I’ve been settling my New York personal injury cases here in the Syracuse area for what some of my colleagues see as larger than normal numbers. It seems I don’t have to try as many cases these days because the insurance carriers want to pay me to go away before…
As a New York personal injury lawyer (serving mostly the Syracuse and Central New York areas), I have pretty strong opinions about so-called “tort reform” (which we personal injury lawyers call “tort deform”): I’m against it. Generally, tort reform is just a power-play by big business, the chamber of commerce…
What 3 things do Bill O’Reilly, Roger Ailes, Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein all have in common? Answer: They are (1) rich (2) powerful (3) sex offenders. Some might want to add Donald Trump or Bill Clinton to the list, but let’s stay clear of politics. The truth is that…
Fraternity hazing stories are legendary for their outrageous silliness and, unfortunately, their sometimes tragic outcomes. Pledges are sometimes required to consume large quantities of alcohol, do embarrassing and humiliating things in public, face harsh deprivations, weather inclemency, or paddle beatings. This topic is of interest to me now that my…
A new case demonstrates how tough it is to sue for kids’ sports injuries. Normally a participant in a sport – even a child – assumes the risks inherent in the sport and therefore can’t sue to recover for injuries. There are some exceptions to the rule. For example, You…
The Syracuse Post Standard published a story today titled, “How the city of Syracuse hired a registered sex offender“. When I first glanced at the title, I thought — “hmm, there could be some liability here”. I was thinking that perhaps the City had unwittingly hired a registered sex offender…
Yesterday I blogged about whether a “governmental immunity ” or “sovereign immunity” defense would bar a claim by child sex abuse victims against the State University of New York (“SUNY”) if something like what happened at Penn State (State university football coach sexually abuses children on campus) happened in New…
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…
In New York State, schools are legally responsible for preventing their students, at least while they are at school, from harming each other. This includes preventing school injuries caused by horseplay and avoidable accidents, but also intentional harm students might inflict on each other through assaults, harassment or bullying. School…
Yesterday, as I have done just about every Wednesday this winter (and for the past few winters), I took a van full of Boys & Girls Club kids to the Geneva, New York municipal ice rink for a skate. I pick them up at the Boys & Girls Club of…