Buffalo Man Fighting Mesothelioma Wins Settlement
A Buffalo area man, who as a teenager was employed part time remodeling homes, is battling for his life against the ravages of mesothelioma.
A Buffalo area man, who as a teenager was employed part time remodeling homes, is battling for his life against the ravages of mesothelioma.
Many dedicated Americans worked on the top-secret Manhattan Project, and its aftermath, at Linde, Bethlehem Steel and elsewhere throughout the country. They were unwittingly exposed to varying levels of radiation day after day, for years.
You may not be aware, but the State of New York is currently holding billions of dollars in unclaimed funds.
You do not have to accept NO from your insurance provider! But how do you turn that no into a yes?
Durez Plastics in North Tonawanda, New York will always be remembered by the community surrounding it for its role in exposing workers, and their families alike, to asbestos dust.
As part of our representation of clients suffering from asbestos disease, LIPSITZ & PONTERIO files claims against a variety of bankrupt asbestos companies.
In 2005, our client came to LIPSITZ & PONTERIO seeking compensation for her husband’s 1999 death. Her husband spent his career working in the coke ovens at Bethlehem Steel in Lackawanna, New York.
A 28-year-old Buffalo man, who lost his left arm in an industrial accident, was retained by our firm. The worker, who was cleaning a furniture press manufactured in Italy, severed his forearm at the elbow when it became enmeshed in the machine’s moving parts.
Our client’s husband died of lung cancer at the age of 61. Originally, the lawsuit proceeded on the theory that the cancer resulted from occupational exposure to asbestos-containing products encountered in the course of the decedent’s work as a brakeman, switchman, conductor or fireman.
Childhood lead poisoning continues to be a serious public health problem, especially in the inner cities of Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, and has received increasing publicity.
We dedicate much of our time to representing children who have been injured by lead poisoning. We have sued dozens of negligent landlords in Erie, Monroe, Onondaga, and other Western New York counties.
Embedded within our legal system is the attorney-client privilege which protects your right to talk to a lawyer about the facts of your case in order to obtain professional assistance.
Our client’s husband, who was diagnosed with lung cancer, was screened for asbestos disease by an out-of-town law firm in 1999.
When most people think of asbestos exposure, they think of tradesmen exposed to such materials as pipe insulation and raw asbestos fiber.
The Tutuskas traveled to Washington, D.C., in April 2004 and lobbied against a Senate bill that would have established a national trust fund and eliminated asbestos lawsuits, releasing corporations from any further responsibility.
As part of representation of clients occupationally exposed to asbestos, we file claims against bankrupt asbestos companies.
We represent a resident of Erie County who is suing several officers and staff members of the Erie County Holding Center for a lack of attention to his medical needs, which left him in a diabetic coma for three days.
In August of 2004, our client began to experience symptoms of contact dermatitis. He continued to work with the air brake hose until May 9, 2005, since then he has been unable to return to work due to his disability despite continued treatment.
The Erie County Department of Health is operating a LEADSAFE program funded by two grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development totaling $3.7 million.
Our firm proudly represents the families of approximately 200 former and retired workers from Durez Plastics in North Tonawanda, New York. Attorneys Michael A. Ponterio and John Ned Lipsitz first began representing Durez workers in the mid 1980s. Since that time, the death toll from mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis has been steadily climbing.
Drafting a Will involves legal knowledge and the making of decisions requiring the experienced professional judgment of an attorney. Only a practicing attorney can avoid numerous pitfalls and can advise you of the best course for your personal situation.
After a lengthy battle with the lawyers and insurance carriers for local doctors accused of medical malpractice, LIPSITZ & PONTERIO has obtained a cash settlement for a thirteen-year-old Niagara County girl suffering from severe learning disabilities.
As reported in a recent article published in “The International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health,” Niagara County ranks sixth in the nation for the highest death rate from malignant mesothelioma.
Childhood lead poisoning continues to be a major public health problem, especially in the inner cities of Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse.
The attorneys at Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford dedicate much of their time to representing children who have been injured by lead poisoning.
LIPSITZ & PONTERIO represents a Buffalo man who worked in the Coke Oven Division at Bethlehem Steel Corporation for over thirty years.
The former companies responsible for making the lead-concentrated pigment in lead paint that contaminates much of the nation’s older housing stock were found liable for clean-up costs in the State of Rhode Island in a landmark jury case in February 2006.
The Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act, (FAIR) which came before the Senate earlier this year, has been tabled for now yet the question still exists, who would stand to benefit should the Act resurface?
Libby, Montana: population: approximately 3,000 – a sportsman’s paradise known for its breathtaking scenery and pristine mountains – is home to one of the worst cases of asbestos exposure in U.S. history.
When Congress authorized the Medicare program’s new prescription drug benefit, known as Part D, two years ago, it let private companies offer the coverage instead of mandating that the government provide it as it does traditional Medicare benefits.
LIPSITZ & PONTERIO represents the family of a former brake mechanic admitted to the hospital in the fall of 2004 after complaining of shortness of breath.
LIPSITZ & PONTERIO has settled an automobile negligence case for a Buffalo woman whose car was hit from the side as she proceeded through the intersection at Oak and Genesee Streets in January 2004.
We are pleased to announce that Anne E. Joynt and Keith R. Vona have joined our firm.
Over the course of the last two years, many more of our clients have lost family members and friends to cancer resulting from asbestos exposure at the former Durez Plastics in North Tonawanda.
Childhood lead poisoning continues to be a major public health problem, especially in old urban centers where most homes were built before 1978.
We think it can be said that attorneys who have sued the former manufacturers of lead-based paint products to hold them accountable for their part in causing the scourge of lead poisoning in our cities, have, in some measure, helped push those manufacturers into limited community action aimed towards eradicating dangerous lead-based paint in old houses.
A Buffalo resident who worked in the Coke Oven Division at Bethlehem Steel Corporation for over thirty years and is suffering from lung cancer is suing asbestos companies and the companies that built, designed and maintained the coke ovens.
Fast facts concerning coke oven facilities.
On November 5, 2004, a Niagara County jury delivered a stunning verdict against two asbestos companies held responsible for the mesothelioma cancer of a retired employee of the Ashland Oil Refinery in Tonawanda, New York.
In the City of Rochester, two proposed bills have been introduced in the Common Council to amend the City Charter to promote a reduction of lead based paint hazards in city dwellings.
Last September the nation and the world learned that Merck, the manufacturer of Vioxx, knew that the drug significantly increased the risk of heart attacks and strokes but did everything it could to keep this information from the general public.
Most New Yorkers are aware that state and county expenditures on Medicaid coverage have been a source of budget woes, but how many are aware that our representatives may be inclined to adopt measures to restrict the rising costs that will put millions of people in harm’s way?
We have sued dozens of negligent landlords and pushed our cases with countless hours of work to bring about settlements that will make a difference in the lives of these children.
Last September, Lipsitz & Ponterio negotiated a settlement on behalf of a 60-year-old West Seneca woman who had recently contracted mesothelioma from asbestos she inhaled while washing her husband’s work clothes nearly thirty years ago.
The death of a loved one or a family member is always a traumatic event. If the deceased has a history of occupational exposure to asbestos, one of the particulars that needs to be attended to is the question of an autopsy.
Unfortunately, our state and local governments have failed to fix the problem of lead-contaminated housing in our urban communities.
Today’s home buyers are much more aware of potential hazards that barely rated a second thought a decade or two ago.
A Buffalo landlord’s insurance company has agreed to pay $225,000 to the guardian of a 5 year old boy.
According to a recent U.S. Department of Labor Hazard Information Bulletin, cases of chronic beryllium disease (CBD) are continuing to occur among dental laboratory technicians working with dental alloys containing beryllium.
The number of retired and former Durez workers diagnosed with mesothelioma continues to grow at an alarming rate.
Lipsitz & Ponterio represents one family from Niagara County in a lawsuit against Ashland Oil for benzene-induced leukemia which caused the death of a former Durez worker exposed to pure benzene used in the production of phenol.
In August 2000, a Southtown volunteer firefighter was injured at a firefighter convention in Little Valley, New York. The volunteer claimed that a member of another Fire Department plowed over him during a series of ongoing pranks between fire companies.
While some toxic substances encountered in the work place have their own distinct warning properties, the fine dust particles resulting from work with asbestos, beryllium, lead, silica and other minerals used in industry are often present in harmful but invisible concentrations in the air.
On October 13, 1999, the Howard Johnson Hotel in Niagara Falls, New York suffered extensive property damage from a severe wind and rain storm.
During the past seven and one-half years, we have sued dozens of negligent landlords and collected millions of dollars for children seriously injured by lead poisoning.
Lately, conservative newspaper columnists are arguing that trial lawyers are to blame for the general bankruptcy of the asbestos business.
Robert DiPirro died of asbestos-caused mesothelioma on September 4, 2002.
When you show a jury of six reasonable members of the community real evidence of negligence, common sense usually wins out.
Here at Lipsitz & Ponterio, it is our mission to ensure that each injured worker, or the family of a deceased worker, is treated fairly and reasonably by the insurance company under the Workers’ Compensation Law.
A power of attorney is an essential document in planning for the possibility of physical or mental incapacity.
Where occupational disease is merely suspected and has not yet been diagnosed, an autopsy may be critical in proving the case and, without it, there may be no basis to go forward with a claim.
If you or a close family member are suffering from an occupational disease like mesothelioma, the fact that you are no longer living in Western New York is no obstacle to the successful prosecution of your case.
It is with great sadness that we wish to advise our clients that Diane Felser passed away on January 16, 2003.
Childhood lead poisoning is a huge public health problem, especially in old urban centers such as Buffalo, the City of Tonawanda, and Niagara Falls, where most homes were built before 1978 when lead paint was used on interior and exterior surfaces.
We are pleased to announce that attorney Kathleen A. Burr has joined our firm.
We wish to announce to our clients that we have closed our office in Niagara Falls.
When Clarence Borel filed a law suit in Texas in 1969, he was the first person suffering from asbestosis and mesothelioma to place his case before a jury in the United States of America.
Because of the bankruptcy of so many manufacturers and producers of asbestos products, we have turned our attention toward the responsibility of companies which engaged in selling and installing asbestos products.
Tragically, the number of documented mesothelioma cases arising from exposure at Durez has been rising at an alarming rate.
Our client Jean was followed by the Occidental screening program and by her own doctors. In 1998, she was diagnosed with lung cancer and underwent extensive surgery for the removal of a portion of her lung.
Our office represented a security guard who suffered multiple fractures to both of her legs when the van she was riding in was hit by an NFT Metro bus.
Sadly, some corporations make money by engaging in financial frauds, while others preserve profits by sacrificing the health of workers.
The right to control and protect your assets and preserve your dignity to the fullest extent possible is one of the major benefits of advance planning.
Our client’s child, age two, of Buffalo, New York, was exposed to high levels of lead dust in his bedroom due to negligent work done by outside contractors removing lead paint.
As we approach the sixth anniversary of the founding of our firm, we are mindful of the importance of recognizing hard work and maturity of judgment. It is with this in mind that we are proud to announce our new partners.
There are now tens of thousands of lawsuits pending in state and federal courts against a relatively small number of former manufacturers and producers of asbestos products.
Recently, attorneys at Lipsitz & Ponterio uncovered internal correspondence from 1960 revealing that a prominent local seller and installer of asbestos knew that asbestos dust caused death in exposed workers yet failed to warn its own employees and customers.
Our office represented a young woman in a medical malpractice case against a physician who administered radiation treatments following surgery for cancer.
The insurance industry and construction companies have combined together to weaken or eliminate your legal protections under Labor Law Section 240.
Making a will, health care proxy, and power of attorney is one of the wisest investments of your life and after.
If your spouse or parent dies of a disease caused by toxic exposure at work, including lung disease and cancer, you are entitled to file a claim for death benefits under the New York State Workers’ Compensation Law, provided that your claim is filed within two years of the date of death.
As part of the legacy of heavy industry in Western New York, there will be many more cases of occupational disease and death in the years to come.
The Energy Employee Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 may provide compensation for thousands of previously uncompensated workers.
A health care provider must disclose risks of medical procedures.
Donald and Kristiana Gipson and their two children lost their home to a fire on January 14, 2000.
In 1998, our client, an eighty-four year old Niagara Falls resident, was attacked in the lobby of her dentist’s office.
In our last newsletter, we brought you up to date on the latest bankruptcy filings by asbestos companies.
Although many of the asbestos companies responsible for negligently injuring and killing workers throughout the country and all across the globe are headed for bankruptcy, nonetheless the incidence of asbestos disease, especially serious cases involving cancer and death, is holding steady and may even be on the rise.
In our last newsletter, we wrote about chronic disease caused by exposure to beryllium - a metal used in the defense industry, the automotive and aerospace industries, in electronics and in the manufacture of dental and medical equipment and supplies.
Prior to 1975, most of the paint products used to paint the interior and exterior of residential homes and commercial buildings and structures contained dangerous levels of lead.
We have been representing a growing number of people seriously injured in accidents, such as automobile accidents, construction accidents, and as a result of medical malpractice.
We are aggressively pursuing construction accident claims for our clients.
In medical malpractice, we represent a young female college student who was sterilized due to the carelessness of the doctor.
When we wrote our last newsletter, the Democrats were in the White House, and it appeared that attempts by Republicans in Congress to enact “tort reform” would face significant obstacles.
Since the 1940's, beryllium, a naturally occurring element, has been used increasingly in various industrial applications in the United States of America.
In early October, some of you may have read an excellent series of articles appearing in USA Today which detailed the problems of family members exposed to a variety of toxic substances, including mercury, radioactive material, beryllium, lead, asbestos, PCBs, pesticides and arsenic.
This year alone three corporations which produced asbestos containing materials or utilized them in the construction of equipment filed bankruptcy petitions.
For the past several years, we have also been representing people injured by means of other than exposure to asbestos, such as automobile accidents, construction accidents, and as a result of medical malpractice.
We represented a 40 year old woman who was injured when her car was hit from behind by a tow truck at the I-190 in the Town of Tonawanda.
Attorney Neil J. McKinnon of our office recently received a $400,000.00 cash settlement for our client, a retired worker who suffered broken bones when he was involved in a car accident.