New York City Personal Injury Lawyer

New York City Personal Injury Lawyer

new york city personal injury lawyer

new york city personal injury lawyer

new york city personal injury lawyer
new york city personal injury lawyer

NYC Personal Injury Law firm, Weitz and Luxenberg – 14 Attorneys Named as … – California Newswire


California Newswire
 

NYC Personal Injury Law firm, Weitz and Luxenberg – 14 Attorneys Named as
California Newswire
NEW YORK, N.Y., Sept. 18, 2015 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Super Lawyers magazine yesterday reported that 14 attorneys from the powerhouse personal injury law firm of Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C., will appear in the prestigious periodical’s 2015 roster …
Top Weitz and Luxenberg Attorneys Named as 2015 ‘Super Lawyers eNewsChannelsall 4 news articles »

 

Fourteen NYC Weitz and Luxenberg Attorneys Named as ‘Super Lawyers’ – Massachusetts Newswire


Massachusetts Newswire
 

Fourteen NYC Weitz and Luxenberg Attorneys Named as ‘Super Lawyers
Massachusetts Newswire
NEW YORK, N.Y., Sept. 18, 2015 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Super Lawyers magazine yesterday reported that 14 attorneys from the powerhouse personal injury law firm of Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C., will appear in the prestigious periodical’s 2015 roster … 

 

Police Brutality Cases Embraced By Personal Injury Attorneys Looking For Big … – International Business Times


International Business Times
 

Police Brutality Cases Embraced By Personal Injury Attorneys Looking For Big
International Business Times
Chris Fitzgerald, an attorney in New York City who focuses on civil rights and personal injury litigation, compared what phone cameras are doing for the justice system and civil rights now to what television did for civil rights in the 1960s, with the  

 

 

Filing a Notice of Claim against a City, Town or Municipal Agency in …

Many of my clients have been injured by through the negligence of municipalities or municipal agencies. As a result, I often receive questions like these:

  • My son was hurt at school. What is the time limit in New York to file a claim for an injury at school?
  • I got hurt on a City bus, how soon do I have to file a claim?
  • A town truck hit me, how much time do I have to sue?
  • I slipped and fell in a City building last year; do I still have time to bring a lawsuit?
  • I think my doctor committed malpractice at a City Hospital, can I bring a lawsuit?

Before you can bring a lawsuit against a town, city or public agency in New York, you must first file a Notice of Claim. Under New York Law, you must file the Notice of Claim within 90 days of the incident. This article discusses the Notice of Claim in New York.

The Notice of Claim gives the municipality or municipal agency 30 days to request a pre-suit hearing (a 50-h hearing) or a pre-suit medical exam. If the municipality or municipal agency requests a pre-suit hearing or medical exam, you cannot file a lawsuit until after the completion of the hearing or medical exam.

The Notice of Claim deadline is in addition to the Statute of Limitations deadlines that exist. All motor vehicle accident, slip and fall, medical malpractice, wrongful death and personal injury cases in New York must be filed within a certain amount of time. That deadline is called the Statute of Limitations (click here to learn more about the Statute of Limitations).

Filing a Notice of Claim in New York: A 90 Day Deadline

New York law gives municipalities and municipal agencies the right to receive a written notice of an incident and the intent to pursue a claim within 90 days of the incident.  This written document is known as the Notice of Claim since you are giving the municipality or the municipal agency a notice that you have a claim.

If you fail to file a Notice of Claim within 90 days, then you lose the right to file a lawsuit.

What are Examples of Who Is Entitled to Receive a Notice of Claim in New York?

Every city, town, village and municipal agency in New York is entitled to a Notice of Claim. Municipalities include entities as large as the City of New York and Yonkers as well as the many small villages that dot Long Island. Some examples of municipal agencies entitled to a Notice of Claim include:

All school districts, including the New York City Board of Education.

  • All public transportation agencies, including the Long Island Railroad, Metro-North, New York City Transit and New York City buses.
  • All public hospitals, including Hospitals operated by the City of New York.
  • All public nursing homes.
  • All public health clinics.
  • All fire departments and fire districts.

What Type of Cases Require Filing a Notice of Claim in New York?

All cases where the defendant would involve a municipality or a municipal agency requires filing a Notice of Claim. Here are some examples:

A car accident where the driver who hit you drove a City-owned, town-owned or public agency vehicle or was on the job working for a City or Town or public agency.

  • A slip and fall at a municipal building, such as the lobby of a town hall.
  • A medical malpractice case where the malpractice occurred at a City or public hospital.
  • A trip and fall at a subway or train station.
  • A motor vehicle accident involving a public bus or public vehicle (e.g. a fire truck or garbage truck).
  • An accident in the subway or on a train.
  • A trip and fall on public property.

Where Do I need to File a Notice of Claim?

Each municipality and municipal agency designates who must receive the Notice of Claim. For example, all Notices of Clams in New York City must be served upon the City Comptroller’s Office. Many municipalities designate the Town Attorney or the Town Clerk as the person who must receive the Notice of Claim. When in doubt, you should contact the municipality or municipal agency and ask.

It is very important to file the Notice of Claim with the appropriate party. Failure to do so will invalidate the filing and could cause you to miss the 90-day deadline.

What Must I Put into the Notice of Claim?

Section 50-e of the General Municipal Law specifies that the Notice of Claim must include the date, time and exact location of the incident. For example, I filed a recent notice with the Port Authority for a client who fell on a stairway. I made sure to specify the exact stairway where she fell. You should also include a brief description of the incident. Your description needs to provide enough information so that the incident can be investigated.

The Notice of Claim must be notarized before submitting it.

I always send the Notice of Claim via certified mail so I have a record that it was delivered on time.

Conclusion on Filing a Notice of Claim

If you have suffered an injury due to the negligence or recklessness of a city, town, village or municipal agency in New York and you want to pursue compensation for damages, you must file a Notice of Claim within 90 days of your accident.

This material is intended for informational uses only. It is not meant as legal advice. To receive legal advice, you should consult an attorney.

Personal Injury Policy Limits – 6 Must Know Tips

Getting a “limits” offer is great. Especially if it comes before filing suit. A lot of time and expense is saved. But there are pitfalls. And you must negotiate them successfully to avoid shooting yourself in the foot. Here are some tips to help you through the process.

1. Verify Coverage

In auto accident cases if your injuries are severe and the at-fault driver had minimal coverage, it is common to receive a “policy limits offer.” In this, the at-fault carrier is offering you the available coverage in exchange for your full and final release of all rights against the at-fault insured.

You can verify that the amount offered is all that is available by examining the declaration page. The “dec page” is a computer printout that lists the coverage of the at-fault driver at the time of the accident.

Even more certain is a “certificate of coverage” which you can request and obtain from the at-fault carrier.

2. Check Availability of Underinsured Motorist Coverage

Once you are satisfied as to the amount of coverage of the at-fault driver you need to examine your own coverage. Did you purchase “underinsured motorist coverage (UIM)?” Hopefully so. The more the better. If you have plenty of UIM coverage then you can skip the next step i.e. obtaining an “asset search.”

3. Perform An Asset Search

If you have no UIM coverage then all you are going to get is what you can from the at-fault driver. An asset search looks at the real estate and cars owned by the at-fault driver. If he was underinsured in comparison to his assets you may want to hire a lawyer to sue him directly. Once you have obtained a judgment you can use it to sell his cars and real estate.

4. Ask For Waiver of Subrogation

Subrogation is the reimbursement an insurance company seeks after paying a claim. It would typically go after the person at-fault or his insurance company. So, if your auto carrier paid your medical bills under MedPay or PIP (personal injury protection) coverage it may be able to collect that money from the at-fault carrier.
If the at-fault carrier pays subrogation, that amount is deducted from the policy limits–thereby reducing the money for you. Ask your own auto carrier to waive its claim for subrogation. If the agree, and they usually will, it means more money in your pocket.

5. Obtain Consent to Settle

If you have UIM coverage you may need to ask for consent from your own auto carrier before you can settle with the at-fault carrier. Check your policy. Failure to get consent could jeopardize your claim.

6. Modify Release (If Needed)

If you are insured with Allstate, for example, and the at-fault driver was also insured with Allstate there is another factor to consider. You will be asked to sign a “Release.” By signing the Release you give up your claim for more money from the at-fault driver.

Some Releases also include the name of the at-fault insurance company. When you sign the Release you give up your claims against Allstate from this particular accident. Unless you modify the Release you could be giving up your UIM claims also.

So read the Release carefully, and, if you haven’t yet consulted with an experienced injury attorney, this would be a good time to do so.

Conclusion

There you go, verify coverage, check for UIM insurance, perform an asset search if needed, get a waiver of subrogation, obtain consent to settle and read the Release. Modify it as needed.

Disclaimer

This article is intended to acquaint you with the issues that arise when handling a policy limits offer in an injury case. For best results seek advice from an experienced injury attorney to help you through the policy limits minefield.

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