John Ned Lipsitz is a founding partner of the Buffalo, New York law firm of Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford, LLC. He has represented workers suffering from industrial diseases, including asbestosis and mesothelioma, since 1985. From 1981 through 1985, Mr. Lipsitz served on the clinical faculty of the Buffalo Law School of the State University of New York, where he instructed students in professional legal representation of consumer debtors, occupational safety and health law, constitutional rights and habeas corpus, and where he taught Research and Writing and Legal Ethics.  Between 1979 and 1981, he was a staff attorney at the Buffalo Office of Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York.

During his forty-one years of legal practice, Mr. Lipsitz has represented clients in a wide variety of cases, including class actions to vindicate constitutional rights and to preserve lifetime health insurance benefits for retired workers, wrongful employment termination, negligent exposure to HIV infection, childhood lead poisoning, automobile accidents, medical malpractice, immigration law, construction accidents, workers compensation, and claims of radiation induced cancers. Mr. Lipsitz represented the plaintiffs in the first chronic beryllium disease cases in New York State. 

In addition to his trial experience. Mr. Lipsitz has briefed and argued numerous appeals before state and federal appellate courts, and has handled hundreds of motions on significant legal issues in New York State trial courts.   Mr. Lipsitz has successfully argued several appeals in New York’s highest appellate court. 

Mr. Lipsitz earned his bachelor’s degree from Yale University and received his law degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School. He was admitted to practice law in New York State in 1979. His professional memberships include  the Western New York Regional Affiliate of the New York State Trial Lawyers’ Association, the Erie County Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, and the National Lawyers Guild. He is a long-time member and supporter of the Western New York Council on Occupational Safety and Health, and he sits on the Advisory Board of the Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Reported Cases:

Terwilliger, etc. v. Beazer East Inc., et al., 2019 WL 2424491; Suttner v. Crane Co., et al., 27 N.Y.3d 765 (2016); Billie v. Hedman Resources, Ltd., 274 A.D.2d 955 (2000); Chrabas v. A.P. Green Industries, Inc., 273 A.D.2d 863; Siemucha v. A.P. Green Industries, Inc., 267 A.D.2d 964; Jarzabek v. Johns-Manville Corp., 255 A.D.2d 947; Takacs v. Asbestospray Corp., 255 A.D.2d 1002; Mattingly v. AES Corp. et al., 291 A.D.2d 862 (4th Dept. 2002); l Scott v. Crystal Construction Corp., 1A.D.3d 992 (4th Dept. 2003); Tedesco v. A.P. Green Industries, Inc., 21 A.D.3d 1418, 801N.Y.S.2d 867 (4th Dept. 2005); Tedesco v. A.P. Green Industries, Inc., 8 N.Y.3d 243 (4th Dept. 2007); Clark v. Weinstein, 23 A.D.3d 1053 (4th Dept. 2005); Helmer v. Draksic, —N.Y.S.2d—-, 2007 WL 779612 (N.Y.A.D. 4th Dept.), 2007 N.Y. Slip Op. 02295; Campbell v. Aerospace Products Intern., 37 A.D.3d 1156 (4th Dept. 2007); Reynolds v. Amchem Products, Inc., 32 A.D.3d 1268 (4th Dept. 2006); Ackerman v. Asbestos Corporation, Ltd., 30 A.D.3d 1073 (4th Dept. 2006); Gibbs v. E.I. DuPont De Nemours & Co., Inc., 876 F.Supp. 475 (W.D.N.Y. 1995); Angela N. v. Suhr, 71 A.D.3d 1489, 897 N.Y.S.2d 279 (4th Dept. 2010); Larkin v. Rochester Housing Authority, 81 A.D.3d 1354, 916 N.Y.S.2d 694 (4th Dept. 2011); Mack v. Howard, 91 A.D.3d 1315 (4th Dept. 2012); Halford v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., 161 F.R.D. 13 (W.D.N.Y. 1995); Connolly v. Hubert’s Service, Inc., 96 A.D.3d 1115, 947 N.Y.S.2d 187 (3rd Dept. 2012); Hamilton v. Picardo, 118 A.D.3d 1260 (4th Dept. 2014); Sanders v. Patrick, 94 A.D.3d 1514 (4th Dept. 2012); N.Y. Civil Liberties Union v. Erie County Sheriff’s Office, 47 Misc.3d 1201(A)  (Sup Ct, Erie County 2015); Bi-Economy Market, Inc. v. Harleysville Ins. Co. of New York, 10 N.Y.3d 187 (2008); Beatty v. Davidson, 713 F.Supp.2d 167 (W.D.N.Y. 2010).