CITY OF OAKLAND
ONE FRANK H. OGAWA PLAZA • 6 TH FLOOR • OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA 94612 Office of the City Attorney
Ryan Richardson
City Attorney
FAX:
TDD:
(510) 238-3601
(510) 238-6500
(510) 839-6451
September 15, 2026
HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
Oakland, California
Subject: Estate of Decedent Lolomania Soakai, Lavinia Soakai, an individual and personal representative of the Estate, Daniel Fifita, Samieuela Finau, and Ina Lavalu v. City of Oakland, Walid Abdelaziz, and Jimmy Marin-Coronel
Case No. 23-CV-00381 SK
City Attorney File No. 35345
(Police Department – Unauthorized Pursuit)
President Jenkins and Members of the City Council:
Pursuant to Section 401 of the Charter, the City Attorney has prepared and requests your approval of a resolution authorizing compromise and settlement of the above-entitled lawsuit through payment by the City in the amount of seventeen million dollars and no cents ($17,000,000.00) to the plaintiffs and their attorneys.
This case arose from an unauthorized pursuit by two former Oakland Police Department officers, Walid Abdelaziz and Jimmy Marin-Coronel, of Arnold Linaldi, who in the early morning hours of June 26, 2022 was doing “donuts” and driving erratically on International Boulevard.
Linaldi drove off at high speed, followed by the officers, and crashed into a group of people at the intersection of Inte rnational and 54th Avenue. The crash killed Lolomania Soakai, and injured plaintiffs Lavinia Soakai (Lolomania Soakai’s mother), Daniel Fifita, Samieuela Finau, and Ina Lavalu. Immediately after the crash Abdelaziz and Marin-Coronel made inappropriate remarks, left the scene, returned later, and attempted to obscure their involvement in the events leading to the crash.
The plaintiffs sued the City, Abdelaziz, and Marin-Coronel, seeking to recover monetary damages for their injuries and other harms. The City was subsequently dismissed as a defendant.
The City has determined that, without admitting liability and to avoid further litigation, it is in the City’s best interests to settle the claims against Abdelaziz and Marin-Coronel. The City is self- insured up to $5 million, with coverage from its excess risk pool PRISM for the remainder of the settlement.
HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
September 15, 2026
Subject: Estate of Decedent Lolomania Soakai, Lavinia Soakai, an individual and personal representative of the Estate, Daniel Fifita, Samieuela Finau, and Ina Lavalu v. City of Oakland, Walid Abdelaziz, and Jimmy Marin-Coronel
3481322v1
The City Council authorized payment of up to $17,000,000.00 in settlement of this case in Closed Session on Thursday, July 9, 2026 (moved by Councilmember Noel Gallo and seconded by Councilmember Zac Unger - 5 Ayes, 0 Noes, 3 Absent – Councilmembers Carroll Fife, Janani Ramachandran, and Ken Houston).
Respectfully submitted,
RYAN RICHARDSON
City Attorney
Assigned Attorney:
Kevin P. McLaughlin
Christina Lum
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