| Rank |
Case |
Plaintiff Lawyer(s) |
Defendant Lawyer(s) |
Type Of Claims |
Amount |
| 1 |
Evans v. St. Mary's Hospital of Brooklyn
11/9/01
Kings Supreme |
Stephen E. Erickson of Pegalis & Erickson, Lake Success, N.Y. |
Henry Shaub of Shaub, Ahmuty, Citrin & Spratt, Lake Success, N.Y. |
Medical Malpractice: Brain damage after surgery to correct swollen larynx. |
$114.8 million |
| 2 |
Ballinas v. NYCHHC
5/14/01
Bronx Supreme |
Thomas A. Moore of Kramer, Dillof, Livingston & Moore, Manhattan |
Kenneth P. Larywon of Martin, Clearwater & Bell, Manhattan |
Medical Malpractice: Failure to monitor and treat complications from childbirth. |
$107.8 million |
| 3 |
Benefield v. Halmar Corp.
5/11/01
(Liability)
6/8/01
(Damages)
Orange Supreme |
Howard R. Borowick, Kenneth Sacks and Andrew R. Diamond of Sacks & Sacks, Manhattan |
John P. Meenagh and Thomas F. Kelly III of Kelly & Meenagh, Poughkeepsie. Steven I. Lewbel of Melito & Adolfsen, Manhattan, and Peter J. Madison, New City |
Labor Law: Fall from ladder at Rte. 84 overpass; failure to place scaffold or hoists. |
$85.6 million |
| 4 |
Antunes v. County of Nassau
5/16/01
Nassau Supreme |
Steven C. Pepperman of Bauman & Kunkis, Manhattan |
E. Gordon Haesloop of Bartlett, McDonough, Bastone & Monaghan, Mineola |
Medical Malpractice: Failure to discover and replace clogged endotracheal tube of prematurely born infant; brain damage. |
$70 million; $5 million for Ana Maria Antunes. |
| 5 |
Layne-Okebiyi v. Ramenofsky
6/5/01
Kings Supreme |
Nathan L. Dembin of Nathan Dembin & Associates, Manhattan |
Neil B. Ptashnik of Ptashnik & Schutzman, Manhattan; Katherine S. Brooks, Assistant Attorney General; Steven M. Sold of Slevin, Sold, Neubardt, Weisman, Samberg, Faillace & Mezzacappa, White Plains |
Medical Malpractice: Brain damage after surgery to remove abdominal tumor; inferior vena cava transected; infant blind and wheelchair-bound. |
$44 million |
| 6 |
Morrison v. Ahmad
8/23/01
New York Supreme |
Christopher Jon Longman of Ginsberg & Broome, Manhattan |
John J. Nicolini of Nicolini, Paradise, Feretti & Sabella, Mineola, of counsel to Norman Volk, Manhattan |
Motor Vehicle: Pedestrian struck by taxi while attempting to cross the street; brain damage. |
$37.1 million, reduced to $33.1 million after future medical expenses award set aside. |
| 7 |
Lopez v. NYCHHC
5/11/01
Queens Supreme |
Steven E. Pegalis of Pegalis & Erickson, Lake Success, N.Y. |
Luke M. Pittoni of Heidell, Pittoni, Murphy & Bach, Manhattan; Gerard J. Marulli of Marulli & Associates, Manhattan |
Medical malpractice: Failure to diagnose preeclampsia; baby born with brain damage. |
$35 million |
| 8 |
Levinsky v. Painter
2/1/01
New York Supreme |
Eleni Coffinas of Sullivan, Papain, Block, McGrath & Cannavo, Manhattan |
Bruce G. Habian of Martin, Clearwater & Bell, Manhattan |
Medical Malpractice: Failure to timely diagnose breast cancer when plaintiff felt a lump; cancer terminal. |
$31 million |
| 9 |
Diaz v. City of New York
1/17/01
Kings Supreme |
Ivan S. Schneider and Joseph S. Rosato of Schneider, Kleinick, Weitz, Damashek & Shoot, Manhattan |
Christian Siragusa and Ava Safir, Assistant Corp. Counsel |
Diving Accident: Plaintiff who dove off pier and struck head on ocean floor claimed defendant failed to post signs. |
$26.3 million |
| 10 |
Bondi v. Bambrick
4/16/01
New York Supreme |
Peter D. Kolbrener and Michelle F. Laskin of Levine & Grossman, Mineola |
Joseph Candela, Law Offices of Bryan M. Rothenberg, Mineola |
Motor Vehicle: Motorcycle passenger suffered amputation of lower left leg after motorcycle collided with car driven by person who later pleaded guilty to DWI. |
$17.8 million |
| NOTE: Case names include only the first-named defendant. Many cases involve multiple defendants, and verdicts may be against parties in addition to or other than the named defendant. |
| Source: The New York Jury Verdict Reporter, an affiliate of the New York Law Journal. List complete to Dec. 1, 2001. |
| (New York Law Journal, December 2001) |
