Since we opened our office in 1995, we’ve helped thousands of people who were injured as a result of auto accidents, truck/trailer accidents, pedestrian accidents, etc., to obtain the compensation that they deserve. We’ve also helped thousands of other people who had immigration problems because they were in deportation/removal proceedings, had deportation/removal orders, wanted or needed an immigration benefit, such as a green card, American citizenship, a waiver for a crime, or for a violation of the immigration laws, etc. Although we are very proud to have helped so many people, we feel particularly privileged because some of those were disadvantaged because they were homeless, disabled, etc.. We’re including summaries of a few of the cases that we have won. We can’t guarantee those same results for any case in particular that we might handle in the future. All we can guarantee is that we’ll fight with tireless dedication, as we always have, for all our clients.

On June 2, 2016, while M. Munguia, a homeless man, was crossing a street on his bicycle in Los Angeles, a car struck his bicycle. By the time the police arrived at the accident scene, the driver of the car had driven off without giving her information to Munguia. As a result of the accident, Munguia sustained serious injuries which required hospitalization. After Munguia was released from the hospital, he retained an attorney to file a claim against the driver. Because that attorney couldn’t find her, even though he had the case for over six months, Munguia took his case to another attorney. That attorney didn’t do anything either. Munguia suspects that those attorneys didn’t take him seriously and didn’t pay his case any attention because he was homeless. After seeing our office’s webpage, Munguia asked us for help. The first thing that we did is to track down a witness to the accident, and with information from that witness, we tracked down the driver, even though she lived in Wisconsin. We also found out that the driver’s car was insured. Nine months after Munguia came to our office, we convinced the driver’s insurance company to pay $20,500 for his case. The document that finalized this case can be seen by clicking here. With his share of the settlement, Munguia stopped living on the street because he rented an apartment.

CASE #2

WITH THE SETTLEMENT THAT WE WON FOR A HOMELESS MAN, WHO WAS ATTACKED BY A GERMAN SHEPHERD, HE RENTED AN APARTMENT, LEFT THE LIFE ON THE STREET, AND OBTAINED A STEADY JOB

In October of 2016, while L. Coreas, a homeless man, was walking down the street, a German Shepherd dog ran out of a yard and bit him. As a result of the attack, Coreas ended up with two very deep bites above his left ankle for which he was treated at a hospital. After he was discharged by the hospital, Coreas asked us for help in filing a claim against the owner of the house where the dog lived. The owner refused to tell us if he had insurance that would cover this incident. However, we found the information, through our own resources, about that insurance company and filed a claim with that insurance for Coreas. After several months of negotiating with that insurance, we managed to get $30,000, for Coreas’ case. The document that finalized this case can be seen by clicking here. With his share of the settlement, Coreas rented an apartment and obtained a steady job.

CASE #3
WE WON A CASE INVOLVING A COLLISION BETWEEN TWO TRACTOR TRAILERS FOR A HARDWORKING TRUCKER WHO CAME TO US BECAUSE HER PRIOR ATTORNEY DIDN’T HAVE TIME FOR HER CASE BECAUSE HE SPENT A LOT OF HIS TIME MAKING TV COMMERCIALS

In 2012, while G. Garcia, a hard-working truck driver, was unloading her tractor-trailer at the Port of Long Beach, another tractor-trailer collided with it. As a result, one of Garcia’s fingers was crushed so badly that it had be to amputated. To file a claim against the owner of the other tractor-trailer, she retained the office of an attorney whom she saw on many TV commercials. But those were the only times that she ever saw him because Garcia never met him and he never talked to her. All her dealings with that attorney’s office were with assistants who often didn’t return her calls. Since that attorney wasn’t paying attention to her case, Garcia thought that it wasn’t worth very much. She came to our office, and spoke to Mr. Bañuelos who assured her that her case was worth fighting for.  Less than two years later, we obtained $285,000 for Garcia’s case which paid for all her medical bills, will pay for all her future medical care, etc. The check that we obtained for Garcia can be seen by clicking here.

CASE #4

In 2012, while J. Torres, a homeless man, was crossing a street on his bicycle in Los Angeles, a car struck his bicycle. As a result, J. Torres sustained serious injuries which required hospitalization. To file a claim against the driver of the car, Torres consulted several lawyers but none of them wanted to take his case because, they said, it was a lost cause. However, he suspects that none of those attorneys took him seriously because he was homeless. Then, the car’s insurance company offered him $500 for his claim. Because Torres’ injuries were serious, he thought that his case was worth a lot more than that. Desperate, Torres came to us on a recommendation by one of our ex clients. Nine months later, even though the police blamed Torres for the accident, we convinced the car’s insurance company to pay $15,000, the maximum amount available under the insurance policy to Torres as compensation for his injuries. The $15,000 check that the insurance company paid can seen by clicking here. With the money that he received from the settlement, Torres rented an apartment where he went to live with his two sisters, and their young children, all of whom had been living on the street.

CASE #5

In 2009, we filed a court action for A. Velazquez, who sustained very serious fractures when his vehicle collided with a large truck that made a left turn in front of him. After litigating in court for more than two years against one of the best law firms in Los Angeles, we obtained a settlement in the amount of $650,000, for Velazquez’s claim. At the end of the case, the lead defense attorney, the distinguished Robert G. Harrison, graciously congratulated Mr. Bañuelos for his tenacity, hard work and ethics. Mr. Harrison’s letter can be seen by clicking here.

CASE #6

In 1993, a California Court of Appeal issued a decision in favor of the Gamboa family which consisted of a widow and her three young girls, who were represented by Mr. Bañuelos. This case started with a wrongful death action that was filed by Mr. Bañuelos on behalf of that family because the head of that family was killed when he was run over by a tractor trailer while he was riding his bicycle to work. After ferocious and drawn-out battles against highly skilled and experienced attorneys, Mr. Bañuelos obtained a settlement in excess of $475,000, for the bicyclist’s family, even though the police blamed the bicyclist for the accident. This settlement was enough to provide economic security for the widow for a long time, for her daughters until they reached the age of 18, and to pay for their college education. The court of appeal’s opinion on this case can be seen by clicking Gamboa vs. Conti Trucking.

A. Reyna and his family came to the US from Mexico in 1981 as legal immigrants. In 1986, his father abandoned the family. In 1987, his mother became a US citizen. In 2005, the INS put Reyna in removal proceedings because of his criminal past. We filed a motion to dismiss with the San Pedro Immigration Court arguing that since his mother had naturalized before he turned 18, he had become a US citizen automatically, and, therefore, could not be removed to Mexico. The Court denied the motion because Reyna’s parents were not legally separated back then, and ordered Reyna’s removal to Mexico. We appealed that order to the BIA. While the case was on appeal, the Los Angeles Superior Court issued retroactive orders which established that Reyna’s parents had legally separated before he was 18, and that his mother had custody of him until he was 18. Using a then new case as authority [Minasyan v. Gonzales, 401 F.3rd 1069 (9th. Circ. 2005)], we petitioned the BIA to send the case back to the San Pedro Immigration Court, arguing that the Superior Court’s orders had given Reyna a solid legal to claim US citizenship through his mother. The BIA granted our petition. The BIA’s return order can be seen by clicking here. We then filed a motion with the San Pedro Immigration Court to terminate the case against Reyna. On Nov. 30, 2005, the court granted our motion. The order terminating the case can be seen by clicking here.

When E. Huerta was desperate for work, a notario convinced him to file a petition for political asylum because, the notario told him, that it would get him a green card. Since Huerta came to the U.S. from Mexico looking for work and not for political asylum, the INS denied the petition and put him in removal proceedings. To save Huerta from removal, we filed a petition for adjustment of status (petition for a green card) with the Los Angeles Immigration Court for Huerta which was based on his marriage to his US citizen wife. The Court denied the petition. We appealed that denial to the BIA. On May 16, 2005, Huerta won the appeal, and the BIA sent the case back to the Los Angeles Immigration Court. The appeal case can be seen by clicking here. After that, the Court approved Huerta’s adjustment of status petition and he became a legal permanent resident of the US.

M. Delgado came to the US from Mexico illegally in 1981. In 2005, with the help of a notario, he filed a petition for late amnesty with the USCIS. Because the notario couldn’t find documents that the USCIS had requested which would prove that Delgado had lived in the US during a specific period of time after 1982, Delgado retained a very famous attorney, who has a lot of radio commercials, to find those documents. The USCIS denied the petition because that attorney couldn’t find them either. We appealed that denial to the AAO. Delgado won the appeal because our office found those documents. The appeal case can be seen by clicking here. Thereafter, in July, 2013, the USCIS granted temporary residence to Delgado which placed him  on a path to a green card. The approval can be seen by clicking here. In Sept., 2013, with that temporary residence, he was able to travel to Mexico to realize his dream of seeing his 90-year old, gravely-ill mother, whom he had not seen in more than 20 years. Then, on Sept. 17, 2015, another one of Delgado’s dreams was realized when the USCIS approved his green card petition. This approval can be seen by clicking here.

V. Urbina, who had been petitioned by his US citizen wife, started an adjustment of status process (petition for a green card) with a notario and then retained two different attorneys to continue the process. But all they did was to take his money with false promises. When Urbina came to our office, he told Mr. Bañuelos that he was his last hope because he was tired of being cheated. Then, due to misdemeanor convictions, the INS denied his adjustment of status petition. We appealed that denial to the AAO, arguing that those convictions didn’t disqualify him for a green card. While the case was on appeal, Urbina told Mr. Bañuelos that he wanted to return to Mexico for good because he was tired of waiting. Mr. Bañuelos asked him to wait a little more. A month later, Urbina won the appeal. The appeal case can be seen by clicking here. A short time later, one of Urbina’s dreams was realized when he received his green card. As soon as he received it, he traveled to Mexico to realize another one of his dreams, which was to see his father, who was gravely ill, and whom he had not seen in over 15 years. Urbina arrived in Mexico just in time to see his father before he passed away.

The INS didn’t want to give N. Delgado, who had been petitioned by her mother Maria, a green card because Delgado had a negative encounter with the INS at the border in 1990. She came to us because the only thing that her prior attorney did was to take her money with false promises. At first, the INS denied the petition for the pardon that she would need for the 1990 incident before she would be eligible for a green card. We appealed that denial to the AAO. While the appeal was pending, Maria was diagnosed with an incurable cancer. We filed a second petition for a pardon with the INS. Finally, on Jan. 17, 2008, for humanitarian reasons (Maria’s cancer), the INS approved the pardon and issued a green card to Delgado. The green card can be seen by clicking here. Sadly, three months later, the cancer took Maria’s life, but she died in peace because she lived long enough to realize her dream of seeing her daughter with a green card.

CASES WITH THE  IMMIGRATION COURT

CASE #17

WE WON THE CASE OF A HARDWORKING, MEXICAN FAMILY MAN AND A GREEN CARD HOLDER SINCE 1978, WHO WAS PLACED IN REMOVAL PROCEEDINGS BECAUSE OF CHILD ABUSE CONVICTIONS IN 2004, AND WHO WAS SO SURE THAT HE WAS GOING TO BE DEPORTED THAT HE MADE ARRANGEMENTS TO RETURN TO MEXICO TO LIVE THERE FOR GOOD