Morelli Law Firm

This is a concerning update to the scary MTA bus crash that occurred on Monday in Brooklyn. If the driver was indeed at fault due to negligence, the MTA needs to ensure that its other drivers are fully caught up on safety standards to prevent similar accidents.

We’re disturbed to hear that Atlantic Coast Utilities had already been dinged for workplace safety concerns before the tragic accident that claimed the lives of two workers in February. There needs to be a full, comprehensive investigation, before more workers are hurt or worse.

This horrifying story is one of thousands. Each and every family that lost a loved one to care home negligence during the pandemic deserves their day in court. We hope that the US District Court will make the right decision here and not create further barriers to justice.

The Supreme Court made the right decision in rejecting this appeal. Having represented over 1000 women in related litigation against Johnson & Johnson, we’ve seen firsthand the devastation caused by J&J’s negligence and the dire need for compensation to provide for victims’ ongoing health costs.

Our caps off to the MLB for taking appropriate action to protect employees from sexual harassment. There’s no room for that behavior in baseball.

Employees of the Olive Garden in Times Square filed an official complaint against Darden Restaurants alleging racial and gender bias. This marks the second such suit against Darden this year, during a time in which harassment of tipped workers is already exacerbated due to the pandemic.

The latest in Pinterest’s ongoing diversity & inclusion issues; while the ex-COO won a $20 million payout for gender discrimination that she experienced at the company, two Black women employees who filed an earlier suit received less than a year’s worth of severance. It’s disheartening to see that even in discrimination settlements, Black women still experience disparate treatment. We applaud these women for speaking out on this issue and hope this will drive necessary change.

In 2017, over 80,000 workplace discrimination charges were filed with the EEOC, primarily claiming race-based, sex-based, and age-based discrimination. This resulted in nearly $400 million in compensation for victims. (Source: NIH) #FridayFact

This is the third worker death at the SoFi Stadium development site since June. Citations have already been issued by Cal-OSHA in relation to the June incident. We’re deeply disturbed by these deaths and hope that further investigations will be launched to ensure workers’ safety.

We applauded Governor Cuomo’s efforts to mandate anti-harassment training at all New York workplaces back in 2018. If he is serious about ending sexual harassment in New York State, we encourage him to comply with an independent investigation into these allegations.

In 2018, the United States experienced over 167,000 preventable deaths and 46.5M injuries, with over $1,000B in associated costs. (Source: National Safety Council) #FridayFact

3 Black city employees in San Francisco have filed a class action suit alleging racial discrimination. It’s the latest in a series of suits the city is facing this year that began back in March. It’s beyond unacceptable that the city has evidently not done enough to crack down on discrimination, particularly at a time when public servants are being asked to go above and beyond to keep citizens safe and informed.

The passage of Proposition 22 in California may have dire consequences for gig workers facing harassment or discrimination. Every worker should have the right to labor protections.

14 officers and enlisted soldiers at Fort Hood were fired or suspended today following an independent probe into sexual harassment and assault at the military base. Over the last year, 25 soldiers assigned to the base died due to suicide, homicide or accidents, with sexual misconduct suspected in several of these cases. We hope this is the first of several decisive actions to protect Fort Hood soldiers from assault and harassment.

Of the 4,136 people killed in large truck crashes in 2018, 67% of fatalities were occupants of cars and passenger vehicles, 16% were truck occupants, and 15% were pedestrians, bicyclists or motorcyclists. (Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) We work hard to ensure that trucking companies are held accountable for creating the dangerous working conditions that lead to more than 500,000 trucking accidents a year. #FridayFact

The National Safety Council estimates that passenger transportation incidents account for about one in seven preventable injury-related deaths. #FridayFact

Thank you to the sponsors, walkers and donors who participated in our first virtual Walk for Thought on Saturday, October 17th. Despite heavy rain in the days ...prior, the weather broke to provide walkers with a beautiful fall day to get outside in support of BIAC! Some walked alone, some in groups. Some walked in scenic areas, and some at home. No matter how or where you walked, we thank you. We have received some photos and videos of walkers, but if you have more to share you can add your photos and videos to Facebook and tag us (@BrainInjuryAllianceCT) or send them to us at [email protected]. We are extremely grateful to our Presenting Sponsor - Morelli Law Firm, along with additional sponsors - CareOne Management, LLC Neurorehabilitation Programs of Massachusetts, Employment Options, LLC, and Gaylord Specialty Healthcare. We especially want to thank the following walkers and team leaders who showed tremendous support for this year's virtual Walk for Thought: NancyAnn Autunno & Team Brainiacs Glenn Bournique Noah Lourie Mosher & Team Limitless Julie Peters Sarah Raskin & Team Trinity College

Congratulations to our world champions on the USWNT, who have reached settlement terms on one portion of their lawsuit against U.S. Soccer alleging unequal working conditions. That the best soccer team in the world is still struggling to bridge the gender pay gap speaks to the wide-ranging impact of gendered workplace discrimination.

#MeToo is making an unexpected - but welcome - impact on racial discrimination lawsuits. More and more workers are demanding to be able to speak out about their experiences and some companies are even reevaluating NDA use as part of exit agreements. It’s a welcome step towards further empowering workers to speak out against abuse.

B&H Photo Video is in hot water again this week after furloughed employees accused the company of discrimination. The company has been sued for discrimination twice before, most recently in 2016. We can only hope the third time’s the charm to securing a safe and respectful workplace for all employees.

The City’s response to the death of Erica Tishman by falling debris last December is a slap in the face to her grieving family and all New Yorkers. Hear the latest on our lawsuit on behalf of her family on NBC New York:

More than 3 years after the bombshell allegations against Harvey Weinstein helped kick off #MeToo, venerable arts institutions are continuing to be rocked by sexual harassment and misconduct allegations. This time London’s Royal Academy of Music is in the hot seat. We’re glad to see that an independent investigation is being launched to uncover any misconduct and secure justice for victims.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will soon hear the appeal against a 2019 ruling that would open the floodgates for civil litigation against clergy accused of sexual abuse. The state Superior Court ruled in 2019 to allow a lawsuit against the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown for covering up sexual abuse in the 70’s and 80’s, and could create a precedent for plaintiffs to sue in cases that would otherwise be barred by the statute of limitations.

A national survey of more than 10K entertainment workers shines a light on the ongoing problem of sexual harassment in Hollywood. Notable among the findings: 69% of victims do not report because they do not believe they can get justice. It’s our job to prove them wrong.

We represent clients experiencing employment discrimination every day, but allegations like these against a District Attorney’s office are nevertheless shocking. It’s imperative that a thorough investigation is conducted to ensure that the Manhattan DA’s office upholds the highest standards of professionalism.

Out of more than 1 million employment discrimination complaints filed with the government between 2010 and 2019, retaliation for things like speaking out against discrimination, requesting accommodations, or supporting a colleague’s complaint was the most frequently alleged type of discrimination (Source: Washington Post). These numbers make it clear how discrimination can flourish in hostile work environments. #FridayFact

Just appalling allegations against not only Villa but the entire New York City FC organization. Every employer has a responsibility to maintain a safe and harassment-free workplace for all employees.

Falls are the third-leading cause of accidental injury-related deaths and cause tens of thousands of workplace injuries every year. In 2016, 48,060 workers were badly injured enough by falls to require days off of work. #FridayFact (Source: National Safety Council)

We’re appalled by this lawyer’s extremely unethical conduct. Our work as plaintiffs’ attorneys demands the utmost integrity to ensure that nothing stands in the way of getting justice for our clients. We can only hope that this does not prevent victims of medical malpractice in Maryland from seeking help.

This weekend, shards of glass fell from a Midtown high-rise under construction the same building that was the site of a crane accident just a few weeks ago. It’s a miracle that no one was hurt. Time and again in this city we see the same hazardous buildings getting let off with a fine and continuing to endanger New Yorkers.

Fox News is facing further scrutiny following the shocking sexual harassment allegations made against Kimberly Guilfoyle last week. This is the second set of allegations related to the network this year, following the allegations made against Ed Henry this summer. Fox has come a long way since we sued them in 2004, but they have some serious work to do.

A disturbing development in the Boy Scouts’ ongoing bankruptcy proceedings; nearly 90,000 additional sex abuse claims were filed against the organization ahead of the deadline for submitting claims. The number far exceeds initial projections and drives home the pervasive culture of abuse that led to the organization’s initial bankruptcy filing in February. Our hearts go out to all of the survivors and we applaud those who have come forward to share their stories.

Harvey Weinstein is facing six new sexual assault charges in California, LA prosecutors announced today. The disgraced mogul is currently serving 23 years for rape in New York, and has been facing criminal charges in California since January. Time will tell if civil litigation may follow the criminal charges.

Despite increased attention to the problem of racial discrimination in the workplace, a 2017 study from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found no changes in the levels of discrimination faced by Black employees over a 25-year period, and only a slight change for Latinos. We’re proud to keep fighting for safe workplaces for all. #FridayFact

A construction worker is in the hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries after falling from the roof of an unfinished Queens building to the 11th floor. We wish him a speedy recovery and hope that the ensuing investigation will ensure no further harm comes to workers.

A devastating forklift accident led to a construction worker’s death yesterday in Missouri. As plaintiff’s attorneys, we fight hard to secure substantial settlements for workplace injuries and fatalities to ensure that victims’ families are able to mourn without worrying about their financial security.

Very frightening accident today on @NJTRANSIT, when a train on the Pascack Valley Line struck a passenger vehicle in Hackensack. Thankfully, firefighters rescued the vehicle’s driver, who was transported to the hospital by EMS. We’re sending our best wishes to the driver for a full recovery, and we hope NJ Transit’s internal investigation will quickly get to the bottom of what happened.

It’s not surprising that three of the largest states Florida, California and Texas had the highest number of fatal truck and bus accidents in 2019. Together, the states accounted for nearly a third of the total accident victims. #FridayFact

Our client Annabel Sen filed a lawsuit Thursday after she was struck by a lounge chair from a Union Square balcony and suffered traumatic brain injuries. Founding Partner Benedict Morelli was on NBC New York Thursday night to share her story.

"There was really no reason for this to happen. Read more about our lawsuit on behalf of a woman who suffered traumatic brain injuries after being struck by patio furniture that flew off of a Union Square building in the New York Post.

Multiple people were injured in a frightening collision yesterday in Bushwick, including one man who is in critical condition after being thrown from a shuttle bus that struck a passenger car. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

In a nationally representative study on elder abuse by family members, 9% of respondents reported verbal abuse, 3.5% reported financial abuse, and less than 1% reported physical abuse. #FridayFact

Our hearts go out to the families of the victims of yesterday’s devastating car crash on the Southern State Parkway in Long Island. The collision occurred on a notorious stretch of the highway known as Blood Alley that has not been properly updated to match changing traffic patterns. We hope that the ongoing study being conducted by the New York State Department of Transportation will soon provide guidance on how to update the area and protect drivers.

2 construction workers were injured in a construction accident earlier today in Seattle when the pier they were working on partially collapsed. We’re glad to hear they’re in stable condition and hope that appropriate steps will be taken to ensure the ongoing project is safe.

We’re disappointed that the Virginia Senate voted down qualified immunity reform once again. From 2005-07, 44% of courts granted qualified immunity to police in excessive force cases, and that number jumped to 57% from 2017-19. #FridayFact

We’re shocked and saddened by the death of Brooklyn prosecutor Sarah Pitts in a fatal bus accident yesterday. There needs to be a thorough investigation to determine if any wrongdoing occurred and prevent future tragedies like this one.

It’s been 99 years since the Tulsa Race Massacre a particularly brutal incident in our country’s fraught history that destroyed countless lives and a booming Black business district in Tulsa but it’s not too late to begin making amends. We applaud the survivors and descendants of victims who are now seeking justice and we hope that this suit prompts other communities to reckon with their legacies of racism.

McDonald's just can’t stay out of trouble; this time they’re facing a racial discrimination lawsuit from 52 former Black franchisees. We applaud the plaintiffs for fighting back against injustice and hope this suit will lead to safe conditions for all employees.

According to the AARP, age discrimination accounts for more than 1 in 5 of the discrimination charges filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. #FridayFact

‘There’s always all of these excuses after something tragic happens but this is a pattern.’ Read more about our suit on behalf of the family of Erica Tishman, who was tragically killed in December 2019 by a piece of debris that fell off a Midtown building, in the The Wall Street Journal.

We’re glad to see that shareholders are taking the problem of sexual harassment seriously and driving corporate Board members to take action to protect employees. As this issue gains visibility thanks to the #MeToo movement, pressure on companies to respond swiftly to allegations of sexual harassment will only increase.

In 2011, the New England Journal of Medicine estimated that by age 65, 75% of doctors in low-risk specialties, and 99% of doctors in high-risk ones, had faced a medical malpractice claim. #FridayFact

McDonald's made headlines again this week over sexual harassment allegations this time in a $500m sexual harassment lawsuit filed by two Florida workers. These women and thousands of other employees deserve their day in court.

A collision between two NJ TRANSIT buses sent a dozen people, including both drivers, to the hospital today. Our thoughts are with the injured passengers and employees for speedy recoveries.

A recent Harvard Business Review study found that since 1990, white job applicants received avg. 36% more callbacks than Black applicants and 24% more than Latinx applicants with the same resumes. Clearly there’s still work to be done to end race-based employment discrimination. #FridayFact

Another disturbing example of the barriers facing victims of sexual assault and harassment who speak out against their assaulters. We’re proud to fight for survivors and we won’t be intimidated in the pursuit of justice.

With new allegations emerging last month against its disgraced ex-CEO, McDonald’s is now suing Steve Easterbrook on allegations of lying, fraud, and concealing evidence. It marks a sharp departure from typical corporate responses to sexual harassment allegations, and we hope it’s a sign that more and more corporations are recognizing the serious nature of this problem.

In 2019, sexual harassment charges filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against organizations and individuals excluding damages awarded through litigation totaled $68.2M. #FridayFact

6 construction workers were injured by falling rebar in a devastating accident today in Miami. We hope that they make full and swift recoveries, and that details as to the cause of the accident will emerge quickly and ensure safe working conditions for the duration of the project.

This Thursday at 1pm ET, our very own David Sirotkin will be speaking at the annual New Jersey Association of Justice seminar. He'll be discussing how to leverage technology to drive courtroom success, drawing upon the firm's recent $102M verdict against Live Nation. You can register for David’s lecture, Winning the Big One with Technology, here: https://www.nj-justice.org/index.cfm.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, we’ve been saying that for-profit nursing homes must not be granted the same broad immunity that’s been granted to other frontline healthcare workers. We are now seeing the consequences of such immunity play out in New Jersey, with families unable to seek justice for their loved ones that were harmed by nursing home neglect.

Elder abuse is often an unseen phenomenon, but it’s far more common than you might expect. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 1/6 people age 60+ have experienced some form of abuse in communal institutions during the past year. #FridayFact

The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals handed down a huge decision today in the ongoing Harvey Weinstein saga, ruling that actress Ashley Judd may proceed with her sexual harassment suit against the disgraced director. We wish Ashley the best in pursuing justice against her harasser. #9thCircuit

On Friday, the NYS Supreme Court sustained over $40m in pain and suffering for our client Mark Perez, whose story we shared a couple of weeks ago. If upheld, this would be the largest pain and suffering award affirmed in New York State. It would also be a life-changing result for Mark, who will require medical care for the rest of his life. Read more in New York Law Journal:

Tragic news from New Jersey last night; a public transit employee was killed in an accident in the track area. We hope that the investigation will be thorough and prompt in ensuring that such accidents cannot happen again.

A worker is injured on the job every 7 seconds, according to @NSCsafety. That adds up to 510 injuries per hour, 12.6K per day, 88.5K per week, and 4.6M injuries per year. #FridayFact

More details are emerging on the Ed Henry case. We’re glad to see Fox News has adopted new oversight and accountability processes since we were the first attorneys to successfully sue the network back in 2004, but it’s clear there’s still more work to be done.

In 2013, a tragic bus accident in South Carolina occurred when the driver struck another vehicle. 7 passengers were severely injured and sought out our help. We are thankful to have secured more than $2.2 million in damages for the victims so that they were able to heal physically and mentally without having to worry about the cost. #ThankfulTuesday

Tragic accident in Western Canada yesterday. It’s still unclear what caused the tour bus rollover that killed 3 yesterday in Alberta’s Jasper National Park, though one witness on another tour bus noted that the buses did not have seatbelts,

Construction workers should not be victims of their employers’ carelessness. As construction resumes in NYC and around the country, worker safety must be a priority at every stage of the process.

George Floyd’s family has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis and the four officers charged in his death. We strongly support the elimination of qualified immunity, which provides an unreasonable amount of civil legal protection for police in the line of duty, and hope that it will not be used here to delay justice.

In 2013, our client Mark Perez sustained 4 brain injuries in a construction accident at Jones Beach while working for Live Nation. To this day, he continues to suffer complications from his injury and requires full-time care. On this #ThankfulTuesday, we’re grateful to have secured a $102 million verdict to ensure Mark has access to the care he needs.

Tragic incident in Philadelphia today involving a SEPTA bus. Police are still investigating.

Across the US, we’ve seen countless stories of nursing home abuse and neglect during the pandemic. Now more than ever, we need to come together to support and protect our elderly community members, and we’re pleased to see Los Angeles taking necessary steps towards justice for these victims.