Municipal Liability

No Tort Law = Sidewalk Hell (CNY Injury Lawyer Explains . . .)

August 27, 2013 | by Michael Bersani

——————– As my regular readers know, I was in Guatemala for the last few days taking deposition testimony. Why so far away to take testimony? I blogged about that here.

I love Guatemala. Beautiful country, weather and people. But some things are definitely better in the U.S. For example, the sidewalks in Guatemala City are treacherous. How treacherous? Take a look at these photos I took all within a few blocks of my hotel. And that’s the best section of Guatemala City!

Traveling to a country like Guatemala makes me appreciate U.S. “tort laws”, that is, the laws that allow us to sue for money damages if we are injured. These laws are necessary to keep us safe. If the laws are stripped from the books (as “tort reformers” would have it), there is no financial incentive for companies and others to keep things safe.

Central NY Injury Lawyer Invited to Speak to NY Judges about His Recent Article

August 18, 2013 | by Michael Bersani

This Auburn New York personal injury lawyer has a new feather in his cap. I have been invited to speak at a state-wide meeting of New York Court of Claims judges in Cooperstown, NY on September 26. It appears that several judges read my recent article, which recently appeared in the New York Bar Law Journal, on the topic of “governmental immunity”, and want to hear me talk on the subject.

Governmental immunity is hot button topic for New York personal injury lawyers and judges. The “governmental immunity defense” can be raised by any governmental agency that is sued for personal injuries, including the State.

The Court of Appeals (New York’s highest Court) has recently come down with a series of rulings that tilts the playing field of this defense in favor of the government at the expense of victims of the government’s negligence. (That’s what I wrote about). Since Court of Claims judges preside over all personal injury claims brought against the State of New York, it is easy to see why the judges want to hear from me.

Central NY Injury Lawyer’s New Article on Municipal Liabilty

July 12, 2013 | by Michael Bersani

Folks, it’s been a while since I have had the time to blog — been in trial! But now that I am out of trial – and have some breathing space – I wanted to post an article of mine that was recently published in the New York State Bar Association Journal. It’s titled “The Government Function Immunity Defense in Personal Injury Cases in the Post-McLean World”.

This article is for my fellow-lawyer readers. It walks you through the most recent legal requirements for getting past the “governmental immunity defense”, which is often raised when you sue governmental entities such as the State, counties, cities, towns, villages, school districts, etc. I hope this article helps my fellow lawyers navigate the rough seas of municipal liability.

And I will be traveling throughout the State, once again this fall, to present to my fellow lawyers my municipal liability update —- a compendium of new case law on the subject. It will be great to see old friends from all around the State. Hope to see you then!

What’s New in New York Personal Injury Law in the New Year (2013)?

January 1, 2013 | by Michael Bersani

The biggest single change for 2013 in New York personal injury law is, without a doubt, the Uniform Notice of Claim Act, which Governor Cuomo has signed into law on December 20.

It’s a real game changer. Let me explain.

Until now, New York public entities (counties, cities, towns, villages, school districts, public authorities, fire districts, water districts, public libraries, etc.) have enjoyed disseminating a jungle of inconsistent procedural rules and time limits for starting personal injury lawsuits against them.

Lawyers Who Handle Buffalo NY Sidewalk Trip-And-Fall Cases, Take Note!

October 28, 2012 | by Michael Bersani

This blog post is directed to my fellow New York personal injury lawyers who might have trip and fall cases from Buffalo, New York, but also it is worth reading if you have been injured by a defective sidewalk in the City of Buffalo, NY.

As my regular readers know, every year I cull through all the new cases involving “municipal liability” in New York State. I read all the reported decisions regarding lawsuits brought against cities, towns, counties, school districts, the State of New York and other governmental entities in New York. I then summarized the important new cases and travel around the State lecturing other New York personal injury lawyers about the new developments.

This year I noticed a new case from the Appellate Division, Fourth Department dealing with sidewalk defect cases in Buffalo, New York. Before I explain the case, you first have to understand that, in most cities in New York, trip-and-fall-on-sidewalk cases are very difficult because you have to sue the city and you also usually have to show that the city had “prior written notice” of the defect that made you trip and fall. And as a practical matter, there is almost never prior written notice of such defects because nobody goes around writing the City about sidewalk defects. At most, they might make a telephone call, but that is not enough to trigger liability for future falls; it must be prior written notice.

Central NY Injury Lawyer Goes On Tour!

September 12, 2012 | by Michael Bersani

I am going on tour again this fall. Tickets are still available to catch my show. Email me and I’ll make sure you get in. My itinerary? Buffalo, Rochester, Albany, Syracuse and New York.

Bruce Springsteen performed in all those places. But unlike Bruce, when I am done with my gig, I really don’t expect to see any lighters flick on.

No, no, I am not a rock n’ roll star like Bruce. Rather, I’m just a humble New York personal injury attorney dashing around the State to fill other New York accident lawyers in on the newest developments in “New York Municipal Liability” law.

Central And Syracuse NY Wrongful Death Lawyer’s Firefighter Case Finally Settles

June 4, 2012 | by Michael Bersani

Just before jury selection a few months ago, I tentatively settled a complex Syracuse New York wrongful death case I was about to try. For the settlement to be final, we needed Onondaga County’s legislature to approve it, and several layers of workers’ compensation approval, too. We finally got the last stamp of approval last week.

The case, which has bounced its way through the court system for more than 8 years, and went up on appeal twice, generated a lot of press, not only locally, but nationally, especially in firefighter publications. It is believed to be the only case where a court has ruled that a firefighter, and his or her employer, can be held liable for negligently issuing firefighting instructions or orders that end up killing or injuring another firefighter.

Yes, I am proud of this win. It took years of hard work, innovative legal arguments, the scaling of the high and thorny firefighter “red wall of silence”, untold hours of preparation (ask my wife and kids!) and, of course, a large dose good luck, too. This blog post is a kind of “scrape book” for the case, and that’s why I am listing below a few of the headlines this case generated over the years (you can read the full articles by clicking the headlines):

Central New York Injury Lawyer Discusses Penn State Sexual Abuse Lawsuits

November 12, 2011 | by Michael Bersani

Like everyone else, I have been following the “Happy Valley” Penn State child sexual assault scandal with disgust, awe, shock and dismay. But unlike everyone else, I am also thinking, as I read, who I would sue, for how much, and under what legal theories.

Although I am admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania, I have never handled a case there. My practice is limited to New York personal injury cases, and particularly to cases in Central and Western New York State. So I was surprised to read that some PA lawyers saw obstacles under Pennsylvania law to a lawsuit against Penn State because of the doctrine of “sovereign immunity”. Penn State would, of course, be the principle target of my lawsuit because of its deep pockets. The lawsuits brought against the rapist/sexual predator, Sandusky, or any of the individual coaches, such as Joe Paterno, would quickly deplete all their assets, leaving the plaintiffs under-compensated. There are at least eight victims, and probably a lot more will be stepping forward, which in my mind equates to many, many millions of dollars in lawsuit recovery.

In New York, a suit against a State University for something like this would not trigger a viable sovereign or governmental immunity defense. That’s because New York law distinguishes between the State’s traditional governmental role (such as providing police protection) and non-traditional roles the State has assumed over time, such as owning and running a university. Generally, the State can raise the governmental immunity defense only against tort lawsuits for the former, not the latter.

New York Personal Injury Lawyer Finishes Year’s Review Of New Cases Involving New York Governmental And Municipal Liability

August 22, 2011 | by Michael Bersani

Finally, I’m done! I have finished preparing my 2010-2011 review of all New York State municipal and government liability cases. I am ready to go “on tour” around the State educating other New York personal injury lawyers about the new case law on suing New York State, cities, counties, villages, towns, school districts, public authorities, and other governmental entities for personal injuries. I started this project back in early July, and just now finished. This is my fourth consecutive year preparing the case review. I can say, without exaggeration, that I am probably the only New York personal injury lawyer, or even the only lawyer — or the only person — to have read almost every New York case on governmental liability for personal injuries for the last four years!

Why is that such a big deal? Well, it really isn’t – except for one thing: It gives me an edge on analyzing and preparing New York personal injury cases against New York State and its cities, counties, villages, towns, school districts, public authorities, and other such entities.

When I was in college, a professor once defined a “generalist” as someone who knew nothing about everything, and a “specialist” as someone who knew everything about nothing. Well, I guess I am a “specialist” in the very narrow field of New York governmental and municipal liability. Fortunately, I also know quite a bit about other areas of New York injury law, including New York car accidents, construction injuries, defective product cases, just to name a few. I guess that makes me a “generalist”, too. Bottom line: I am a generalist and a specialist! But I haven’t quite figured out whether that makes me a generalized specialist or a specialized generalist . . .

Central New York Injury Lawyer’s Blogging Gives Way To Preparing New York State Personal Injury Lecture

August 14, 2011 | by Michael Bersani

I haven’t had much time for blogging and I am sure that my many thousands (yea right!) of dedicated readers are wondering why.

Wonder no longer. Instead of blogging, I have been working on my review of this year’s New York case law regarding New York municipal and governmental liability. Every year I review and summarize new cases in this area of law for my fellow New York personal injury lawyers. Then, in the fall, I travel around the State (to Manhattan, Queens, Albany, Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo) lecturing my fellow New York personal injury lawyers on the new developments in this area.

Some of you might be asking, “what is municipal and governmental liability“? Glad you asked.