New York City and Queens Verdicts and New York City and Queens Settlements
Over the course of my career, I have
recorded verdicts or settlements on over 200 cases. The value of
those cases totals over $100 million. What follows is a sample of
the verdicts and settlements that I have achieved for my clients.
$1 Million
Settlement for Emotional Distress Due to Harassment from a Manhattan
Landlord (Landlord Negligence)
A tenant organizer and his girlfriend
lived in an Upper West Side Manhattan building. The landlord hired
men to monitor and harass the plaintiffs. Plaintiffs suffered from
stress disorders because of the constant surveillance and verbal
altercations. During closing arguments, the defendants agreed to a
settlement for a total of $1 million, $500,000 for each plaintiff.
$975,000 Settlement for Passenger in a Car Accident in
the Bronx (Car Accident Case)
Ms. Schlitt served as trial counsel for
this case. The client was a passenger in a car travelling east on
Randall Avenue in the Bronx. When the driver made a left turn on
Zerega, the car crashed into a dumpster left in the street. Ms.
Schlitt's client suffered a fracture of his both fibulas, his left
ankle and his left
humerus, each of which required surgery. The driver of the
car admitted liability for his role in the accident, though the
dumpster owner denied all responsibility. That defendant filed for
summary judgment and appealed that matter to the
New York
State Court of Appeals, an
appeal that Ms. Schlitt argued and won.
At the trial, the attorney for the
dumpster company tried to place all the blame on the driver of the
car, but Ms. Schlitt used a combination of testimony, evidence,
research into New York City Highway and Transportation regulations
and a strong opening and closing argument to prove the dumpster
company liable. A jury agreed with Ms. Schlitt and held the dumpster
company responsible for 75 percent of the liability, making them
primarily responsible for the accident. With the verdict on
liability made by the jury, Ms. Schlitt separately negotiated a
settlement for damages of $975,000.
$800,000 Verdict for Car Accident Victim in the Bronx
(Motor Vehicle Accident Case)
On a bright sunny day, a Ford van heading
south on the
Bronx River Parkway collided with a construction truck, careened
across three lanes and struck a passenger van in the right hand
lane. Ms. Schlitt’s client – a passenger in the second van –
suffered significant injuries to his back and neck. Ms. Schlitt
proved that both the driver of the Ford Van that struck the
passenger van and the construction company bore responsibility for
the accident. The jury verdict awarded the client $800,000.
$570,000 Verdict for Shooting in Brooklyn (Personal
Injury Case/Assault Case)
While waiting in line at her bank’s
outdoor ATM, a woman heard a commotion near a bus stop. The
commotion arose because an alleged thief attempted to rob an
off-duty New York City police officer. A gunshot was fired striking
the woman in the arm. While the courts never determined exactly who
fired the shot, as a result of Attorney Carol Schlitt’s arguments,
the court held the City and the
New York City Police Department 100 percent
liable for the woman’s injury and the jury awarded $570,000 for lost
wages and pain and suffering.
$560,000 Verdict for Slip and Fall on Staircase in the
Bronx (Slip and Fall Case/Stairway Case)
A 13 year-old girl tripped and fell on
the staircase of her Bronx apartment building because of a
long-standing broken step. She fractured her tibia and
fifth metatarsal. The jury deliberated for one hour before
returning a verdict holding the defendant solely responsible for the
incident and awarding the now 19 year-old girl a total of $560,000
for past and future pain and suffering.
$425,000 Settlement for Woman Hurt by Collapsing
Kitchen Cabinet in Brooklyn (Landlord Negligence)
In the winter of 2004, a couple living
near Prospect Park complained on multiple occasions to their
landlord of a ceiling leak in their kitchen. The leak arose from a
combination of snow build-up on the roof and faulty design and
maintenance of the building structure. The landlord ignored the
couple’s complaints. During the next large snow storm, the leak
returned and a kitchen cabinet collapsed on the woman fracturing her
ankle so badly that it required surgery and left her with permanent
damage. Attorney Carol Schlitt assembled extensive engineering and
architectural evidence and a team of experts to prove the landlord’s
liability as well as medical records and experts to document the
plaintiff’s injuries. Due to the thoroughness of the investigation
and the aggressive handling of the case, Ms. Schlitt negotiated a
settlement before putting the case in suit. The landlord paid a
settlement of $425,000.
$350,000 Settlement for Fractured Hip from Nursing Home
fall in Bronx
(Medical Malpractice Case)
An elderly resident of a Bronx nursing
home was supposed to be supervised whenever she was out of bed.
Despite the doctor’s orders, the nursing staff failed to respond to
the patient’s calls for assistance in going to the restroom.
When the patient attempted to get to the restroom on her own, she
slipped and fell, fracturing her hip. Her injury required
surgery. The lawsuit asserted that the nursing home staff
negligently failed to respond to the patient’s calls and that
negligence caused the injury when the patient tried to get to the
restroom alone. Immediately prior to trial, the nursing home opted
to pay a settlement of $350,000.
$300,000 Settlement for Man Hurt by in Trip and Fall on
Unsecured Construction Plate in Manhattan (Construction Site Case)
On a warm June morning, a man and his
friend from work walked south on the pedestrian mall on Nassau
Street in downtown Manhattan. When they reached Maiden Lane, the two
men waited for traffic to clear and then began to cross the street.
A truck driving along Maiden Lane caused an unsecured metal plate in
the roadway to lift and fall onto the foot of the man’s foot,
crushing it and pinning him to the roadway. The man suffered
multiple fractures in his foot. Attorney Carol Schlitt navigated the
construction bureaucracy that included the
City of New York and
Con Ed,
before determining that the road plate belonged to a private
construction firm operating in New York City. After conducting an
extensive investigation and legal research, both parties agreed to
mediate the case before trial and Ms. Schlitt earned a $300,000
settlement for her very happy client.
$300,000 Settlement
for Construction Site Injury in Brooklyn (Construction Accident
Case/Scaffold Case)
A laborer at a construction site in
Brooklyn tripped and fell over some inappropriately stored materials
on a scaffold. The incident left the man with two herniated discs
and made it impossible for him to continue work a construction job.
Because the injury involved a scaffold, the client could seek
damages beyond his
Workers’ Compensation benefits. During the trial, the defense
agreed to pay a settlement of $300,000.
$225,000 Settlement for Back Injury in Construction
Accident in Queens (Construction Accident Case/Ladder Injury)
A 50 year-old Polish immigrant working as
a cable installer injured himself in an unwitnessed fall from a
ladder during renovation of the
Queens Supreme Courthouse. The
defendants argued that the accident never occurred. Attorney Carol
Schlitt constructed a case based on circumstantial evidence and
expert testimony. Her arguments convinced the jury, which
unanimously held that the defendants violated the
New York State Labor Law. After losing the verdict in the
liability part of the trial, the defendants settled the case for
$225,000.
$225,000 Settlement for Torn Earlobe in Motorcycle Accident Caused by a Police Car in the Bronx (Motorcycle Accident Case)
A police car in the Bronx made a sudden
left turn in front of a 19 year-old motorcyclist and crashed into
his motorcycle. The impact of the crash threw the driver of the
motorcycle over the roof of the police car, ripping his ear on the
lights situated on the top of the police car. Attorney Schlitt
assembled a team of experts to help prove the case. The City of New
York pressed ahead to trial, but after hearing Attorney Schlitt's
case and her summation to the jury, the City agreed to settle the
case while the jury was deliberating. The City of New York paid
$225,000 for the torn earlobe.
$165,000 Settlement for Fracture of Small Finger in
Office Accident in the Bronx (Office Injury Case/Ladder Injury)
An attorney fell from a defective
stepladder provided by his landlord and fractured the small finger
on his non-dominant hand. Despite surgical repair, the finger had a
permanent deformity. Instead of trying the case himself, the
attorney hired the best trial lawyer he knew - Carol L. Schlitt.
Attorney Schlitt has extensive experience with construction cases
and has tried many
ladder
cases, which was important because a set of unique laws apply to
ladder injuries. The defendants agreed to settle the matter during
trial for $165,000.
$150,000 Settlement for Negligent Removal of Tattoo in
Bronx
(Medical Malpractice Case)
Shortly after getting a tattoo on her
forearm and her calf, a young woman had remorse and sought treatment
from a plastic surgeon for removal of the tattoos. The doctor
advised her that he would easily cut them from the surface of her
skin with little or no scar. Instead, the doctor removed muscle and
skin leaving a noticeable depression on both her forearm and her
calf. The victim claimed that the physician had not adequately
informed her of the cosmetic risks of the procedure and the doctor
claimed that he had advised her, before surgery, that it may be
necessary to remove more tissue if the tattoo ink had penetrated
more deeply than expected. During trial, the physician opted
to settle for the plaintiff’s demand of $150,000.
$150,000 Settlement for Brooklyn Passenger Hurt in Bus
Crash (Bus Accident Case)
A woman boarded a bus in Brooklyn
expecting an uneventful ride. As the bus approached an intersection,
a car ran a stop sign and struck the front of the bus. The
force of the impact caused the woman to fall to the floor and injure
her knee. She required arthroscopic surgery. Although
the Transit Authority
denied any responsibility for causing this bus crash, during trial
the case settled for $150,000 – the full policy limit of $25,000 for
the offending car and $125,000 from the
Transit Authority.
$150,000 Settlement for Slip and Fall on an Uncleared
Sidewalk in the Bronx (Slip and Fall Case)
On President’s Weekend in 2003, a 26
year-old man visited his friend in the Woodlawn section of the
Bronx. Leaving the apartment building, he slipped and fell on an
uncleared walkway, suffering a
bimalleolar fracture of his right ankle. An ambulance
transported him to
North Central Bronx Hospital, where he was treated and released.
He ultimately underwent surgery on his ankle at
Jacobi Hospital. Attorney Schlitt employed eyewitness testimony
and physical evidence to build a strong argument on liability and
she constructed a clear and compelling case on damages. The landlord
settled the case on the eve of trial for $150,000.
$135,000 Settlement
for Trip and Fall over Uneven Bricks in Brooklyn (Slip and Fall
Case)
A woman visiting family tripped over some
uneven bricks along the property line of two houses. She suffered
significant injuries, including some broken bones in her face. The
two property owners attempted to blame each other, with neither
accepting responsibility for the incident. Ms. Schlitt used expert
testimony at trial to demonstrate that the brick work had created a
trap, “an accident waiting to happen,” is how Ms. Schlitt explained
it to the jury. The defendants opted to settle for $135,000 before
the jury ruled on the case.
$105,000 Verdict for Finger Injured by Over-Aggressive
Bouncers at Manhattan Bar (Personal Injury/Assault Case)
Three bouncers at a Manhattan bar
unnecessarily roughed up a patron, knocking him to the ground then
throwing him onto the sidewalk. The man sustained an unusual and
particularly damaging injury to his finger. The jury awarded him
$105,000. “If you have a dispute, you talk to people,” explained
Attorney Schlitt. “These bouncers – who never appeared in court –
skipped the talking and started beating on my client. We held the
bar owner responsible. Given the people he hired, the lax screening,
the lack of training and supervision, what did the owner expect
would happen?”
$100,000 Settlement for a Manhattan Woman Injured by
Defective Contact Lens Solution (Defective Products Case)
A New York City woman used a defective
contact lens solution that resulted in a fungal eye infection in her
left eye. The manufacturer had prior knowledge of the problem and
had ceased selling it in Hong Kong, but continued selling the
solution in the United States. Ms. Schlitt worked with this client
and a team of attorneys that brought a class action suit against the
manufacturer. The result was that the product was removed from the
shelves and the client received an award of $100,000.
$95,000 Settlement
plus $20,000 in Payments for Medical Liens for Woman Injured in Taxi
Crash in Manhattan (Taxi Accident Case)
A 28 year-old woman rode in the back of a
taxi travelling north on the
Henry Hudson Parkway in Manhattan when the taxi struck the car
in front. The accident tossed the woman forward injuring her right
knee. The taxi had a maximum policy of $100,000 and the case settled
immediately before opening statements for $95,000. Because the
taxi No-Fault insurer had failed to pay the woman’s medical bills,
she faced medical liens of $20,000 that normally would have come
from her settlement. However, Attorney Schlitt forced the insurance
company to pay the unpaid medical over and above the policy limits
without reducing the client’s settlement payment.
$75,000 Settlement for Knee Injury in Taxi Collision in Manhattan (Car Accident Case)
A woman and her child boarded a taxi in
Harlem and headed home to the Bronx. While making a left hand turn
at an intersection, a second cab collided with the client’s cab,
leaving her with neck and back injuries and knee damage that
required surgery. The problem? The second cab driver had vanished
and his insurance company had gone bankrupt, leaving no funds to pay
for awards. Attorney Carol L. Schlitt argued the driver of her
client’s taxi bore responsibility because he entered the
intersection before he was able to make the turn, thus violating New
York State traffic laws. Had he waited, he would have avoided the
accident. The defendants agreed to settle the case before going to
trial for $75,000.
$70,000 Settlement for Passenger in Livery Car Crash in
Bronx County
(Car Accident/Livery Car Accident Case)
A 45 year-old man slid into the back seat
of a livery car expecting a smooth ride. Instead, the livery car
crashed into another car at a Bronx intersection damaging his knee
so badly that it required arthroscopic surgery. The second
vehicle ran the stop sign but that car had no insurance coverage.
Therefore, Attorney Schlitt had to prove that the livery car also
bore some responsibility for the accident. That way the insurance
coverage for the livery car would compensate her client for his knee
injury. On the eve of trial, the livery car settled the case
for $70,000.
$70,000 Settlement
for Man Hurt in Collision with Taxi in Brooklyn (Taxi Accident)
A man working for the New York City
Transit Authority (NYCTA) drove a Jeep Cherokee owned by the NYCTA
along 23rd Street in Brooklyn. A yellow cab driver ran
the red light driving south on 4th Avenue and struck the
right rear wheel of the jeep. The man suffered injuries to his
lower back and right knee. He had a partial tear of his medial
meniscus repaired by arthroscopic surgery. Ms. Schlitt negotiated a
settlement of $70,000 on the eve of the trial.
$70,000 Settlement for Ankle Injury Resulting from Poor
Maintenance by Bronx Landlord (Landlord Negligence)
A woman repeatedly complained about a
leak in her bathroom, yet the landlord refused to fix the problem.
While cleaning her shower, the woman stepped from the tub and her
foot fell through a water damaged floor that resulted from the
landlord’s negligence. As a result of this accident, the woman tore
a ligament in her ankle and required outpatient surgery. The
defendants agreed to settle the case before going to trial for
$70,000.
$62,500 Settlement for Leg Injury Resulting from Slip
and Fall Caused by Cement Dumped on Williamsburg Sidewalk (Brooklyn Slip and
Fall Case)
The owner of a building and an adjacent
lot had dumped excess cement on a sidewalk in Brooklyn. A man
tripped and fell over the pile of cement, spraining his ankle.
Treatment of the ankle caused vascular damage to his leg. Attorney
Carol Schlitt demonstrated that the building owner caused the
injury, which ultimately led to the vascular problem. The defendants
agreed to settle the case before going to trial for $62,500.
$60,000 Settlement for Man Hurt Riding Bicycle in the Bronx (Bicycle
Accident)
A retired Bronx resident went for a
morning bicycle ride. He stopped his bicycle at a stop sign at an
intersection in a residential Bronx community. He waited there to
allow traffic to clear so that he could cross the street. The
driver of a pickup truck ignored a stop sign and struck the man on
his bicycle, throwing him to the ground. The incident left the man
bruised and battered. He suffered a
torn rotator cuff that required
arthroscopic surgery. Very early in the case, the defense settled
for $60,000 before the case was put in suit.
$60,000 Settlement for Brooklyn Teenager Passenger in Car Hit by Car Service Car (Car Accident Case/Taxi Accident)
The client, a 16 year-old
girl, rode as a passenger in her friend’s car. A local car service
vehicle struck their car on the side. The client suffered a soft
tissue disc injury and received several months of physical therapy.
What made this case poignant is that the client was a successful
high school basketball player and this injury curtailed her high
school career. Ms. Schlitt built a case around the loss of
basketball playing time and the possibility of playing college
basketball.
$60,000 Settlement for Neck and Face
Injury in Bus Accident in Queens (Bus Accident Case)
While leaving a bus stop, a private
commuter bus came to an abrupt halt throwing a passenger into a pole
on the bus. The bus company argued that the bus driver took a
necessary emergency action. Attorney Carol Schlitt successfully
argued that the bus driver failed to allow his passengers time to
secure themselves before pulling out from the bus stop. The jury
found the bus company 100 percent liable for the plaintiff’s injury.
The bus company then agreed to pay $60,000 to settle the lawsuit.
$45,000 Settlement for Injury to an
Insurance Adjustor in Brooklyn Auto Repair Garage (Work-Related
Injury Case)
On the afternoon of the incident, an
insurance adjuster acting in his professional capacity visited an
auto repair garage to inspect two vehicles that were under repair.
While inspecting the cars, the man stepped into a deep, uncovered
hole. A metal plate usually covered the hole, but the plate had been
damaged the day before and not replaced, nor did the garage place
any warnings around the hole. The man fractured his right wrist.
Attorney Schlitt settled the case on the eve of trial for $45,000.
$45,000 Settlement for Man with Nose
Broken by City Bus after a Yankee Game (Bus Accident Case)
A 50 year-old man had just left Yankee
Stadium after a Yankee win and walked to corner of 161st Street in
the Bronx. While waiting to cross the street, a passing New
York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) bus brushed him and knocked him
down to ground fracturing his nose. The bus driver claimed
that the man walked into the side of the bus while he was driving
slowly to avoid all of the pedestrian traffic in the area after the
Yankee game. On the eve of trial, the NYCTA settled the case
for $45,000.
$40,000 Settlement for Utility Worker Injured Reading Meters in the
Bronx (Work-Related Injury Case/Stairway Case)
A
Con Ed
utility worker entered a property in the Bronx to read the electric
meter. While walking down a set of outdoor steps, squirrels leaped
out of a hole in the wall, knocking the man down. He fell to the
bottom of the steps and tore his leg on the handrail, which had a
jagged edge. The lacerations from the defective handrail caused a
hematoma on his thigh that required
debriding and the man missed a month of
work. While Worker’s Compensation shielded his employer form paying
additional damages, Ms. Schlitt pursued a case against the property
owner on two counts: failing to rid the location of the squirrel
infestation (the squirrels had built a nest in a hole in the wall)
and failing to maintain the handrail. Ms. Schlitt assembled a team
that included a civil engineer with expertise on stairway design and
building codes and an exterminator with expertise on animal removal.
Seeing the witness list and understanding the strength of the Ms.
Schlitt’s case, the defense settled on the eve of trial paying
$40,000.
$30,000 Settlement for Porter Hurt in
Manhattan Elevator Fall (Elevator Case)
A man working as a porter entered the
service elevator in a Manhattan apartment building. He pressed the
buttons for a high floor and began to ride the elevator up. The
elevator suddenly dropped to the basement. The elevator fall caused
some soft tissue injuries in his neck and knee that required some
physical therapy. The case settled before trial for $30,000.
$25,000 Settlement for Car Accident in
the Bronx (Car Accident Case)
A Bronx man drove his car across the
Macomb’s Dam Bridge during a night time rain storm. He struck a car
that was stopped on the bridge and left without any flashers, flares
or other warning signs. As a result, the driver of the car fractured
two small bones in his right hand. Ms. Schlitt built a case to prove
the owner of the abandoned car negligent. She negotiated a $25,000
settlement, the maximum amount of coverage.
$20,000 Settlement for a Trip and Fall
on Defective Steps in the Bronx (Stairway Case)
On the afternoon of the incident, a young
mother arrived to pick up her son from a day care center that was
housed in a large building with multiple tenants. While walking up
the four steps that lead from the sidewalk to the entrance of the
building, the woman tripped and fell on the damaged fourth step. Her
fall resulted from a riser that was of an uneven height and out of
compliance with
New York City Building
Code. That particular step
was damaged and the landlord had not maintained it properly. The
poorly maintained step caused the woman to fall backward and injure
her back and right wrist. While she broke no bones, the soft tissue
injuries required her to wear a splint and receive physical therapy.
The owner of the building settled the case for $20,000.
$20,000 Settlement for Rat Bite in
Brooklyn (Landlord Negligence/Animal Bite Case)
Not every case has a large dollar value,
but every case is important. This case began on a Sunday morning in
April 2005 when a Brooklyn man lay in bed relishing some extra rest.
His peace did not last as a rat scrambled into his bed and bit him
on the nose. The man immediately sought care at
Kingsbrook Jewish
Medical Center’s Emergency Room where he received immediate medical
treatment and referrals for follow up care. Attorney Schlitt worked
with her client to document the complaints about vermin made to the
building’s landlord and the failure of the landlord to address those
complaints. Faced with a mountain of documentation and the promise
of expert witnesses, the current landlord settled the case before
trial for $20,000.
$19,000 Settlement for Soft Tissue Injuries Resulting from Fall on
Stairs Caused by Uneven Steps (Slip and Fall Case)
A 32 year-old woman attending an opera
audition was directed to take a particular stairwell. While walking
down those stairs, she fell on the third step from the bottom, as
the steps were uneven and in poor condition. She tumbled the
remaining three steps and crashed onto the landing. She hurt her
wrists, back and legs and suffered soft tissue injuries. By working
with an expert in stairway design, Ms. Schlitt proved that the
stairs were not compliant with New York City building code and posed
a hazard. As the case neared trial, the defense settled for $19,000.
$15,000 Settlement for Car Accident in the Bronx on the Major Deegan (Car Accident Case)
A 25 year-old woman drove her car north on the
Major Deegan
Expressway when traffic developed. She slowed her car, yet the
livery car (one of New York’s infamous “Black Cars”) failed to slow
and struck her from behind. The woman suffered soft tissue injuries
to her back and shoulder. The challenge in the case came in meeting
the New York State threshold requirements, which often precludes
people who suffer soft tissue injuries from collecting for damages.
Ms. Schlitt gathered enough evidence and found sufficient legal
cases to force a $15,000 settlement for this car accident.
Carol L. Schlitt - Queens Personal Injury Attorney
If you have suffered a personal injury, you may be entitled to compensation. If you live in Queens and think you have a case or if you have questions, you should consult a Queens personal injury lawyer. I will be glad to discuss your rights, answer your questions and help you with a potential case. You can call me at 1-718-220-0099 or send me an e-mail at Carol@SchlittLaw.com. The consultation is free and I will be glad to help you.
I hope you have found this information
helpful.
Carol L. Schlitt
Queens Personal Injury Attorney
1-718-220-0099
Queens, NY
Carol@SchlittLaw.com.