Author name: Charles DeStefano

SI Advance article about accident victim helped by Charles DeStefano

Click on this link to read article about Charles DeStefano’s recent vistory – Staten Island man awarded $1.6 million dollars

As the President of the Staten Island Trial Lawyers Association , I attended Lobby Day in Albany yesterday to meet with members of the Assembly and Senate to discuss legislation that affects “injured persons”. Our Association was represented by myself, as well as SITLA members Mike Lasser, Chris Caputo, Bill Barillari, Tim O’Donovan, and Orin

Si usted ha sufrido una lesión en un accidente automovilístico, puede estar cubierto por “No Fault.” Los peatones, pasajeros en automóviles, y los conductores de automóviles están cubiertos por este tipo de seguro. (Los motociclistas no están cubiertos; los pasajeros en los autobuses deben utilizar primero cualquier seguro Ausencia de culpa que tienen en su

If you have suffered an injury in an automobile accident, you may be covered under “No Fault.” Pedestrians, passengers in automobiles, and drivers of automobiles are covered under this type of insurance.  (Motorcyclists are not covered; passengers in buses must first use any No Fault insurance that they have in their home – and if

I am prepared to discuss proposed legislation which affects injured persons, including a bill to compel insurance companies to offer Uninsured Motorist Protection to drivers. The bill will allow consumers to make intelligent decisions regarding their choice of coverage to protect themselves and their families. Another bill will hold doctors accountable for their negligence/malpractice to

  En Staten Island, que es muy difícil encontrar un abogado con experiencia , la educación, y que puede hablar el español. Hace veintiséis años empecé mi buffete aquí en Staten Island y los hispanos son los mejores clientes que he tenido. He representado a clientes con más de 2.000 víctimas de todo tipo de accidentes .

I have the honor of attending a luncheon for the Staten Island Legal Services on Friday, April 17 on behalf of the Staten Island Trial Lawyers Association. It will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn located on South Avenue at 12 noon. The Honorable Michael McMahon, attorney and former Congressman, is being honored. Mr.

I have been practicing law since 1988 and consider myself to be within the first generation of lawyers to look for different ways to seek compensation for my clients. The generations before mine tried to negotiate a settlement, and if that failed, they started a lawsuit. We now have different methods of achieving the same

On April 21 and 22, Charles DeStefano will be attending Lobby Day in Albany on behalf of the Staten Island Trial Lawyers Association. Meetings will be held at the chambers of Senators Lanza and Savino, as well as the chambers of Assembly members Borelli, Cusick, and Titone. The topics will include proposed legislation to hold

On May 13th, 2014 I presented the actor, Dylan McDermott, with a plaque from Staten Island Trial Lawyers Association which awarded him the title of “Honorary Trial Lawyer” in acknowledgement of his positive portrayal of lawyers in both film and television.Dylan portrayed trial lawyer “Bobby Donnell” in the hit TV show “The Practice” from 1997 to

Having begun my practice in the 20th century, I find it exciting that the 21st Century has given us great tools to prove our cases.  One of them is the use of video surveillance. Recently I was able to force the hand of a supermarket that permitted a broken freezer to leak water on its

On Friday, December 19th, 2014 I testified at a hearing before the New York State Assembly in connection with the 2015 Health Budget regulations proposed by the Workers Compensation Board. The meeting was presided by Assemblyman Kevin Cahill (Chairman of the NYS Assembly Insurance Committee). These regulations will result in a serious reduction of payments

This was in NYLJ and it interesting from different perspectives. 1) From a practice point of view, we should include in our initial claim letter to NYCTA a request to preserve ” video footage taken from cameras aboard the bus and a printout of data retrieved from the engine control module of the bus.” Additonally, you should

The Court of Appeals affirmed the 1st Department decision of Alvarez v. NYLL Mgt, Ltd, a Supreme Bronx case in which defendants moved for Summary Judgement on the issue of threshold. Essentially, the Court held that when a treating physician fails to explain findings of degeneration or pre-existing conditions (and fails to address these issues

OK, we finally put the nail in the coffin on ERISA subrogation claims! Those nasty vultures at Rawlings are truly out of our lives ! (Actually, calling them “vultures” is an insult to such noble birds who actually contribute something to the world!) “Pirates” is another word that came to mind, but I don’t think

Here are a few cases of note from the Second Department that you may find useful: Lawton v. Palmer, decided on March 25, 2015, the 2nd Dept reversed trial court for not permitting defendants from impeaching a non-testifying witness (MD) by way of introducing Department of Health records which showed that the MD plead guilty

The Staten Island Trial Lawyers Association was represented by President Charles DeStefano on March  at “Community Day” hosted by Iman Tahir Kukaj (left in photo) at the Albanian Cultural Center.  The event included leaders in the community, including Borough Commander Chief Edward Delatorre (Right in photo). Other guests included leaders representing the borough’s Jewish, Hindu,

In my complete unscientific (but on the ground!) observation, it seems as though  texting and driving is the perceived cause of many accidents, especially those auto accidents involving pedestrians. Pedestrians seem to not be attentive to the color of the traffic light, in addition to not staying within the bounds of crosswalks. Drivers are looking

New York law now permits you to purchase “Spousal Liability” insurance with your auto coverage.  Under the law, a spouse may generally not sue another spouse. The reason for this dates back hundreds of years under English Common Law.  The purpose was to not place husbands and wives in the precarious situation of suing each

Most of my clients who have been injured in a motorcycle accident are usually safe riders.  They follow the rules of the road and exercise courtesy, more so than the average automobile driver. Naturally, they are true “defensive drivers” due to their immense exposure to injury in an unprotected vehicle. Unfortunately, riders of motorcycles also

A drunk driver blows a stop sign and seriously injures you.  The police arrive and the driver is placed in handcuffs as you are put on a gurney in an ambulance.  Along the way, aside from the excruciating pain, you are worried how you will be able to pay your bills and recover your lost

Many of you are paying for higher liability coverage to protect you in the event you injure someone in a car accident and you are sued.  That is the responsible thing to do. If, for example, you strike a pedestrian in a crosswalk and they suffer a knee injury requiring surgery, you will feel secure if