Municipal Liability

Suing New York City for Injury or Death

Suffering a serious injury in New York City is hard enough. When an accident victim learns that the responsible party is the city itself, the situation can seem even more daunting. On the plus side, you know that the defendant has the means to compensate you for your injury. On the other side, the city has a seemingly infinite number of departments, agencies, and authorities, each with specific rules about how to submit a claim with limited timeframes to do so. A misstep in the process can cost you valuable time, forcing you to miss the short window of opportunity you have to file your lawsuit. Rest assured that the personal injury attorneys at Barasch & McGarry have the knowledge and experience to help you navigate the NYC system while providing you aggressive and effective representation.

Specific Requirements For Suing An Agency Of New York City

Cases against a municipality or government entity come with unique requirements. For example, as a prerequisite to filing a lawsuit against the City of New York, General Municipal Law § 50-e requires an injured party to file a notice of claim within 90 days of an accident. Although that requirement sounds clear-cut, different departments, agencies and authorities have different rules about where the notice of claim must be filed. Also, you must be diligent about accurately and completely putting the municipality on notice of the facts of the claim. If you’ve been seriously injured, it is imperative that you contact a lawyer quickly to determine whether a notice of claim is required. While it is sometimes immediately apparent that a municipality is involved, this is not always the case. You can rely on our injury lawyers to thoroughly investigate your claim to find out whether a municipality is involved and to timely file a notice of claim on your behalf. It is our mission to fight aggressively for the compensation you deserve.

My husband and I were very pleased with the outcome. He received as much assistance as needed to understand every single document and the progress of his case. Everybody we had work with was highly professional, motivated, friendly, supportive and always available to us.

J.H.
Personal Injury Client

Representation For A Wide Variety Of NYC Accident Cases

New York is not a town for pushovers, and the City government is no exception. No matter which government entity you sue, you can expect a vigorous defense as they make every effort to deny or diminish your claim. But, as an established and reputable NYC law firm, we are prepared to fight to a successful conclusion in cases related to:

• Premises liability — Slip-and-fall and trip-and-fall accidents that result from wet floors, dark staircases, missing handrails, broken floor tiles, etc. in public buildings, parking structures and other facilities
• Hazardous streets and sidewalks — Slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accidents due to uneven pavement, potholes and other hazards
• Police misconduct — Injury and wrongful death that result from use of excessive force
• Hospital negligence — Malpractice at any facility of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation
• Public school liability — Injury due to hazards at school facilities or the negligence of any school employee
• New York City Housing Authority negligence — Premises liability accidents in public housing
• Transit accidents — Tunnel, train and bus accidents for which the Metropolitan Transportation Authority or MABSTOA may be liable
• Municipal vehicle accidents — Traffic accidents involving a vehicle owned or leased by a municipal agency or authority

Whether your accident occurred on mass transit or in a public park, our attorneys provide vigorous, aggressive representation designed to secure the maximum amount of compensation possible.

Contact our personal injury lawyers for a free consultation

Suing the City of New York requires knowledge, experience and determination. For your injury case, choose a law firm that’s based in New York City and has a long track record of results for its clients.