cypress as well as the high school district and other agencies for negligence. "The entities were aware for years that the crosswalk constituted a dangerous condition...and that a collision was both foreseeable and inevitable," the claims say. "The fact that the crosswalk increased or at best did not eliminate the danger of collisions was well known to entities, their employees, and the traffic engineer."
Founder Philip Michels Authors Article in the Advocate magazine
Mr. Michels authored the article, "On, Wisconsin! The Hazards of Speaking Up," published by the Advocate magazine discussing the preliminary injunction granted by Circuit Court Judge Maryann Sumi, barring Wisconsin's Governor Scott Walker's newly passed employee union laws. The Governors new laws included preventing public employee unions from collectively bargaining for wages, and ending the state's collection of union dues from paychecks. After Judge Sumi's ruling, a University of Wisconsin professor spoke out saying that the attacks on unions originated from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a powerful network of conservatives trying to undermine union rights. Mr. Michels explains that although conservatives claim to support free speech, ALEC doesn't like people speaking up against them, using tactics like the Freedom of Information Act to silence adverse opinions.
Founder Philip Michels Authors Article in the Advocate magazine
Mr. Michels authored the article, "People's Protests on the Mideast and the Midwest: Back to the Streets," published by the Advocate magazine discussing the Republican bill in Wisconsin which would strip most public-sector workers of collective bargaining rights, reduce municipal funding of pension and healthcare benefits and lessen oversight of state contracts with outside corporations. Mr. Michels explained that the irony of foisting the deficit dilemma on the backs of middle-class workers is that it was not the middle class that caused the problem. He continued, "It is no wonder that support for the demonstrators has been coming from around the world. The arrogance of power resonates in Cairo, Tripoli, Bahrain. It may not be in the form of Koch brothers' millions, but dreams can be deferred only for so long. It is back to the streets."
Founder Philip Michels Discusses New Nursing Ratio Law in Los Angeles Daily Journal
Phil Michels was interviewed for the Los Angeles Daily Journal article, "Nursing Ratio Law May Give More Ammo to Malpractice Attorneys," discussing California's new proposed requirement that hospitals maintain certain nurse-to-patient ratios. Mr. Michels comments, "The problems that we get called about are ones in which it appears that [nurses] were very busy that night. They're really very quickly overwhelmed - that's something we've seen." If passed, it would give the state and plaintiff attorney's new powers to investigate hospitals that do not comply. However, in order to admit staffing records into evidence in a medical malpractice case, plaintiff attorneys would need to demonstrate that the hospital was ignoring staffing problems.
Founder Philip Michels Authors Article in the Advocate magazine
Mr. Michels' authored the article, "The Rich and the Rest," published by the Advocate magazine which discussed the growing income equality in the United States between the middle class and the top earners. He explains how mega rich corporations target consumer attorneys in efforts to legislatively close the courthouse doors to ordinary citizens.
Founder Philip Michels Featured in Daily Journal article "New President Wants Trial Lawyers Group to Welcome Everyone in L.A."
The Los Angeles Daily Journal featured Phil Michels as the 2011 president of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA) and discussed his objectives for the association. Mr. Michel's plans to get more young lawyers involved in CAALA education programs as well as expand CAALA's ethnic diversity. The article also discusses Mr. Michel's success and dedication to medical malpractice and personal injury work as the founder of the Law Offices of Michels & Watkins.
Founder Philip Michels Authors Article in the Advocate magazine
Mr. Michels' authored the article, "Political Influence in Judicial Selection," published by the Advocate magazine which discussed the fact that judges that have accepted political contributions from those who appear before them, and how this can now be grounds for disqualification. Mr. Michels cites two recent cases, Caperton v Massey Coal and Avery v State Farm Mutual Automobile Ins. Co., in which judges overturned a previous judgment against a defendant who had made significant contributions to the judge's election campaign. The Code of Civil Procedure passed in the 2010 Legislative session, makes recusal mandatory in cases where a campaign contribution of more than $1,500 is made by a party or an attorney in a case the judge is hearing.
Attorney Shirley Watkins and Jin Lew Featured in the Los Angeles Times
The article titled "Parents Assail Malpractice Caps After Daughter's Death at UCLA Hospital," published by Los Angeles Times discusses the death of Olivia Cull, a 17-year old girl who slipped into a coma during a routine outpatient procedure to correct a defect in her heart. Attorneys Shirley Watkins and Jin Lew agreed to take the case pro bono as many lawyers did not consider the case worth pursuing due to the state cap on damages. Michels & Watkins conducted an investigation which took over a year to complete and included several depositions of UCLA's chief attending physicians and nurses. Michels & Watkins found that the set of Olivia's medical records initially provided was incomplete and a doctor-in-training handled Olivia without an attending doctor's supervision. Additionally, UCLA physicians failed to perform timely chest compressions in response to Olivia's arrest.
UCLA hospital officials agreed to pay the Cull family $250,000, the maximum allowed under the cap, and instituted at least eight corrections in their patient care protocols to prevent similar incidents from recurring. UCLA also issued a letter of apology acknowledging their responsibility for Olivia's death. On January 20, 2011, Olivia's case was presented at hearings on medical malpractice reforms before the US House of Representatives Judiciary Committee.
Founder Philip Michels Authors Article in the Advocate magazine
Mr. Michels authors an article, "Patient Safety vs. Corporate Profits: MICRA - A Slap on the Wrist; A Slap in the Face," published by the Advocate magazine discussing MICRA, a $250,000 imposed cap on general damages in medical malpractice. The cap, which has remained the same since 1975, is one of the most unconscionable abuses committed against victims of medical negligence. Mr. Michels explains that preventable medical mistakes are the sixth largest cause of death in the United States, yet the attention brought to this epidemic is minimal. He also discusses the constitutional challenge to MICRA and his support for the MICRA cap change.
Founder Philip Michels and In-house Medical Director Dr. Brad Davis Quoted in the Los Angeles Daily Journal
The Los Angeles Daily Journal article, "Plaintiffs' Lawyers: Errors from Electronic Medical Records on the Rise," discusses how emergency rooms are experiencing patient mix-ups due to new electronic health record systems. As an increasing amount of hospitals adopt electronic medical records instead of the pen-and-paper records, the number of errors could potentially increase. Mr. Michels says, "Instead of leaving space for a doctor to take notes during an office visit, some software programs provide checklists that lead doctors through a template. Even though it's easier to read words or boxes, you have what feels like inadequate descriptions of the problems." Dr. Davis believes that juries will not be sympathetic to these input errors. He states, "Once a jury sees that they're sloppy, and spending less time with patients and more time clicking on a computer, I think it helps us and hurts doctors."
Attorney Jin Lew Quoted in the Los Angeles Times
The article titled "Plastic Surgery Centers That Fail State Standards Still Allowed To Accept Patients," published by Los Angeles Times discusses the death of Maria Garcia, a 39-year old mother of five who bled to death from a puncture wound during an outpatient plastic surgery procedure. Attorney Jin Lew of Michels & Watkins is representing the family of Ms. Garcia in the lawsuit against her surgeons, nurse and surgery center. The Hills Surgical Institute, Inc., which opened 90 days prior to her surgery, failed to meet the state's requirements for surgical centers and one of their doctors was under investigation by the California Medical Board. Ms. Garcia wasn't aware of either of these facts. Dr. Hansen who performed the vaginoplasty hadn't done the operation in five years, had no records of patient history and did not require a physical exam. After the vaginoplasty, Dr. Robinson performed the liposuction and butt lift. During the operation Ms. Garcia's heart stopped. She was rushed to the Kaiser Foundation where she died an hour later. Dr. Hansen failed to report her death within 15 days, as required by law. The trial is set for April 2011.
Newspaper Articles
Parent of teen who died in Atascadero High School pool sue school district
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