Attorney Joseph F. Sullivan's Legal Cases

Wrongful death

Man Killed in Head-on Collision

Sep 12, 2016

OUTCOME: $3,000,000 Settlement

In a complicated wrongful death case that involved clients from Puerto Rico, Columbia, South America and a car accident that occurred in Pennsylvania, Joseph F. Sullivan was retained by the children of ... a man that was killed in a head-on collision. At the time of the accident, the clients’ father was on his way to the airport in Pennsylvania after spending several weeks working in Pennsylvania for the federal government. The driver responsible for causing the accident was traveling in the opposite direction in a pick-up truck pulling a piece of construction equipment. When another car stopped in front of him to make a left hand turn, he crashed into the rear end of that car and then crossed over and hit the clients’ father’s car head-on. The clients’ father died at the scene of the accident. Through intensive investigation and extensive discovery, including eight video-taped depositions and four expert witness, Attorney Sullivan was able to prove that the driver of the pick-up truck was under the influence of cocaine and that he had an extensive history of drug use and criminal activity that his employer should have been aware of. Just prior to trial, the insurance company for the driver and his employer tendered its entire primary and excess insurance policies.

Slip and fall accident

Slip and Fall in Caribbean Resort

Jun 20, 2016

OUTCOME: $425,000 Settlement

The client was on vacation at a luxury resort in the Caribbean when he slipped while going down three concrete exterior steps. He suffered a severely fractured leg. The resort immediately blamed the cl ... ient for having one or two drinks before he slipped. Joseph F. Sullivan sued the owner of the resort, as well as the entities that designed and constructed it. Additional construction companies were brought into the case by the owners of the resort. Over three years of litigation, Joseph F. Sullivan conducted 13 depositions and obtained hundreds of thousands of documents, putting together a powerful case that the step was defectively designed and not built to specifications. He also developed evidence that completely undermined the resort’s claim that the accident was caused by the client’s intoxication.

Medical malpractice

Failure to Diagnose Ankle Injury

May 06, 2016

OUTCOME: $325,000 Settlement

The client twisted her ankle in a pothole. She reported to her primary care physician the next day. He took a quick look at the ankle and told her that it was sprained and would take months to heal. I ... n fact, she had a fractured bone in her ankle and a torn ligament. She continued to walk around on the ankle for over a year before finally insisting upon an x-ray that reveal the true nature of her injuries. By that time, she needed surgery to correct her problems.

Slip and fall accident

Slip and Fall Victim

Jun 30, 2014

OUTCOME: $600,000 Settlement

The client fell down the steps at a bed and breakfast she was visiting. Although the owner of the bed and breakfast claimed that the building was exempt from the building code because of its age, Jos ... eph Sullivan was able to prove that the current commercial building code applied and that the configuration of the steps violated the code. It was further shown that the configuration of the steps was a significant factor in causing the client’s accident. The client sustained a serious fracture of the head of her humerus, the bone that runs from the elbow to the shoulder, which required two surgeries.

Personal injury

Women Hit by Bicyclist

Mar 12, 2007

OUTCOME: $320,000 Verdict

A women in her 60s that was crossing Central Park West was hit by a bicyclist that was traveling in the wrong direction on Central Park West. The impact knocked her down and she fractured her right a ... nkle. Although no surgery was required, she continued to have pain and had recently returned to physical therapy at the time of trial, 1.5 years after the accident.

Medical malpractice

Women had Radial Nerve Severed due to Surgeon Error

Mar 03, 2007

OUTCOME: $750,000 Settlement

Client had radial nerve severed by a surgeon attempting to remove two tumors in her right arm. The client presented to the surgeon with neurofibromatosis, a condition that causes tumors to grow on ner ... ve tissue. The doctor that committed the medical malpractice evaluated the client and assured her that the small tumor could be removed without any damage to the radial nerve. However, prior to the surgery, he did not perform the proper tests to ensure that the tumor could be safely removed without damaging the radial nerve, and during the surgery, he severed it, leaving the client with a significant loss of use of her right hand.

Personal injury

Victim of Sexual Assault

May 09, 2003

OUTCOME: $500,000 Settlement

Client was the victim of a sexual assault by an employee of a major cruise line. The incident occurred while the ship was in port in a foreign country. The cruise line immediately began taking statem ... ents from the victim and employees involved and attempted to thwart any attempt to have the incident investigated by the foreign authorities. Immediate intervention by Sullivan Brill, involving the FBI, local Florida police and authorities from the foreign country, resulted in a police investigation that was critical to the success of the case. Ultimately, the employee involved was tracked down and deposed in Costa Rica. His testimony was integral to the settlement of the case.

Medical malpractice

Failure to diagnose ankle fracture

N/A

OUTCOME: $375,000 Settlement

Client fractured her lateral malleolus stepping off a curb. The next morning, she went to a podiatrist that who examined her and told her it was a bad sprain. After walking on the ankle for several m ... onths, the client went to an orthopedist that took x-rays and diagnosed the fracture. The client ultimately had to undergo two surgeries that Joseph Sullivan argued would not have been necessary had the fracture been immediately diagnosed.

Personal injury

Fall from Playground Structure

N/A

OUTCOME: $350,000 Settlement

Client, a 12 year old boy, fell from a play structure in a New York City park, fracturing his elbow. Through aggressive discovery Joseph Sullivan was able to prove that the surface under the play stru ... cture was deteriorated and that the City was aware of the condition, but did not correct it. He argued that had the surface not been deteriorated, his client was not have sustained as serious of an injury.

Medical malpractice

Failure to Diagnose Skin Cancer

N/A

OUTCOME: $350,000 Settlement

Client was seen by a dermatologist in Brooklyn for a routine skin check. A biopsy was taken of a suspicious mole on her forehead. The biopsy revealed a basal cell carcinoma, but the results were not ... conveyed to the client. The cancer was discovered about six years later when the client became pregnant. At that time, she had to undergo a surgery to remove the cancerous cells. Fortunately, the cells were removed and the client has remained cancer free. The presented a significant challenge because under New York law, the time limitation for bringing such a claim is 2.5 years from the medical mistake, even if it is not discovered for longer than that. Thus, Joseph Sullivan had to prove malpractice by the dermatologist by arguing that the failure to discover the error on subsequent visits was malpractice. This made for a challenging case, but he was nevertheless able to negotiate a $350,000 settlement.

Joseph F. Sullivan's Legal Cases (10)

Man Killed in Head-on Collision

Slip and Fall in Caribbean Resort

Failure to Diagnose Ankle Injury

Slip and Fall Victim

Women Hit by Bicyclist

Women had Radial Nerve Severed due to Surgeon Error

Victim of Sexual Assault

Failure to diagnose ankle fracture

Fall from Playground Structure

Failure to Diagnose Skin Cancer