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Verdicts and Settlements

Discover some of our impressive verdicts and settlements, demonstrating our legal team’s expertise and achievements. With a track record of significant recoveries from settlements and verdicts, our experienced lawyers prioritize client needs for exceptional outcomes. We welcome the opportunity to evaluate your case’s merits and value and discuss how we can best represent your interests. Please reach out to one of our knowledgeable attorneys promptly by clicking here to Contact Us. For more information on any particular case below, kindly click on the corresponding settlement amount.

Some of Our Verdicts and Settlements Reached on Behalf of Injured Individuals

In Brooklyn, a devastating collision between a negligently turning private garbage truck and a high-speed BMW resulted in the wrongful death of a 22-year-old construction laborer, who was a seat-belted passenger. Left behind were his fiance and a 9-year-old daughter. The deceased experienced approximately 2 seconds of pre-impact terror and endured 10-18 minutes of conscious pain and suffering. In the aftermath, claims were filed to seek compensation for lost earnings, the profound loss of parental guidance for the young daughter, the deprivation of inheritance, and the void in household services left by the deceased. Following a challenging 19-day trial, the matter was settled for $4,050,000.

A 68-year-old, retired security guard suffered a foot burn following cardiac surgery. The contraindicated compression device placed on his foot in the Hospital caused blisters, burns, and tears to his skin which worsened, requiring skin grafts. Additional complications led to surgery eight times. A verdict for medical malpractice causing pain and suffering was rendered by a Bronx jury for $3,500,000.

A college teacher aged 73, was injured when a distracted MTA mini-bus driver rear-ended her vehicle on the Verrazano Bridge. This set off a chain collision with two other vehicles in front of her. She sustained a fracture of the transverse processes in her neck and was compensated $450,000. We previously established, as a matter of law, the negligence of MTA and our client’s freedom from any negligence in a successful motion for summary judgment.  A global settlement was reached in Kings County, Supreme Court with all Defendants including the MTA just before jury selection commenced for $2,225,000.

A 28-year-old warehouse worker was injured in a motor vehicle accident while a back-seat passenger in a taxi cab that was struck broadside by a speeding truck. Injuries included a fracture of the right arm and 50% hearing loss. A total damages award was rendered after a Bronx trial for $1,900,000.

A 17-year-old student was nearly crushed and suffocated to death in a crowded stairwell of a gymnasium alongside her best friend who died along with nine other wrongful death victims. The tragedy occurred while they were attending an oversold rap show organized, promoted, supervised, and managed by Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs. Her injuries included post-traumatic stress syndrome, the onset of Graves Disease, and fear of death while trapped in the stairwell for nearly fifteen minutes. A Court of Claims Judge ruled after a trial that Mr. Combs was legally responsible for causing the deaths and injuries by deciding to close the gym’s stairwell doors sealing the victims’ fates. Please go to our “Firm in the News” section to view some of the print media coverage of this tragic case. The case settled in favor of our client during jury selection in a companion trial in the New York County Supreme Court. The significant amount is subject to a confidentiality agreement at the request of Defendant Sean Combs.

In Brooklyn, a four-month-old infant was mistakenly given an adult heart medication instead of a simple antibiotic. The pharmacist filled an illegible prescription, leading to the wrong medicine being administered by nurses on duty four times over twelve hours. The child suffered near-fatal convulsions, resulting in permanent nervous system damage and brain injury. A medical malpractice suit was filed in Kings County Supreme Court, and the parties reached a substantial settlement just before jury selection. The award amount is subject to a confidentiality agreement upon the request of Defendant New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation.

A three-year-old Brooklyn girl suffered two-foot fractures when a decrepit, unbalanced, 170-pound steel radiator toppled over onto her foot. Prior to this premises accident, the landlord had been warned the radiator nearly tipped on another eight-year-old child. The landlord decided to repair the problem by having an unlicensed handyman insert wood blocks under the dilapidated radiator instead of replacing the radiator, rusted piping, and the rotted wood floor below it. The matter was settled with the company insuring the building after depositions were conducted for $775,000.

A 58-year-old Brooklyn cook died from infection after a New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation surgeon left part of a stethoscope inside the suture line of his stomach after weight loss surgery. The medical negligence case, which was filed in Brooklyn, was resolved by a settlement before depositions for $675,000.

A physical therapist in her early 50s fell when pushing open the outer door of a restaurant leading to steps, which contained too much tension and were missing the door handle and side handrails. Plaintiff’s counsel proved at trial that because of a number of previous incidents when patrons attempting to leave dropped food and drinks while turning the outer door handle, the owner further created a dangerous condition by then removing the entire handle and latch. Plaintiff testified when she began to fall, she had no door handle or handrails present to catch her fall. An expert architect testified that seven building code violations contributed to the incident. After the fall, she was writhing in pain for some period until assistance came having suffered a trimalleolar ankle fracture requiring an open reduction surgery with hardware placement. A second surgery was needed approximately six months later to remove the hardware. There was no loss of income claims. A surveillance video of the entire fall was intentionally destroyed by the owner. The Putnam County jury found 100% in favor of Plaintiff after deliberating for only 15 minutes. The case was then settled with the insurance company insuring the restaurant business and the defendant owner for $625,000.

A 25-year-old pregnant woman from Westchester had a sonogram in her final week showing a baby weighing over 10 lbs. with a large head. During delivery, there were complications with meconium staining and fetal distress. Despite the parents’ requests, the doctor didn’t perform a Cesarean section. The baby’s head got stuck in the birth canal for ten minutes, requiring emergency resuscitation. An expert OBGYN reported negligence in handling the delivery, resulting in mild Erb’s Palsy for the baby, requiring extensive physical therapy. A medical malpractice case was filed in Westchester, and a $600,000 settlement was reached with the doctor’s insurance carrier after depositions.

A 50-year-old, Bronx housekeeper was injured in a NYCHA building when a defective trash compactor door slammed abruptly on her hand as she placed the trash in the bin. In spite of prior complaints and injuries to others, the door was not repaired by the building’s superintendent. Her injuries included a broken hand requiring surgery and a permanent 20% loss of use as determined by the Workers’ Compensation Board. Jurors serving in The Bronx awarded our client a total damages verdict against NYCHA for $598,500.

At 72 years old during the trial, the plaintiff trips over a 200 lbs. metal curb piece near her residence after leaving a cab. The fall leads to an internal knee derangement and a meniscal tear, requiring arthroscopic surgery. The plaintiff claims that the treatment was inadequate and later necessitates knee replacement surgery. The city’s motions to dismiss are unsuccessful, and the case eventually settles for $550,000.

A 40-year-old safety consultant visiting from Texas was struck by a car as he was walking on West 58th Street, in Manhattan as he crossed Eighth Avenue with the walk signal in his favor. Our client was hit in his right leg by a vehicle operated by a distracted driver. He was taken by ambulance to an emergency room where X-rays revealed a fractured leg. He also sustained a herniated disc to his back stemming from a subsequent physical therapy session for rehabilitation of his broken leg. The case was tried in New York County and a favorable settlement was reached with the company insuring the driver after three days of trial for $550,000.

A 5-year-old, Manhattan girl was burned over 30% of her body including keloid scarring. The child accidentally turned on the bathtub faucet which supplied hot water that was 60 degrees hotter than the legal limit. Tenants had previously complained to the superintendent about the abnormally hot water weeks before the dangerous property accident, yet no correction was made. A New York City Fire Marshall at the scene confirmed the building’s boiler was improperly set at the wrong temperature generating overly hot water in violation of the NYC Building Code. We were able to arrive at a settlement with the company insuring the landlord during jury selection in Supreme Court, New York County for $460,000.

A 73-year-old Brooklyn school teacher was hurt in a multiple-car collision when her car was struck in the rear by an NYC MTA “Access-a-Ride” bus on the Verrazzano Bridge. She sustained two neck transverse process fractures. A Judge awarded her summary judgment against the NYC MTA finding their driver fully liable and also determining that our client was absolutely blameless for the happening of this incident. Our client’s case was settled just prior to jury selection in Kings County Supreme Court for $450,000.

A 38-year-old teacher from The Bronx suffered herniated neck and back discs with some knee and shoulder complications as a result of an auto accident at an intersection controlled by a traffic signal. The collision was caused when the other driver sped through a red light striking the teacher’s SUV as she was proceeding through the intersection. Our client’s vehicle was spun around and collided with a tree. The parties negotiated a pretrial settlement in The Bronx after depositions were held in which the other driver’s insurer agreed to pay $400,000.

A 37-year-old, Queens bankruptcy investigator was injured while a passenger in an overturned bus. The driver turned an icy curve on a mountain road at an excessive rate of speed in upstate New York. Our client sustained a torn rotator cuff requiring arthroscopic surgery to her shoulder. She also suffered an aggravation of a preexisting cranial malformation necessitating corrective surgery. The case settled with the carrier for the bus company in the Federal Court for the Eastern District for $400,000.

A 19-year-old waitress was scalded by dangerously hot water from a defective water heater in a restaurant in Manhattan. She received second-degree burns on over 18% of her body. The same type of water heater had been the subject of a number of suits across the country. The product liability action was settled in the New York County Supreme Court just before trial for $390,000.

A 69-year-old bank manager was badly hurt when she fell over a concrete sidewalk flagstone that had been protruding three inches above the grade for years. The Department of Transportation had been warned by the Big Apple Pothole Corporation of the problem in writing well before the incident. No repairs were ever undertaken by the City. The injured woman had fallen and struck her head on the concrete sidewalk resulting in permanently blurry vision in one eye. The case settled for $300,000 during the selection of the Brooklyn jury.

In his 30s, a Brooklyn man slipped and fell down seven stairs, leading to a SLAP tear in his shoulder. He underwent arthroscopic surgery, but the injury resulted in permanent pain and limitations from bursitis. The slip and fall incident was caused by excessive water on the stairway due to a building employee using a broken wringer on an industrial mop and failing to put up a wet-floor warning sign. The owners also neglected to provide handrails on both sides of the stairway. The case was settled with the insurance company for the building’s owner in Kings County Supreme Court (Brooklyn) after jury selection but before opening statements for $300,000.

A 44-year-old, New Jersey man hurt his back, suffering a single herniated disc, in a hit-and-run motor vehicle collision. A fire truck, without any lights or sirens on, sped through a red light, struck the car in which he was a passenger, and fled the scene. The case, which was filed in The Bronx County Supreme Court, was settled for $295,000.

A 42-year-old, independent truck driver, was driving his tractor-trailer on I-81 north in New York. Suddenly a large piece of steel from the flatbed of a tractor-trailer in front of him fell into the roadway, causing him to swerve off the roadway, jackknife, and hit an embankment. He sustained injuries to his back and neck including herniated discs. His injuries were confirmed by EMG and MRI testing. Evidence obtained indicated that the negligent trucker was cited for two counts of improper cargo securing after an examiner for the New York State Department of Transportation performed an inspection of his tractor-trailer. The defendant pleaded guilty to those charges. Upon the conclusion of depositions, the case, filed in The Bronx, settled with the company insuring the trucking company and its driver for $286,000. 

A nurse’s aide at a nursing home slipped and fell on the floor while responding to an emergency call from a patient. The maintenance workers waxing the floor failed to leave a safe path for the nurses to reach patients and did not post any warning signs. The Bronx woman’s injuries included a fractured wrist which did not require surgery resulting in a Workers’ Compensation Board finding of a 17% permanent loss of use of her dominant hand. We settled the suit with the insurance company for the building just before jury selection in The Bronx County Supreme Court for $180,000.

BUSINESS-RELATED SETTLEMENTS AND VERDICTS

While representing the minority shareholders selling stock in their Corporation, we fended off litigation challenges from the majority shareholders and an unlawful assignee so that the stock transfer could close. The minority share was valued at approximately $4,000,000.

A General Contractor recovered losses from the NYC School Construction Authority for the delay in the construction of a new $25,000,000 school in Brooklyn, New York. The Authority failed to obtain needed permits from the NYC Department of Buildings for nearly a year. The case, which was filed in the Kings County Supreme Court, settled before depositions began for $1,250,000.

Our firm successfully defended a General Contractor in a multi-million dollar breach of contract claim brought on by a concrete subcontractor. The case was resolved after 20 separate hearing dates before an American Arbitration Association mediator in Manhattan. The General Contractor was found to have not breached the construction contract with the concrete subcontractor and was further awarded $127,000 on their counterclaim against the subcontractor.

Peter DeFilippis & Associates collected unpaid franchise fees on behalf of Servistar, a national hardware chain, by commencing actions in the Kings, Queens, and New York County Supreme Courts. Servistar recovered over $500,000 in outstanding debts.

Homeowners brought a suit against a Contractor for building their new home on substandard soil. The home began to significantly shift upon completion. This action was settled just prior to jury selection in the Westchester County Supreme Court with our clients obtaining $300,000.

A husband and wife were defrauded out of their investments by a sham mortgage investment company. We litigated on their behalf and they recovered their full investment in a liquidation settlement in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the sum of $250,000.

Our firm represented Bellmarc Realty, one of Manhattan’s largest commercial real estate brokerage firms, for many years and successfully processed and settled over 40 of their breach of contract cases, many of which were brought to favorable jury verdicts.