West Portal crash driver hid millions in real estate, new lawsuit says (https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/15/west-portal-crash-driver-sued-transferred-real-estate/) (https://fonts.gstatic.com) (https://use.typekit.net) (https://sfstandard.com/fonts/ivar/text/IvarText-SemiBold.woff2) (https://sfstandard.com/fonts/ivar/headline/IvarHeadline-Medium.woff2) (The San Francisco Standard » Feed) (https://sfstandard.com/feed/) (/favicon/favicon-32x32-1.png) (/favicon/favicon-192x192-1.png) (/favicon/favicon-180x180-1.png) (/_next/static/css/974e809906a87a33.css) (https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Inter:wght@300;400;500;600;700;800;900&display=swap) (/_next/static/css/974e809906a87a33.css)      ADVERTISEMENT     Skip to main content Open search bar and full menu      (/) The San Francisco Standard                                (/latest/) Latest  (/news/) News  (/politics/) Politics  (/business/) Business  (/opinion/) Opinion  (/culture/) Culture  (/food-drink/) Food & Drink  (/sports/) Sports  (/games/routle/) Games  (/podcasts/) Podcasts         Close menu       (/account/logout/?return_to=https%3A%2F%2Fsfstandard.com%2F2025%2F05%2F15%2Fwest-portal-crash-driver-sued-transferred-real-estate%2F) Sign out  Search query (Search) () Search      (/latest/) Latest  (/news/) News  (/politics/) Politics  (/business/) Business  (/opinion/) Opinion  (/culture/) Culture  (/food-drink/) Food & Drink  (/sports/) Sports  (/games/routle/) Games  (/newsletters/) Newsletters  (/podcasts/) Podcasts   Social Links (https://www.instagram.com/sfstandard/)   (opens in new tab)   (https://twitter.com/sfstandard)   (opens in new tab)   (https://www.facebook.com/SFStandard)   (opens in new tab)   (https://www.tiktok.com/@sfstandard)   (opens in new tab)   (https://www.threads.net/@sfstandard)    (opens in new tab)   (https://www.linkedin.com/company/sfstandard)   (opens in new tab)   (https://bsky.app/profile/sfstandard.com)   (opens in new tab)        (https://sfstandard.com/news/) News  West Portal crash driver hid millions in real estate, new lawsuit says  The victims' family had already sued Mary Fong Lau for wrongful death.   (A woman wearing a mask that covers her mouth and nose caresses the face of a woman in a crowded hallway outside of a courtroom.)   Mary Fong Lau, center, is accused of hiding her assets to avoid paying damages in a wrongful death lawsuit.|  Source:  Jason Henry for The Standard     Share   Share     Copy linkto this article    (mailto:?subject=West Portal crash driver hid millions in real estate, new lawsuit says&body=From The San Francisco Standard%0A%0AWest Portal crash driver hid millions in real estate, new lawsuit says%0A%0AThe victims' family had already sued Mary Fong Lau for wrongful death.%0A%0Ahttps://sfstandard.com/2025/05/15/west-portal-crash-driver-sued-transferred-real-estate/?utm_source=email_sitebutton&utm_medium=site_buttons&utm_campaign=site_buttons)    Email   (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=West%20Portal%20crash%20driver%20hid%20millions%20in%20real%20estate,%20new%20lawsuit%20says&via=sfstandard&url=https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/15/west-portal-crash-driver-sued-transferred-real-estate/?utm_source=twitter_sitebutton&utm_medium=site_buttons&utm_campaign=site_buttons)    Twitter(opens in new tab)    (https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=West Portal crash driver hid millions in real estate, new lawsuit says https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/15/west-portal-crash-driver-sued-transferred-real-estate/?utm_source=bluesky_sitebutton&utm_medium=site_buttons&utm_campaign=site_buttons)    Bluesky(opens in new tab)    (https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/15/west-portal-crash-driver-sued-transferred-real-estate/?utm_source=facebook_sitebutton&utm_medium=site_buttons&utm_campaign=site_buttons)    Facebook(opens in new tab)    (https://www.linkedin.com/cws/share?url=https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/15/west-portal-crash-driver-sued-transferred-real-estate/?utm_source=linkedin_sitebutton&utm_medium=site_buttons&utm_campaign=site_buttons&title=West Portal crash driver hid millions in real estate, new lawsuit says)    LinkedIn(opens in new tab)    (https://t.me/share/url?url=https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/15/west-portal-crash-driver-sued-transferred-real-estate/?utm_source=telegram_sitebutton&utm_medium=site_buttons&utm_campaign=site_buttons&text=West Portal crash driver hid millions in real estate, new lawsuit says)    Telegram(opens in new tab)    (https://api.whatsapp.com/send?text=West Portal crash driver hid millions in real estate, new lawsuit says https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/15/west-portal-crash-driver-sued-transferred-real-estate/?utm_source=whatsapp_sitebutton&utm_medium=site_buttons&utm_campaign=site_buttons)    WhatsApp(opens in new tab)    (https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/15/west-portal-crash-driver-sued-transferred-real-estate/?utm_source=reddit_sitebutton&utm_medium=site_buttons&utm_campaign=site_buttons&title=West Portal crash driver hid millions in real estate, new lawsuit says)    Reddit(opens in new tab)      Close share menu       By(https://sfstandard.com/author/michael-mclaughlin/) Michael McLaughlin and (https://sfstandard.com/author/garrett-leahy/) Garrett Leahy  Updated May 15, 2025 • 2:51pm Published May 15, 2025 • 8:00am   The driver in a (https://sfstandard.com/2024/07/02/west-portal-crash-driver-charged/) 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 (https://sfstandard.com/2024/07/05/mary-fong-lau-west-portal-crash-pleads-not-guilty/) pleaded not guilty to felony vehicular manslaughter in July.  ADVERTISEMENT     Related (https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/15/san-francisco-traffic-deaths-elderly/) Crossing the street in SF is life or death — especially if you’re old   (https://sfstandard.com/2024/10/11/west-portal-crash-driver-conflicting-statements-court-records/) Driver in deadly West Portal crash gave conflicting statements, court records show   (https://sfstandard.com/2024/05/10/west-portal-crash-investigation/) West Portal crash exclusive: No evidence driver was impaired    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.  (A family with two kids on a beach: one infant in a carrier and a toddler on his dad's shoulders.)    Matilde Moncada Ramos Pinto, Diego Cardoso de Oliveira, and their children Cauê Ramos Pinto de Oliveira and Joaquin Ramos Pinto de Oliveira were killed in the March 16, 2024, crash.|  Source:  Courtesy family of Diego Cardoso de Oliveira and Matilde Ramos Pinto   “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.  (https://sfstandard.com/newsletters/?newsletters=The%20Daily) (Yellow sun with wide rays extends from the right against a clear blue sky background.) (Yellow sun with wide rays extends from the right against a clear blue sky background.)      Subscribe to The Daily Because “I saw a TikTok” doesn’t always cut it. Dozens of stories, delivered every day. (https://sfstandard.com/newsletters/?newsletters=The%20Daily) Sign up now     “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 (https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/250-Crestlake-Dr-San-Francisco-CA-94132/15125751_zpid/) $1.65 million(opens in new tab)  , while the Pixley address is worth around (https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/155-Pixley-St-San-Francisco-CA-94123/332850836_zpid/) $1.5 million(opens in new tab)  , 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.  (People are placing flowers and notes at a makeshift memorial on a sidewalk. A crowd and media are present.)    A vigil for the victims of the West Portal crash.|  Source:  Loren Elliott for The Standard   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.”  Copy link to this article      (mailto:?subject=West Portal crash driver hid millions in real estate, new lawsuit says&body=From The San Francisco Standard%0A%0AWest Portal crash driver hid millions in real estate, new lawsuit says%0A%0Ahttps://sfstandard.com/2025/05/15/west-portal-crash-driver-sued-transferred-real-estate/?utm_source=email_sitebutton&utm_medium=site_buttons&utm_campaign=site_buttons)     (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=West%20Portal%20crash%20driver%20hid%20millions%20in%20real%20estate,%20new%20lawsuit%20says&via=sfstandard&url=https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/15/west-portal-crash-driver-sued-transferred-real-estate/?utm_source=twitter_sitebutton&utm_medium=site_buttons&utm_campaign=site_buttons)   (opens in new tab)   (https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=West Portal crash driver hid millions in real estate, new lawsuit says https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/15/west-portal-crash-driver-sued-transferred-real-estate/?utm_source=bluesky_sitebutton&utm_medium=site_buttons&utm_campaign=site_buttons)   (opens in new tab)   (https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/15/west-portal-crash-driver-sued-transferred-real-estate/?utm_source=facebook_sitebutton&utm_medium=site_buttons&utm_campaign=site_buttons)   (opens in new tab)       Michael McLaughlincan be reached at(mailto:mmclaughlin@sfstandard.com) mmclaughlin@sfstandard.com Garrett Leahycan be reached at(mailto:garrett@sfstandard.com) garrett@sfstandard.com   Filed Under (https://sfstandard.com/tag/collision/) Collisions (https://sfstandard.com/tag/lawsuits/) Lawsuits (https://sfstandard.com/news/) News (https://sfstandard.com/tag/west-portal/) West Portal    More (https://sfstandard.com/news/) News   (https://sfstandard.com/2026/02/21/oakland-alysa-liu-winter-olympics-gold-medal-celebration/) (Several people ice skate inside a large indoor rink with banners hanging on the walls and a high ceiling supported by orange beams.)    (https://sfstandard.com/2026/02/21/oakland-alysa-liu-winter-olympics-gold-medal-celebration/) Oakland rallies around Alysa Liu after her Winter Olympics win    (https://sfstandard.com/2026/02/20/sf-prioritizing-locals-homeless-housing/) (A person sits on a chair with their head down, hands clasped, framed inside the outline of a house with a cross dividing it.)    (https://sfstandard.com/2026/02/20/sf-prioritizing-locals-homeless-housing/) Plan to prioritize locals could transform SF homelessness strategy    (https://sfstandard.com/2026/02/19/ai-writes-code-now-s-left-software-engineers/) (A computer keyboard with all keys labeled "AI" instead of their usual letters or symbols.)    (https://sfstandard.com/2026/02/19/ai-writes-code-now-s-left-software-engineers/) AI writes the code now. What’s left for software engineers?    (https://sfstandard.com/2026/02/18/get-new-shoes-b-marin-hospital-board-meeting-erupts-ahead-strike/) (A person in a rain poncho holds a megaphone and speaks during a protest where others hold signs that say "TEAMSTERS LOCAL 856 ON STRIKE.")    (https://sfstandard.com/2026/02/18/get-new-shoes-b-marin-hospital-board-meeting-erupts-ahead-strike/) ‘Get some new shoes, too, b****’: Marin hospital board meeting erupts ahead of strike       ()   By (https://sfstandard.com/author/michael-mclaughlin/) Michael McLaughlin    (https://sfstandard.com/2026/02/19/tahoe-avalanche-victims-identified-marin-san-francisco/) Tahoe avalanche updates: Six moms, one from San Francisco, identified as victims  (https://sfstandard.com/2026/02/19/tahoe-avalanche-victims-identified-marin-san-francisco/) A spokesperson for several families named the victims as Carrie Atkin, Liz Clabaugh, Danielle Keatley, Kate Morse, Caroline Sekar, and Kate Vitt.    (https://sfstandard.com/2026/02/10/sfusd-teachers-strike-union-uesf-district/) Live updates: SFUSD strike ends, schools closed Friday  (https://sfstandard.com/2026/02/10/sfusd-teachers-strike-union-uesf-district/) The teachers union and district announced an end to the four-day strike. Follow along for updates.    (https://sfstandard.com/2026/01/27/coyote-swam-to-alcatraz-san-francisco/) Wily coyote who swam to Alcatraz gets ‘much fatter’ on prison island diet  (https://sfstandard.com/2026/01/27/coyote-swam-to-alcatraz-san-francisco/) Officials are monitoring if the canine is preying on the island’s seabirds.      Most read today  (https://sfstandard.com/2026/02/20/joe-lacob-warriors-jonathan-kuminga/) (A man in a light purple shirt and black pants clenches his fists and appears to be shouting, standing in front of a cheering crowd.)    (https://sfstandard.com/2026/02/20/joe-lacob-warriors-jonathan-kuminga/) Kawakami: Joe Lacob on Porzingis, trading Kuminga, and why the Warriors won’t tank    (https://sfstandard.com/2026/02/19/oakland-alysa-liu-gold-medal/) (A female figure skater in a sparkling gold dress smiles and waves with her right hand while standing on the ice rink.)    (https://sfstandard.com/2026/02/19/oakland-alysa-liu-gold-medal/) Oakland’s Alysa Liu wins gold, and everyone wants in on the celebration    (https://sfstandard.com/2026/02/18/49ers-offseason-targets-wr-te/) (A football player in a red jersey shakes hands with a man in a suit on a field, with blurred spectators in the background.)    (https://sfstandard.com/2026/02/18/49ers-offseason-targets-wr-te/) Brandon Aiyuk devastated the 49ers, but they can make up for it this offseason    (https://sfstandard.com/2026/02/18/17-best-events-sf-weekend/) (A Red Bull Formula 1 car with Oracle branding is parked on a city street in front of a large neoclassical building with a domed roof.)    (https://sfstandard.com/2026/02/18/17-best-events-sf-weekend/) The 17 best events in SF this weekend    (https://sfstandard.com/2026/02/14/ai-doomers-taking-over-jobs/) (Two large billboards overlooking a city street advertise tech services: one promotes AI customer support, and the other encourages resurrecting side projects.)    (https://sfstandard.com/2026/02/14/ai-doomers-taking-over-jobs/) A tech CEO says AI is about to do to everyone what it is doing to coders. Is he right?                     Social Links (https://www.instagram.com/sfstandard/)   (opens in new tab)   (https://twitter.com/sfstandard)   (opens in new tab)   (https://www.facebook.com/SFStandard)   (opens in new tab)   (https://www.tiktok.com/@sfstandard)   (opens in new tab)   (https://www.threads.net/@sfstandard)    (opens in new tab)   (https://www.linkedin.com/company/sfstandard)   (opens in new tab)   (https://bsky.app/profile/sfstandard.com)   (opens in new tab)      Footer Navigation (/about/) About Us  (/staff/) Staff  (/ethics-standards/) Standards & Ethics    (/newsletters/) Newsletters  (/rss-feeds/) RSS Feeds  (https://jobs.sfstandard.com/) Jobs(opens in new tab)     (/contact-us/) Contact Us  (/tips/) Tips  (/advertising/) Advertising Inquiries    (/account/login/) Sign In  (/membership/) Membership  (/membership-faq/) Membership FAQs       © The San Francisco Standard. All Rights Reserved. Legal Information (/terms-of-use/) Terms of Use  (/privacy-policy/) Privacy Policy  (/privacy-policy/#california-resident-rights/) California Resident Rights  Privacy Center