Is it MICRA (Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act)?

Benjamin T. Ikuta is a trial attorney who has been licensed in California since 2008. Ben focuses on cases of medical malpractice, elder abuse, and personal injury. Ben is a preeminent attorney in prosecuting medical malpractice actions who has tried multiple cases to verdict. He has presented and been published many times on medical malpractice issues.

Ben handles complex medical malpractice actions, typically involving serious injury or death. Since 2016, Ben has secured ten 7-figure settlements and fifty-eight 6-figure settlements. He has multiple plaintiff-side jury verdicts in medical malpractice actions. In total, since late 2016, Ben has recovered over $45,000,000 on behalf of clients.

Specifically, Ben has successfully litigated and handled many birth injury cases, including cases of delay in delivery that resulted in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, acidosis/acidemia, Erb’s palsy, and/or death. Ben has litigated cases in the delay in diagnosis or reporting of lymphoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, basal cell carcinoma, and other types of cancer. Ben has also handled cases involving allegations of elder abuse and dependent adult abuse based on neglect leading to the development of decubitus ulcers, falls, or physical and/or sexual abuse by other residents.

Michelle Buxton Hemesath’s practice is focused on representing injured victims and their families. She formed Ikuta Hemesath, LLP in April of 2022 with law partner, Ben Ikuta.

She began her career representing healthcare providers and learned from some of the best defense attorneys on the West Coast. During this time, Michelle. gained invaluable experience and intimate knowledge of how insurance companies handle lawsuits, how to best position a case for trial, and how to wade through complex medical issues.

Michelle treats every case as if its going to trial. Michelle stoutly believes that the only way to obtain maximum recovery in a settlement is for the defense firm and insurance carrier to know that she is willing and able to try cases.

Rachael Kogen is a Partner at Fraser, Watson & Croutch and joined the firm in 2009. Her practice focuses on the defense of healthcare institutions and healthcare providers in complex medical malpractice and elder abuse litigation.

Ms. Kogen is a member of the Beverly Hills Bar Association Board of Governors. She is the 2025 Chair of the Executive Committee for the BHBA Litigation Section. She is an active member of LACBA President’s Advisory Committee on Women in the Legal Profession and several other bar associations in Southern California. Ms. Kogen was the 2020 and 2021 President of the Southeast District Bar Association of Los Angeles County (SEDBA).