- ntitlement to Compensation: If you sustain injuries on New York City-owned property due to hazardous conditions or the city’s negligence, you may be eligible for significant compensation.
- Strict Deadlines and Requirements: Initiating a lawsuit against the city requires adherence to strict deadlines and notice requirements. Failure to comply may result in losing the right to sue.
- Types of Cases: Negligence claims against the city can arise from slip-and-fall accidents, accidents involving city employees or vehicles, poor maintenance of city facilities, negligent security, or accidents due to poorly maintained roads.
- Navigating Lawsuits Against Municipal Entities: While it’s not mandatory to hire a lawyer for suing the city, experienced personal injury attorneys can navigate critical deadlines and filing procedures, ensuring your case proceeds smoothly.
- Valid Cases Against the City: Individuals excluded from workers’ compensation coverage, such as sanitation workers, firefighters, teachers, and police officers, may sue the city for job-related injuries resulting from negligence.
- Available Compensation: Damages recoverable in a lawsuit against New York City include medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and future loss of earnings.
- Statute of Limitations: There is a one-year and 90-day deadline to file a lawsuit against the city, starting from the date of the accident and the filing of the Notice of Claim. Failure to meet this deadline may forfeit your right to sue.
- Legal Assistance: At Meirowitz & Wasserberg, we offer free consultations and can guide you through the process of suing the city, ensuring your rights are protected and maximizing your chances of a successful claim.
If you or a loved one suffered harm from the negligent actions of New York City or the hazardous condition of its property, you deserve a legal team that understands the complex laws around suing the city and the resources to take it on. The skilled attorneys at Meirowitz & Wasserberg, LLP are committed to helping all citizens, including police officers, teachers, sanitation workers, and firefighters who lack other protections, prepare to sue the city and represent them zealously.
Quick Links
- Meirowitz & Wasserberg Helps NYC Workers Get Compensation For Injuries
- What is Sovereign Immunity?
- Understanding Your Legal Options After an Injury in New York City
- Navigating the Complexities of Suing a Municipal Entity
- Instances Where You Might Have a Valid Case Against the City
- How to Sue the City of New York: Steps and Process
- Compensation for Suing the City: What You Might Be Entitled To
- People in Occupations That Can Sue NYC
- Statute of Limitations: Timing Matters in City Injury Lawsuits
- Meirowitz & Wasserberg: Your Partners in City Injury Lawsuits
You may be entitled to significant compensation if you were hurt in an accident on New York City-owned property due to hazardous conditions or the city’s negligence. If you are a city employee such as a firefighter, sanitation worker, teacher, or police officer hurt at work, a negligence lawsuit may be the only way to fully recoup your damages since you lack state workers’ compensation protection.
You must follow strict deadlines for notification and filing your suit, and you must be able to prove negligence. If you’re wondering, “What kind of lawyer do I need to sue the city?” Meirwowitz & Wasserberg, LLP, is the answer. Our award-winning, experienced personal injury attorneys understand the law and are powerful advocates for you against the city.
Meirowitz & Wasserberg Helps NYC Workers Get Compensation For Injuries
Our personal injury lawyers have secured over $100 million in settlements and verdicts for our clients. These successful case results include a $32 million verdict in an asbestos case and $555,000 in a products and premises liability case. Our attorneys are recognized as Super Lawyers and are ranked in The National Trial Lawyers Top 100.
We are proud that our clients leave testimonials praising our hard work, compassion, and dedication. Our firm is a member of the American Association for Justice, and we are fully committed to taking cases that help the average person take on deep-pocketed corporations and their insurance companies.
What is Sovereign Immunity?
Under the sovereign immunity doctrine, you cannot sue the state or cities in federal or state courts without the state’s consent. New York has waived its sovereign immunity if plaintiffs follow very strict guidelines and meet all deadline and notice requirements.
You must submit a Notice of Claim within 90 days of your accident or risk losing your right to sue. If you are suing for the wrongful death of a loved one, you have 90 days starting from your appointment as the estate representative.
Can I Sue the City or State of New York After an Injury?
Understanding Your Legal Options After an Injury in New York City
To sue New York City for personal injuries, you must prove that the city was negligent and its negligence caused your harm. If you were hurt on the job, you must first determine if you are bound by New York law to only file a workers’ compensation claim.
While many city employees are covered under the state workers’ compensation system, some public servants, such as sanitation workers, firefighters, teachers, and police officers, are not covered. They can file a claim for work injuries as dictated by their contracts but can also sue the city for damages.
You can sue New York City for negligence in cases such as:
- Slip-and-falls on city property
- Accidents involving city employees in city-owned vehicles
- Injuries due to poor maintenance of city facilities
- Negligent security that led to crimes against you on city-owned property
- Accidents due to a poorly maintained city vehicle you were driving
Navigating the Complexities of Suing a Municipal Entity
While the answer to “Do I need a lawyer to sue the city?” is no, it would be a mistake not to choose one. Experienced personal injury lawyers who have sued the city in the past have a working knowledge of the critical deadlines you have to meet. They also know whether to file your claim with the New York City Comptroller’s office or if it must be filed with another agency.
Failing to file your claim with the proper agency, such as the New York City Housing Authority or New York City Transit Authority, could lead to delays that make your claim too late to collect damages.
Our New York City lawsuit attorneys at Meirowitz & Wasserberg can help you determine which agency gets your Notice of Claim and ensure the filings are done on time so your case can proceed.
Instances Where You Might Have a Valid Case Against the City
You may have a premises liability personal injury case against New York City if you were hurt because it did not properly maintain a public building or space. If you are a teacher, police officer, firefighter, or sanitation worker excluded from workers’ compensation, you may also sue the city for negligence that led to your injuries.
If you or a loved one suffered an injury due to poorly maintained roads, faulty traffic controls, or other problems the city is responsible for, you could sue for damages from a car accident. The city may also be held accountable for the negligent driving of an employee in a city-owned vehicle.
If you are unsure whether you can sue New York City to collect damages for your injuries, contact the experienced legal team at Meirowitz & Wasserberg so we can discuss your case, assess whether you have the option to sue, and discuss the next steps.
How to Sue the City of New York: Steps and Process
Suing New York City starts with the Notice of Claim. It includes your personal information and details of your accident, such as where, when, and how it occurred. It also notes the type of claim and how much compensation you seek. The city then starts its investigation into the circumstances of your case.
If the city does not agree to pay your compensation request, it requires an Examination of Claims. During this hearing, you must testify under oath to the circumstances and extent of your injuries. The city may also require a physical exam. After your examination, the city will decide how to proceed. It may offer a settlement, or your case can go to trial.
Meirowitz & Wasserberg’s New York City personal injury attorneys have experience navigating Notices of Claims and Examinations of Claims. We will answer any questions and guide you through the process so the city can’t take advantage of you by getting your case thrown out.
Compensation for Suing the City: What You Might Be Entitled To
You can recover several types of economic and non-damages in a personal injury lawsuit against New York City, such as:
- Medical and rehabilitation expenses
- Prescription expenses
- Lost wages
- Future loss of earnings
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
Our knowledgeable personal injury attorneys at Meirowitz & Wasserberg can help you collect the evidence you need to prove your damages. You do not have to worry about how much it costs to sue the city, as we believe in helping people and only collect compensation if you do.
People in Occupations That Can Sue NYC
Some public servants can sue New York City for job-related injuries because they are not compelled by state law to pursue workers’ compensation claims. Police officers, firefighters, sanitation workers, and teachers are not covered under New York workers’ compensation.
Public servants have other avenues to collect compensation, such as teacher line-of-duty pay. But they may sue the city if their compensation for an on-the-job injury does not cover their damages. Examples of cases in which suing the city is an option include:
- Firefighters injured in an accident caused by a poorly maintained truck
- Teachers and other school employees hurt due to negligent security or during field trips
- Police officers harmed due to the negligent hiring of a coworker
- Sanitation workers hurt by faulty equipment
- Public servants exposed to asbestos
Teachers
Teachers
Teacher that work for New York schools can be injured on the job or have after affects of working in the school like asbestos exposure.
Police Officers
Police Officers
The NYPD can sue the city if they have been injured, for example due to the negligence of a coworker.
Firemen
Firemen
The Firemen of New York can sue the city if they were injured on the job, for example by an accident caused by poorly maintained truck.
Sanitation Workers
Sanitation Workers
Sanitation Workers can sue the city of New York for injuries on the job, for example, if they were hurt by faulty equipment.
Statute of Limitations: Timing Matters in City Injury Lawsuits
If you decide to sue New York City, you have one year and 90 days to file your suit. This deadline only applies if you filed your Notice of Claim within 90 days of your accident. You have waived your right to sue the city if you did not provide the required notice. If you also sue a third party, such as an equipment manufacturer, you have three years to file your personal injury suit against it.
Our personal injury attorneys at Meirowitz & Wasserberg are well-versed in New York State law regarding suing New York City. We will ensure that your Notice of Claim and your lawsuit are filed on time.
Meirowitz & Wasserberg: Your Partners in City Injury Lawsuits
If you were hurt due to the negligent actions of New York City, you deserve fair compensation for your injuries, including when you are injured on the job. You can sue the city whether you are a visitor or a resident, and the experienced team at Meirowitz & Wasserberg will help you file your claim properly so it doesn’t get thrown out of court.
Fill out our online form for a free consultation, or call us at 212-897-1988.
