Benjamin T. Ikuta is an attorney who joined Hodes Milman Liebeck, LLP in 2016.  Ben focuses on nursing home negligence, elder abuse, personal injury and product liability.  For eight years prior to working at Hodes Milman Liebeck, LLP, Ben worked for firms that primarily focused on defending skilled nursing facilities, residential care facilities for the elderly, hospitals, physicians, and nurses. He defended elder abuse, malpractice, and employment-related actions.

In October of 2012, Ben was the second-chair for a trial in defending a Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (“RCFE”) in an elder abuse case.  The RCFE had served grade D commercial steak to its residents.  After an 85-year old resident choked on the meat, the staff at the RCFE failed to call for the paramedics for approximately 20 minutes, resulting in the elder’s death.  After a 6-week trial, where Ben cross-examined the elder’s family, the meat manufacturers and distributers, and an expert doctor, the jury returned a unanimous verdict in favor of Ben’s client.  In another case, Ben defended a registered nurse accused of sexual misconduct in an administrative hearing and received a favorable result of probation.  As a defense lawyer prior to joining Hodes Milman Liebeck, LLP, Ben routinely secured judgments in favor of healthcare providers and insurance companies. 

In 2016, Ben realized that his true calling was not in defending healthcare providers and insurance companies, but rather to work for those injured by wrongdoing.  This was particularly true for vulnerable and defenseless elders in claims of reckless neglect against RCFEs, Skilled Nursing Facilities, and Hospitals. Ben’s extensive experience with defense firms provides him a unique perspective in relation to the tactics and strategies implemented by insurance companies, corporations, and defense attorneys. This experience from the other side of the table allows Ben to represent plaintiffs more effectively and obtain the best possible results.

Education

Ben received his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from UCLA. Ben earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Hastings College of Law, where he served as Symposium Editor of the Hastings Law Journal. During law school, Mr. Ikuta made significant contributions to the public sector, providing research and recommendations for the Judicial Council of California and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission.

Publications

• State Bar of California, Labor & Employment Law Review – “California Layoff Basics – Two Perspectives,” Volume 23, #4, July 2009.
• Lawdragon – “Identifying, Avoiding, and Remedying Employee Theft,” July 2009 edition.
• Hastings Law Journal – “Why Binomial Distributions Do Not Work as Proof of Employment Discrimination,” 59 Hastings L.J. 1235 (2008)
• Ohio Northern University Law Review – “Genetically Modified Plants, Patents, and Terminator Technology: The Destruction of the Tradition of Seed Saving,” 35 Ohio N.U.L. Rev. 731 (2009).

Honors

• Southern California Super Lawyers Rising Star (reserved for top 2.5% of attorneys under the age of 40) in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018.

Recent Results

March 23, 2018 - $200,000 recovery after a patient fell at a Senior Mental Health Unit, fracturing her left hip and shoulder.

March 5, 2018: $225,000 recovery surrounding the death of a 66-year old man who bled to death in a hospital.

January 29, 2018: $1,500,000 settlement after physicians at a hospital failed to properly diagnose the patient with adrenal insufficiency, resulting in brain damage.

January 22, 2018: $180,000 recovery in a case where Ben’s clients were rear-ended, suffering back pain and discomfort but no need for surgery.  The case settled after the insurance company increased their offer after hearing Ben’s opening statement in front of the jury. 

December 13, 2017: $2,499,000 settlement involving a slip-and-fall case against an urgent care center resulting in a severe hematoma and brain damage.

December 5, 2017 - $3,000,000 settlement of a baby who was brain damaged at a hospital after a NICU nurse failed to recognize the symptoms of a bacterial infection.

November 21, 2017 - $137,500 result against an HMO due to the failure to diagnose skin cancer, resulting in an unsightly excision. 

November 6, 2017 - $195,000 resolution involving a slip and fall at a Skilled Nursing Facility, resulting in a broken femur.

July 26, 2017 – Trial court award of full ownership of an Orange County home.  Ben’s client was both the defendant and cross-plaintiff in a countersuit involving the purchase of a house in Orange County.  Ben prevailed at a bench trial, obtaining not only a defense award but also prevailed on the cross-complaint for full ownership of the home.   

February 2, 2017: $150,000 recovery in a failure to identify breast cancer in a mammogram against a radiologist.  The case settled after Ben prevailed after the first part of a two-part trial as to whether his client’s case was timely filed.