Michele M. Betti, Attorney

Michele M. Betti, Esq.

Michele M. Betti was born in Chicago, Illinois. She attended Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego where she received a J.D. Degree. She is admitted to practice law in California and New York.

Ms. Betti served as a Captain in the United States Air Force as a Judge Advocate prosecuting both misdemeanor and felony cases. After her service, Ms. Betti relocated to San Francisco and worked with some of the country’s most prestigious law firms, including Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker LLP, Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold LLP, and Bassi, Martini LLP. Ms. Betti has represented a diverse range of clients from Lloyd’s of London, J.T. Thorpe & Son, Inc., and AIG.

Her practice consisted of complex litigation including professional liability, medical malpractice, products liability, toxic torts, personal injury, maritime law, securities and broker/dealer, insurance bad faith, coverage and complex business litigation.

In 2007, Ms. Betti was offered an “of counsel” position with well-known survivors’ counsel, Stephen Rubino of Ross & Rubino LLP. While there, Ms. Betti worked extensively with the leading expert in child sexual abuse, Dr. Gilbert Kliman, Medical Director of The Psychological Trauma Center in San Francisco.

Settlements for Clergy and Non-Clergy Sex Abuse Survivors:

• Archdiocese of Los Angeles for $660 million on behalf of more than 122 of the 508 survivors.
• Dioceses of San Diego and San Bernardino in excess of $198 million on behalf of some 144 victims.
• Obtained a $750,000 settlement for a client abused by a priest who was knowingly transferred from one Diocese to another. This settlement was in addition to the $1.37 million global settlement her client received.
• State of Delaware Big Brothers of America, Inc. Single perpetrator $650,000 settlement.

Ms. Betti is currently litigating against the New York City Department of Education; The Child Center of NY, Inc.; World of Discovery Day Camp of Queens, Inc.; West Ridge Academy aka Utah Boys Ranch – Youth Residential Treatment Facility in Jordan, Utah; Pentecostal Assembly Inc. of Brooklyn, New York; New Covenant Christian School, The New Covenant Christian Education Association, Inc., Bronx, New York; Archdiocese of Philadelphia; The Norbertine Fathers, Inc.; Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, Inc., Diocese of Honolulu, Hawaii.

Ms. Betti is committed to seeking truth and justice for all victims of childhood sexual abuse.

Bar Admissions

State Bar of California

State Bar of New York

Ms. Betti is committed to seeking truth and justice for all victims of childhood sexual abuse.

Ruben P. Ruiz, Attorney

Ruben P. Ruiz, Attorney

Ruben P. Ruiz grew up in Orange County, California, where he attended Catholic elementary and high schools.  He is an alumnus of Loyola-Marymount University and the University of Oregon, where he completed undergraduate and graduate degrees.  Mr. Ruiz was the recipient of the Walter and Nance Kidd Tutorial Fellowship, and Graduate Teaching Fellowship.  Mr. Ruiz was a Fulbright Scholar in 1999.  He graduated from Santa Clara University School of Law in 2003.

Mr. Ruiz began his legal career as a clerk for the United States Department of Justice, and thereafter entered private practice with several large law firms in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Mr. Ruiz has extensive experience in personal injury and commercial law.  He has represented clients in multimillion-dollar cases involving injuries sustained from chemical and oil exposure, asbestos, automotive defects, and environmental contamination.

Mr. Ruiz now focuses his time on helping victims of sexual abuse in gaining compensation for their injuries and finding the justice they deserve.  He continues to live in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Bar Admissions

State Bar of California

Education

Santa Clara University School of Law, J.D., 2003; Symposium Editor; Law Faculty Scholarship; Moot Court Oral Advocacy Award; High Technology Law Certificate

J. William Fulbright Scholar, The Netherlands, 1999-2000

University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, Master of Fine Arts, Composition and Writing, 1998

Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, California, B.A., 1992

Court Admissions
United States District Court for the Northern, Central, Eastern District of California

U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit

Professional Memberships
California Bar Association

Languages
Dutch and Spanish

Awards & Distinctions

Fulbright Grant 1999-2000

Gregory A. Ferren, Esq.

Gregory A. Ferren specializes in intellectual property law, general commercial litigation, and business formation and transactions. Mr. Ferren has practiced law since obtaining his law degree from the University of Hawaii in 1995. In 2003, he obtained an LL.M. in Intellectual Property from Santa Clara University. He is currently a member of the Bars of California and Hawaii.

Mr. Ferren’s experience has encompassed a broad range of areas of law including intellectual property, general commercial litigation, real estate, financial regulatory law, bankruptcy, antitrust, administrative law, general business practice, alternative dispute resolution, appellate advocacy, and child sexual abuse.

Mr. Ferren has worked with some of this country’s most prestigious law firms, including Bingham McCutchen, Jones Day, and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. Mr. Ferren has represented a diverse range of clients, from small, family-owned businesses and individuals, to large multi-national corporations including Yahoo!, Apple, and Oracle.

Bar Admissions

State Bar of California

State Bar of Hawaii

Education

University of Hawaii School of Law, J.D., 1995

Santa Clara University School of Law, LL.M., 2003

University of Colorado, B.S. Journalism, 1991

Court Admissions

United States District Court, District of Hawaii

Hawaii Supreme Court

California Supreme Court

Professional Memberships

California Bar Association

Hawaii State Bar Association