Sergio Rufo
Attorney Profile
Top Rated Medical Malpractice Attorney in Honolulu, HI
Honolulu, HI 96813
- Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice: Plaintiff (70%),
- Business Litigation (10%),
- Civil Litigation: Plaintiff (10%),
- Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff (10%)
- English,
- French,
- Italian
Attorney Sergio Rufo is the founding member of RUFO LAW in Honolulu, Hawaii. Mr. Rufo has more than 20 years of experience litigating personal injury and medical malpractice matters. His firm focuses on medical malpractice and wrongful death cases. He also handles matters involving recreation accidents, brain/spinal cord injuries, and business litigation. He is licensed in Hawaii, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands ("CNMI"), Guam, and Michigan.
Over the course of his career, Mr. Rufo has served in various roles within the legal industry and has been involved in many significant cases. He opened his own firm dedicated to medical malpractice, wrongful death, and catastrophic injury in 2014.
Mr. Rufo’s accomplishments have earned him an AV Preeminent* peer review rating by Martindale-Hubbell. This is the highest available rating through the organization.
Active in the Hawaii legal community, Mr. Rufo has spoken at various events and donated his time giving back to the community. He has participated as a Judge in mock trial competitions and as an Arbitrator and Mediator for the Hawaii State Judiciary’s Court Annexed Arbitration Program ("CAAP"). He is part of the faculty at the Hawaii State Bar Association responsible for the Trial Academy for young attorneys.
Mr. Rufo is a member of the Hawaii State Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan, the Guam Bar Association, the CNMI Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the American Association for Justice. He is a Barrister in the James S. Burns Aloha Chapter, American Inns of Court IV. He has also be honored to be the MC at several professional functions.
Mr. Rufo holds a Bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario, and a Canadian law degree from the University of Windsor in Windsor, Ontario. He earned his U.S. law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and received a Legal Education Certificate from the Norman Manley Law School in New Kingston, Jamaica, which renders him eligible to practice in the Caribbean.
*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.
Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice (70%): Medical Malpractice, Birth Injury, Informed Consent
Business Litigation (10%)
Civil Litigation (10%)
Personal Injury - General (10%): Personal Injury - Plaintiff, Wrongful Death, Construction Accident, Brain Injury
Medical Malpractice, Birth Injury, Informed Consent, Personal Injury - Plaintiff, Wrongful Death, Construction Accident, Brain Injury
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Super Lawyers: 2017 - 2019
To: Sergio Rufo
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Additional Sources of Information About Sergio Rufo
About Sergio Rufo
Admitted: 2004, Hawaii
Professional Webpage: https://www.rufolawgroup.com/professionals
Honors/Awards:
- Top-10, National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys, 2018
- Top-25, Medical Malpractice Trial Lawyers Association, 2017
- Lifetime Achievement Award, America's Top 100 Attorneys, 2018
- 10-Best, American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys, 2018
- Top-100, National Trial Lawyers Association, 2017
- Top-Rated Lawyer, Super Lawyers, 2017
- AV Rating, Martindale-Hubbell, 2014
Bar/Professional Activity:
- Guam, 1997
- Michigan, 2009
- Hawaii Association for Justice, Member
- Hawaii, 2004
- American Association for Justice, Member
- American Bar Association, Member
- Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 2001
- Court-Annexed Arbitration Program, The Judiciary, State of Hawaii, Arbitrator/Mediator
- HSBA Trial Academy, Faculty
Pro bono/Community Service:
- Friends of Italy Society of Hawaii, Member
- American Inns of Court, James S. Burns Aloha Chapter, Barrister
- HSBA Trial Academy, Faculty
Verdicts/Settlements:
- In a construction defect case regarding a multi-million dollar, mixed-use facility, a favorable settlement was reached after arbitration.
- Rufo Law obtained a $2.5 Million verdict from a Honolulu jury for its client in a case regarding improper management of a stroke patient, resulting in death. A favorable settlement was obtained after trial, 2017
- In a case concerning the tragic death of an adult male tourist while snorkeling, a favorable settlement was reached just prior to trial.
- In a case concerning the death of an adult male tourist as a result of his contracting a rare tropical infectious disease, a favorable settlement was reached after limited discovery.
- In an excessive use of force case against a prominent Hawaii resort resulting in three separate surgeries, a favorable settlement was obtained weeks before trial, 2018
- In a case concerning the tragic death of a construction worker who fell from a height, a favorable settlement was reached after expert reports were exchanged.
- In a "crush" case, a favorable settlement was reached before expert reports were exchanged.
- In a construction defect case concerning twin residential towers, a favorable settlement was reached after several rounds of mediation.
- In a case involving a woman who injured herself as a result of jumping off a ledge near a waterfall while hiking, a favorable settlement was reached after arbitration.
- In a case regarding a newborn who contracted meticillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a favorable settlement was reached after preliminary expert reports were exchanged.
- In a case regarding a newborn deprived of oxygen during birth, a favorable settlement was reached after a plaintiff's verdict at trial.
- In a case of uterine rupture during VBAC (vaginal birth after c-section), resulting in traumatic brain injury, a favorable settlement was reached just prior to trial.
- In a case involving the tragic death of a construction worker as a result of a jobsite accident, a favorable settlement was reached before expert reports were exchanged.
- In a case concerning fraud in the purchase of a restaurant, a favorable settlement was reached prior to engaging in formal discovery
- In a dispute among the members of a dissolving construction company, a favorable settlement was reached before expert reports were exchanged.
- In a case concerning a newborn whose bilirubin levels became elevated, a favorable settlement was reached after expert reports were exchanged.
- In a case regarding a tourist rendered a quadriplegic by a rogue wave, a favorable settlement was reached after expert reports were exchanged.
- In a case regarding the delayed diagnosis of meningitis in a pre-teen, a favorable settlement was reached after limited discovery.
- In a brain injury case against a large Hawaii resort, a favorable settlement was obtained weeks before trial, 2017
- In a catostrophic injury case regarding a construction worker who fell through a skylight, a favorable settlement was reached after limited discovery was conducted.
- In a multi-jurisdictional case involving allegations of greenmail, shareholder misconduct, and breaches of fiduciary duties, a complex settlement was reached following the depositions of key corporate representatives.
Educational Background:
- University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, Detroit, Michigan, 1997
- Temple University, Rome, Italy, Summer Law Program, 1995
- University of Windsor School of Law, Windsor, Ontario, LL.B., 1997
- Norman Manley Law School, New Kingston, Jamaica, Legal Education Certificate (CARICOM), 2004
- University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, B.A., Economics, 1994
Industry Groups
- A) Medical
- B) Tourism
- C) Construction
- D) Business
Sergio Rufo:
Last Updated: 5/22/2019