Municipal Liability

This subset of personal injury holds municipal entities, such as the City of New York, the New York City Transit Authority, New York City Housing Authority, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), and the New York City Department of Education, liable for their negligence, which include a case against the Department of Education for allowing a 14-year-old student to be severely beaten by other students while on school property, resulting in brain injuries; the New York City Transit Authority for defective doors on the subway resulting in crushing leg injuries to an existing passenger; New York City Police Department for police brutality.

Our NYC personal injury lawyers have successfully obtained monetary compensation for a victim’s physical and psychological injuries sustained as a result of New York City’s negligence.

Related Cases:

Confidential settlement for 11 year old brutally stabbed by an assailant in a NYCHA elevator resulting from a lack of building security
$500,000 settlement against public housing facility for lack of security, enabling someone to access premises resulting in sexual assault
$450,000 settlement against New York City Department of Education for improperly releasing eight year old child to unauthorized person, who sexually assaulted her
$435,000 verdict against New York City Transit Authority for failing to properly remove snow and ice from exterior subway stairs
$380,000 judgment against State of New York for knee injury to motorist resulting from collision with NYS Thruway snow removal vehicle.
$290,000 settlement against the County of Westchester for defective boardwalk
$150,000 verdict against MABSTOA/NYCTA for failing to properly pull up to bus stop resulting in passenger’s exit from rear bus door into a pothole

Our Attorneys

Elise Langsam |

Plaintiff’s personal injury and medical malpractice representation.

Senior Partner and veteran trial attorney Elise Langsam has been practicing law for 42 years, 39 of which have been dedicated to representing personal injury clients. Ms. Langsam is a member of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, the American Trial Lawyers Association, the New York State Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. She is admitted to practice in New York State, the Southern District of New York and the Eastern District of New York. She received her J.D. degree in 1978 from SUNY at Buffalo Law School and was admitted to the Appellate Division First Department in 1979. She has volunteered her services to counsel civic organizations such as the Ecuadorian Civil Committee (she is bilingual in Spanish). Some of the cases she has handled have been the subject of articles in the New York Law Journal, the New York Times, and other legal publications, including Jury Verdict Reports. Ms. Langsam tries all the cases in the firm, and her experience, perseverance, and compassion that have been responsible for favorable results for thousands of clients have earned her recognition as a Super Lawyer each year from 2014 through 2020. Legal fees for personal injury and medical malpractice matters are contingent upon recovery, so that clients need not pay us until we successfully obtain compensation for their injuries.

Richard Langsam |

Corporate law and commercial transactions.

With 41 years of legal experience, Richard Langsam brings to his representation of business clients a broad range of corporate expertise. He counsels small, medium and large businesses and start-ups, advising them with respect to entity selection, strategy and planning, operations, corporate governance, strategic alliances, intellectual property licensing, personnel matters and executive compensation agreements as well as ownership agreements of all varieties. Richard also represents clients in the merger and acquisition arena as well as recapitalizations and financings. Richard’s clientele include such diverse businesses as steel manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, general contractors, architects, engineers and advertising agencies and he has acted as virtual “in house” counsel to Dutch, British, Italian, French, German and Swedish businesses with respect to their wholly owned United States subsidiaries.

"You've been a beacon of light, and dispenser of wisdom and good counsel, throughout this process."

"It takes knowledge. It takes experience. It takes moxie to win in court. Elise has it all."

“You’ve truly been ‘watching my back.’ You employ your expertise as a lawyer with the zeal and energy and heart of a truly great friend.”