Verdicts & Settlements

As experienced New York City Personal Injury Lawyers, we have successfully recovered millions of dollars for our clients and have handled hundreds of complex personal injury, products liability and medical malpractice cases. The following is a brief list of some of our cases:

$1.5 million Jury Verdict in the Bronx for 44 year old Board Certified Pediatrician who was caused to fall on a NYCTA Bus when the driver suddenly, violently, and without warning accelerated the bus. The plaintiff was holding onto a vertical pole with her right dominant hand as the bus took off from a fully stopped position. The incident was witnessed by another passenger who corroborated plaintiff's version of events. The incident was unreported as the bus operator did not respond to the plaintiff even though she remained laying on the floor in the middle of the bus just 6-7 feet behind the operator's seat for 5 minutes. The Transit Authority produced a bus operator from the same bus route who testified that there is no way a Hybrid bus could suddenly and violently accelerate. The operator claimed that the Hybrid bus has a special device which prevents it from suddenly accelerating. But on cross examination, the bus operator admitted that the device did not exist at the time of plaintiff's incident, but that it was added on afterward due to sudden acceleration complaints. The plaintiff sustained a torn meniscus and underwent arthroscopic surgery. Plaintiff's treating doctor, who was also the chief surgeon for the NY Yankees, told the jury that the plaintiff will need future knee replacement surgery. The jury found the NYCTA 100% liable, that all of plaintiff's injuries were caused from the accident, and that the plaintiff would need future medical care.

$1,700,000 Mediated settlement in Manhattan for Jeffrey, a 63 year old emergency evacuation executive who was caused to trip and fall on a protruding step. The step was 38 inches long and 6 inches high and was located on the front entrance to a 200 year old landmarked building in the West Village in Manhattan. Jeffrey was unable to see the step because it was visually obscured by the shadows cast from the property and because the step was the same color as the surrounding sidewalk. Jeffrey had come to New York to walk his daughter down the aisle at her wedding which was the same day of his accident. Jeffrey never attended his daughter's wedding, but instead was admitted to the hospital where he underwent right shoulder replacement surgery. Jeffrey suffered multiple broken bones, crushed nerves, and was found by defendant's doctors to have multiple permanent injuries. As a result of the accident, Jeffrey was unable to return to work, required future medical care, and was found to be permanently disabled. The building owner claimed that nothing was wrong with the step, no one ever sued them for it, and that the step was an open and obvious condition which countless people walk over, and around everyday. The case was initially mediated with an independent mediator which helped initiate settlement discussions. However, it wasn't until after we successfully obtained a favorable ruling from the court, which found that the step violated the New York City Building Code, that this New York City Trip and Fall Accident Case was settled by a court appointed mediator for a seven figure sum.

$1.2 million settlement in Staten Island for a 51 years old women who presented to her ob/gyn with complaints of pain and a vulva lesion. The doctor failed to perform a biopsy of the lesion and misdiagnosed her condition as a yeast infection. During the litigation we discovered that the doctor was only working part-time, was semi-retired from the medical practice, and on disability due his own lower back injuries at the time of his treatment of the women. The women's vulva lesion was diagnosed as cancer seven months later, and it grew, and spread to other parts of her genitalia and her lymph nodes. She required a radical vulvectomy (removal of her vulva), an unnecessary radiation treatment to her genitalia, and future reconstructive surgery. She also lost her best chances of survival as her cancer staging and prognosis worsened due to the delay. This New York City medical malpractice case was settled before jury selection.

$1.3 million Jury Verdict in Nassau County where a 54 year old women rear ended in a Van Collision sustained upper back, lower back and knee injuries. The jury returned a verdict during the summer on a Friday afternoon and found in favor of the women on the issue of causation and a serious injury under the No Fault law in 20 minutes. The jury then went back out and awarded the women $1,324,500.00. The insurance company offered the women $5,000 before the jury went out to deliberate. This New York car accident case was settled for an undisclosed sum.

Have you been in an accident and need a New York City personal injury attorney? New York City Trip and Fall Accident Lawyer Michael Gunzburg, P.C. can help you. Contact us first. Email or call us today!

$250,000 settlement for 18 year African American Male when two police officers forced him to the ground and repeatedly struck him in the face and nose while he was lying on his stomach with his hands handcuffed behind his back. As a result of the incident, he was unlawfully arrested and incarcerated, sustained multiple comminuted broken bones to his nose which required surgical repair and future plastic surgery to correct the permanent deformities. This case involved police brutality, excessive force and false arrest claims and was settled before trial.

$2.3 million Jury Verdict in New York County when 33 year old man slipped and fell on a wet soapy swirl that was created by maintenance cleaner at the JFK International Airport's Air Train walkway. The cleaner created the wet soapy swirl with his auto scrubbing cleaning machine and then failed to put out the required caution signs. A Port Authority police officer responded to the incident and prepared a written report which confirmed plaintiff's version of events. Plaintiff was an owner/operator of UPS stores and made no lost wage claim. Defense counsel told the jury that his clients were not liable as they did no cleaning and everything was subcontracted to another subcontractor. The jury found defendants 100% liable with no liability against the plaintiff. The plaintiff suffered multiple broken bones of the knee cap which required three complex open surgeries at New York Presbyterian Hospital with screws and wires and many physical therapy treatments. Plaintiff's surgeon also told the jury that the plaintiff required multiple future knee replacement surgeries which involved knee amputations, had a broken and significantly diminished in size knee cap which was located on the right lateral side of his knee (out of his natural joint location), that he lost all cartilage, and that he had permanent arthritis in the knee joint. The jury decided all questions of liability and damages in favor of the plaintiff. On the issue of damages the jury was unanimous except for juror #1 who wanted to award the plaintiff more than $2.3 million. All post trial motions by defense were denied by the Court. This New York City Slip and Fall Accident case was settled after the verdict for an undisclosed sum.

$20 million structured settlement on behalf of a family and their infant child who was born brain damaged with Cerebral Palsy when their NYC doctor botched the delivery. Have you been in the victim of medical malpractice and need a New York City medical malpractice Lawyer? New York City medical malpractice Lawyer Michael Gunzburg, P.C. can help you. Contact us first. Email or call use today!

$4.5 million personal injury settlement during trial for a construction worker who fell 20 feet off a cross beam when his employer failed to provide him with any safety devices and resulted in crush injuries to his hands, back and feet.

$2.5 million during trial for a 31-year old ironworker who fell 6-8 feet from the 7th floor at 5 Times Square and was saved by his safety harness but sustained traumatic injuries to his head, ears, neck, and lower back when the developer and general contractor failed to provide him with the proper safety equipment. As a result, the ironworker suffered a brain injury, multiple herniated discs, perilymphatic fistulas in both ears, reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome, and was ultimately unable to return to work.

Have you been in a New York City Construction Accident and need a New York City construction accident Lawyer? New York City Trip and Fall Accident Lawyer Michael Gunzburg, P.C. can help you. Contact us first. Email or call us today!

$2.3 million Jury verdict for a 45-year-old Queens County woman after two physicians employed at Elmhurst Medical Center failed to diagnose a large and obvious mass on her left breast as breast cancer. The primary care physician failed to indicate in his radiological referral form that the women had a large palpable mass on her left breast. The initial reading radiologist interpreted the mammogram films as a general screening examination, and never bothered to look at the mass. The second reading radiologist failed to document his physical examination of the women, and also never looked at the mass on the films despite its obvious physical presence and appearance on the films. The defense trial attorney refused to put the second radiologist on the witness stand, because they claimed he was too ill, even though he was working at the hospital three days a week. This New York City medical malpractice case was eventually settled post verdict for an undisclosed sum.

$1.9 million settlement after jury selection for 32 year old newlywed women who became pregnant with breast cancer when her family doctor gave her false assurances. The women presented to her doctor with a lump she could feel in her breast, and the doctor confirmed the presence of the palpable lump. The family physician never told the radiologists about the palpable lump and the radiologists performed the wrong tests and never examined the lump. The radiologists' final report told the doctor and the women that she had "benign findings" and "no evidence of cancer." Soon thereafter, the women had a planned pregnancy with her first child and at 5 months pregnant the lump was found to contain breast cancer. As a result, she underwent a mastectomy and removal of her entire breast while 7th months pregnant, her hormones during pregnancy caused her tumor to grow, the cancer to spread to her lymph nodes, and she lost her best chance for survival. The doctor was negligent for not communicating her findings to the radiologists, failing to follow up even in the face of negative reports, and for failing to get a biopsy of the women's palpable breast lump or refer her to a breast specialist. According to the experts "the lump is breast cancer until proven otherwise."

$1.5 million pre-trial settlement for a 33 year breastfeeding mother of two young children and her husband, a diplomat to the United Nations, when an experienced breast surgeon failed to biopsy a palpable right breast mass because he mistakenly thought it was attributed to normal lactational changes. Has your cancer been misdiagnosed? Do you need a New York City Cancer Lawyer? New York City cancer lawyer Michael Gunzburg, P.C. can help you. Contact us first. Email or call use today!

$1.3 million personal injury settlement for an 18-year-old motorcycle rider when he was struck by a car making a left-hand turn, resulting in a below-the-knee amputation of his left leg.

$1.025 million Jury Verdict in New York County in favor of a 29 year old bicyclist who was almost crushed by a New York City Transit Authority Bus. The court found the Transit Authority 100% liable for all of plaintiff's injuries when the Bus operator failed to slow his vehicle down or sound his horn. The bus made no physical contact with the bicycle. The incident took place in front of the main branch of the N.Y. Public Library on 5th Avenue and 40th Street. The NYCTA appealed the liability decision to the Appellate Division, First Department and lost. At a damages only trial, the jury heard of plaintiff's broken bone injuries to his right dominant forearm which required open surgery with the insertion of permanent plates and screws, and his need for an additional surgery to remove the hardware. The bicyclist also made a future lost wage claim as he was unable to work as a web designer due to his injuries. The jury rejected defendant's ergonomics consultant who told the jury that the plaintiff could continue to work full time as a web designer with the use of readily available over the counter voice recognition software. The jury's decision was unanimous on all issues in favor of the plaintiff. The NYC Transit Authority expressed their desire to appeal.

$1.0 million trial settlement in Orange County, New York. This case involved a 20 year old cadet at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York and who played as an offensive linesman on the Varsity Football Team. The cadet was a front seat passenger in a Chevy Blazer and seat belted. The driver of his vehicle lost control over the Chevy as he was speeding down a sharp curve in the rain and slid out onto the first lane of moving traffic on I-84. A Roehl Transport tractor trailer which weighted 80,000 pounds and was carrying heavy steel coils moving at 55 mph in 10th gear crushed the Chevy. The impact forces decimated the vehicle and ripped and tore at the cadet's body such that he sustained multiple injuries. His seat belt forced his internal organs through his diaphragm and crushed his left lung, tore tendons and ligaments in his left knee and his left shoulder, and caused a recurrent left hip hematoma (later named Tommy). The cadet underwent four surgeries, and while he made a good overall recovery, he never played Football again and lost his commission as a 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Army.

$750,000 personal injury settlement during trial for a woman who tripped and fell in a dangerous hole located in a public sidewalk; she sustained an L4-L5 herniated disc that required open-back surgery including a laminectomy and discectomy.

$450,000 jury verdict for a mechanic whose face was crushed when a car he was working on was caused to fall off a jack.

$850,000 personal injury settlement during jury selection for a 76-year-old woman when a bus traveling to Atlantic City flipped over, causing her to sustain multiple disc herniations and spinal fractures.

Have you been in a Trip and Fall accident and need a New York City Trip and Fall Accident Lawyer? New York City Trip and Fall Accident Lawyer Michael Gunzburg, P.C. can help you. Contact us first. Email or call us today!

$1.35 million personal injury settlement for a 50-year-old women when her orthopedic surgeon mis-diagnosed her back injuries and performed open-back surgery resulting in the traumatization of her nerve root and a permanent Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Condition (RSD).

$700,000 recovery during arbitration for a 33 year old professional driver with a New York City car service company when his vehicle was struck from the right side. The driver sustained head, neck, and lower back injuries with multiple herniated discs confirmed by MRIs which rendered him partially disabled under workers compensation. An Orthopedic surgeon recommended open back surgery with stabilization but the driver did not undergo the surgery at the time of the recovery.

$450,000 personal injury settlement for a 38-year-old women who was a passenger in a car that was slammed and pinned into a cement divider by a 18-wheel tractor trailer, causing her to lose several teeth and develop a permanent temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ) condition.

$550,000 settlement at mediation in Manhattan for 42 year old accounts payable supervisor who slipped and fell down wet and soapy stairs in her Upper West Side apartment building injurying her lower back. The injuries required decompression and fusion surgery with the insertion of permanent hardware in her lower spine at L4-L5.

$320,000 Jury verdict for a 37 year old Bronx County bartender when a bathroom ceiling collapsed on his head while he was showering; He sustained a herniated disc in his neck and a bulging disc in his lower back and he had no surgery at the time of trial (although it was recommended).

$275,000 personal injury settlement for 32 year old 7th grade math teacher struck on the left front side of her vehicle.When she reached to honk her horn her air bag deployed causing severe comminuted fractures to her right dominant wrist requiring surgery at North Shore University Hospital in Plainview and The Hospital for Joint Disease in Manhattan.

$250,000 settlement at trial. A 27 year old courier was a rear seat passenger in a Honda Civic that was making a left hand turn at an intersection with a green light. The Honda Civic was given the right of way by an SUV vehicle located directly opposite it. As the Honda Civic proceeded through the intersection the defendant in his GMC Jimmy improperly passed the SUV and struck the Honda Civic pushing it into a utility pole. The courier injured his shoulder and knee and underwent two arthroscopic surgeries to repair both areas.

$105,000 personal injury settlement for 29 year old picture framer who while closing a window with a known unrepaired crack shattered and sliced his tendons and muscles on his left hand. He underwent a tendon repair and reattachment under general anesthesia at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx.

Have you been in an accident and need a New York City personal injury attorney? New York City Trip and Fall Accident Lawyer Michael Gunzburg, P.C. can help you. Contact us first. Email or call us today!