NEWS FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 16, 2001

CITY OF OAKLAND SETTLES CASE IN ALAMEDA COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT:
Bok and Edwin Chan vs. City of Oakland, et al.

Oakland, CA—On January 16, 2001 in closed session, the Oakland City Council unanimously approved settlement of the above-entitled action for the sum of One Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($1.5 million), payable to Bok Chan and Edwin Chan and their attorneys of record, Robert Waldsmith and William Smith.

This lawsuit arises from a September 10, 1991 home invasion robbery that resulted in the deaths of Yuet Chan and her daughter Sarah. Oakland police officers responded to a 911 telephone call from Sarah Chan in which she reported that several intruders had entered her home. After taking up positions outside the home, the officers concluded that the intruders had left and directed Sarah Chan to leave the bedroom where she had been hiding. Complying with the instructions of the police, Ms. Chan left her bedroom and was chased and shot by one of the robbers. Apparently unaware that the house was surrounded by police, the intruders then killed Sarah’s mother, Yuet Chan, in order to avoid having a witness to the first murder.

This settlement is a risk management decision by the City Council. The City does not admit liability and the settlement is a compromise of the City’s and the plaintiffs’ interests in this matter to avoid the costs of litigation and the risk of possible adverse judgment.