Central New York Injury Lawyer Blog

In Memorium

March 14, 2012 | by Michael Bersani

When you’re a personal injury lawyer, you need lawyer-friends to bounce ideas off of, friends who will listen, critique you, play devil’s advocate, and just plain tell you when you are wrong. This profession is more of an art than a science, and to get it right, you need feedback, advice, and sometimes just a pep talk.

Here’s a good example of a case you need friends on, one of the toughest my career. The case was full of legal and factual intricacies that befuddled and confounded not only the lawyers, but judges and their clerks. The trial judge at one point dismissed the case because he felt it was not “actionable” (the law did not allow it), but I appealed, the appellate court agreed with me, and allowed the case to stand, even though it was the first of its kind to be brought (you can read the decision here).

Then the trial judge dismissed another piece of the case, and I again appealed, and again the appellate court ruled in my favor, though a dissenting justice would have affirmed the trial judge (you can read the decision here).

New York Health And Fitness Clubs Beware: You Must USE Those AED’s!

February 7, 2012 | by Michael Bersani

One of New York’s appellate courts (Second Department) recently held that health and fitness clubs in New York State must actually use automated external defibrillators (AEDs) when necessary, and not just have them available. If they don’t, a heart attack victim can sue them for failing to act. You can read the case here.

Since I am both a Central New York personal injury and wrongful death lawyer, and am on the Board of the Auburn, New York YMCA (former president of the board), I took a keen interest in this ruling. I also immediately informed the Y’s CEO about this case. After all, it’s one thing to require that health clubs have such devices available, but quite another to require that staff actually make a judgment call about when and whether to actually use them, and to be subject to wrongful death lawsuits if they fail to act properly.

Here are the facts of the case before the court: A racquetball player at a fitness club collapsed, a fellow player reported it promptly to the front desk, and the front desk immediately called 911. While they waited for the ambulance, several employees, with AED in hand, hovered over the stricken player, checking his pulse, but they never actually used the AED. The ambulance arrived in only a few minutes later, which may explain why they never used the AED. But the guy died at the hospital, and his family blamed the fitness club for not using the defibrillator.

“Hey Fed Gov, Don’t Cut Bicycle Safety Out Of Your Transportation System!” Central and Syracuse NY Bike Accident Lawyer Says

February 6, 2012 | by Michael Bersani

Fellow New York Bicycle accident attorney Jim Read reports in his blog that a Bill making its way through congress would, if made law, remove bicycling from the federal transportation program. As Jim notes, it would set us bicyclists back many years in our efforts to get government roadway designers and planners to consider bicyclist safety when designing and upgrading roadways.

The Bill is called “the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act“. Among other things, the proposed law would allow states to build bridges without safe access for pedestrians and bicycles and eliminate bicyclists’ status and standing in the planning and design of our transportation system. This heavily auto-biased program would also endanger funding for our safe paths, bike lanes and bikeways.

If you are a bicyclist and want to stand up for your rights, go here to find your local representative and send them an urgent message.

Centryal and Syracuse NY Accident Lawyer On LeRoy NY Toxic Spill: Proving “Causation” Is Tough

February 5, 2012 | by Michael Bersani

I read in the Pop Tort that Erin Brockovich appeared on HLN’s Dr. Drew Show to talk about the cluster of Tourette’s like symptoms hitting teenagers in Leroy, NY. It turns out that in 1971 a train derailed and dumped tons of cyanide and TCE, which was never cleaned up, in the area where these kids have gone to school all these years. Brockovich’s skeptics are saying, hey, if this spill happened all the way back in 1971, why are kids turning out with these symptoms only now? Her response is that there have been similar symptoms in the past, but back then these kinds of ailments were not consistently reported or diagnosed, and also back in the early days of the spill, many parents told their kids not to drink the water around the school area.

This brings to light one of the main hurdles New York toxic tort lawyers face: Proving “causation”. It is often easy to prove negligence in causing the spill, or in failing to properly clean it, but how do you prove that exposure to the toxic substance caused your client’s cancer, or Tourette’s syndrome, or other ailment, when those diseases or syndromes appeared many years later? You will probably find experts in the field who will hold that opinion, but many times the evidence they rely on is not firmly established, and defendants’ experts will say, hey, wait a minute, lots of other stuff can cause cancer or Tourette’s-like symptoms, and your proof that this spill caused it is merely speculative! Many judges will toss the case before it ever gets to a jury.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t win one of these cases, and it especially doesn’t mean that the toxins emitted by corporate America are not killing us and making us sick. They are, and we known, and they know it. The only question is, can we prove it in court. . . .

Auburn NY Personal Injury Law Firm Office Manager Carol Beach Retires!

January 24, 2012 | by Michael Bersani

In February 1967, a young lady showed up for her first day of work at the Auburn, New York law offices of attorney George M. Michaels, our own Lee Michaels’ father. (George is famous in New York – you can look him up on wikipedia). Lee, a young whipper-snapper fresh out of law school, joined the firm about two years later, and Carol has worked with Lee ever since.

But the story goes back further; Lee and Carol went to East Auburn high school together. Carol was two years ahead of Lee. Carol tells the story of how, back then, one of her teachers told the girls, “treat the under classmen well because remember, you could be working for them one day”.

Times have sure changed. Today, any teacher who made a statement like that would be accused of rank sexism. But guess what — that teacher was right! Carol ended up working for Lee for 43 years. And she worked with the rest of us ever since we joined the firm, too. She has been our head secretary and office manager for decades.

Syracuse New York Wrongful Death Trial Preparation

January 20, 2012 | by Michael Bersani

I have a Syracuse New York wrongful death trial coming up in about six weeks. Six weeks may seem like a long time to you, but for preparing a complex trial, it is not. I started gearing up a few weeks ago.

The first thing I do is create a “to do” list for the trial preparation. As I get things done on my list, it feels good to cross them off. My list gets shorter and shorter.

In this case, my “to do” list is still quite long. There will be, I believe, more than 30 witnesses. I have to prepare “direct examinations” of the witnesses I am going to call, and “cross-examinations” of the ones I expect my opponents to call. And you don’t just “wing it” up there. No, that’s a recipe for disaster. You have to plan out carefully every line of questioning, and have exhibits and deposition transcripts ready to confront any witness who strays from the truth!

Central NY Injury Lawyer Blog Gets Inquiries From Near And Far

January 19, 2012 | by Michael Bersani

You might find this hard to believe, but my Central New York injury law blog attracts responses and inquiries not just locally, but from afar, too. From how far? Well, for example, in just the last few weeks, I have been contacted by readers in the Philippines, California and Canada, about family members who were injured or killed here in New York State. I have even heard from Europe a few times.

Yes, I receive lots of emails, both from far and near, many asking me to represent them in a New York personal injury, medical malpractice, or personal injury matter. Unfortunately, I can’t take all those cases. In many cases, after exploring the facts with my new “pen pal”, I learn that the case is weak, or that the injury is too minor to make a lawsuit financially viable. But in every case, I try to give my new friend something for his or her trouble in writing me — at the very least a good explanation as to why I think their case is not worth pursuing. And often, they thank me for that.

And by the way, the very first thing I always say when I respond to an email inquiry is “Thanks for writing!”. Even if I can’t accept the case, it is rewarding to know that someone out there is reading these posts! So come on, don’t be shy, just tap me a line or two!

“Aggressive” Lawyers Are Often All Smoke And No Fire, Says Central NY Injury Lawyer

January 8, 2012 | by Michael Bersani

Although I am a New York personal injury lawyer 95% of the time, every once in a while I let myself get talked into representing a plaintiff in a non-injury case. Usually it is to sue for breach of contract or something like that. Recently, I had a three-day bench trial (that means it was tried before a judge rather than a jury) on such a case.

My opponent was an ass. He made lots of useless objections, shouted and screamed a lot, and had a very sarcastic tone during his cross-examinations. He never smiled and he had a permanent scowl on his face. He looked mean. This particular lawyer has a reputation for being needlessly aggressive, unlikeable, and unkind. Other lawyers I have talked to about him do not think he is good or effective — he is all smoke and no fire.

He has a steady stream of clients, though. Most of them men are of a certain type. They are the kind of men who have big aggressive dogs. This lawyer is, apparently, some kind of bulldog for them.

CNY Injury Lawyer’s Letter To Insurance Adjusters

January 4, 2012 | by Michael Bersani

Dear friendly insurance adjuster:

Thank you for your recent letter requesting permission to take my injured client’s “recorded statement” regarding the accident your insured so carelessly caused. As a Central and Syracuse New York personal injury lawyer, I appreciate all communications with insurance adjusters that might help me resolve my clients’ claims. My response is a conditional “yes”. I will allow you to take my client’s recorded statement only if you allow me to take your insured’s recorded statement.

I really doubt, though, that you will agree to this absolutely fair proposal. I have proposed this same “swap” hundreds of times to many different insurance adjusters from all kinds of insurance companies, including yours. So far, no insurance adjuster has agreed to it. They all want to take, but not to give. Haven’t they ever learned that it is better to give than receive?

Central New York Personal Injury Law Firm’s Good Deed For 2011: Michaels Bersani Kalabanka Helps Save “Camp Rotary”.

January 2, 2012 | by Michael Bersani

Nothing brings Auburn and Cayuga County, NY, together like an attack from outside forces. Just as the ancient Greek city-states came together to fend off attacks from their ancient common enemy, Persia, all of Auburn and Cayuga County recently united to fend off an attack by the National Texas-based Boy Scouts of America. And Michaels Bersani Kalabanka is proud of its role in that battle. Here’s what happened, and what we did about it:

The Texas-based Boy Scouts of America forced the Auburn-based local Cayuga County Council Boy Scouts to “merge” with a larger local council, “Long House” Council, which occupies Onondaga County and other territories to our north. As part of the “merger”, the Texas-based Scouts were forcing the transfer all the Cayuga County Council’s assets to Long House Council, taking them out of local control. One gem-of-an asset was “Camp Rotary”, a 33-acre camp located on the east side of Owasco Lake and used by local scouts since 1910. It was clear, and neither the cash-strapped National Scouts nor the equally economically distressed Long House Council denied it, that once they acquired Camp Rotary, they intended to sell it off to developers for cash. To make matters worse, Camp Rotary sits right next to the Auburn YMCA’s “Camp Owasco” and the local Girl Scout Camp. Those groups were not anxious to have development so close by.

So the not-for-profits and good citizens of Cayuga County and Auburn bound their forces to fend off the attack, with the battle cry, “Save Camp Rotary”! Local leaders came to Michaels Bersani Kalabanka looking for legal representation for the local not-for-profit which held title to Camp Rotary, the Owasco Camp Association. Michaels Bersani Kalabanka took on the case, stood up to the big national Scouts in Court, and after a year and a half of tough-fought litigation, helped negotiate a settlement that culminated in Auburn’s YMCA acquiring the Camp for a relatively small sum of money – $350,000 (it is easily worth over $1 million). It is now saved forever for local youth use! You can read several news reports about the battle here, here and here.