by PMT | Feb 15, 2019 | News
We Are Pleased to Announce Attorneys Michael Neri and John A. Risi Have Been Named Partners at the PMT Law Firm. Each attorney is a talented advocate for the firm’s clients and has achieved their current position with persistent and successful work. John A. Risi John Risi joined the firm in 2014. His practice focuses on the defense of personal injury/product liability cases, complex commercial litigation, and insurance coverage disputes. John is licensed to practice law in Connecticut, New York, U.S. Court of Appeals Second Circuit, U.S. District Court, Eastern and Southern Districts of New York. He practices in the firm’s offices in Elmsford, NY and Norwalk, CT. He has extensive experience in all facets of general civil litigation in both federal and state courts, including extensive pre-trial, trial, and appellate work. He has successfully represented manufacturers, property owners, contractors and insurers in federal and state litigation. See John’s Bio Michael Neri Michael Neri joined the firm in 2014 and is focused in the practice areas of automobile, construction, general liability, and non-profit organizations. He is licensed to practice law in New York and the Eastern and Southern District Courts of New York. Michael practices out of the firm’s Elmsford, NY office. He handles a broad range of litigation matters in state and federal courts from the outset of litigation through trial and appeal. Michael demonstrates a great passion for his work. His litigation experience includes landowner/property owner liability, construction accidents, automobile liability, professional liability and matters involving general allegations of negligence. See Michael’s...
by PMT | Jan 7, 2019 | News
For the past several years, the PMT Law Firm (Pillinger Miller Tarallo, LLP) has provided excellent client service and has experienced exceptional growth. In addition to our 7 current locations, we are delighted to announce our new Garden City, New York location. The new PMT Garden City office is in the heart of Long Island’s legal community and will allow us to provide better and more convenient service to our clients in Queens, Nassau and Suffolk County. Jeffrey Miller, one of the founding partners of the PMT Law Firm said, “we are excited to expand and further service our clients more efficiently.” We are also extremely pleased to announce that Neil Sambursky joins PMT as the Garden City office’s managing partner. With more than 30 years of litigation experience and a wide-ranging defense and insurance coverage practice, Neil expands the breadth of services we provide. Neil is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey; he has an active defense and insurance coverage practice in all of the state and federal courts in both states. Neil serves as national product liability counsel to a Fortune 100 company. Neil’s insurance defense practice in New York and New Jersey includes all types of civil matters including asbestos, construction defect, construction accidents, including New York Labor Law, environmental, toxic tort, and every other type of premises liability case. Neil’s insurance coverage practice is equally diverse. Neil both prosecutes and defends insurance declaratory judgment actions and is regularly called on to issue coverage opinions for claims under the first-party property, environmental, general liability and professional liability policies. Neil has succeeded for his clients on...
by PMT | Nov 14, 2018 | News
The Breakdown is an informative and equally entertaining podcast discussion that addresses the insurance issues faced by NY contractors and developers today. Experts across multiple fields sharing their “insurance playbook” in a round table podcast format. In this week’s episode Executive Partner of the PMT law Firm, Jeffrey Miller was selected as a featured guest because of his passion for the industry and his exceptional consultative skills delivering win/win solutions. Listen to Jeffrey Miller on the Breakdown https://pmtlawfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/Episode-2-Jeffrey-Miller-on-the-Breakdown.mp3 Visit the Breakdown...
by PMT | Oct 4, 2018 | News
Trial Attorney: Lawrence J. Buchman (Nassau County) Larry Buchman of Pillinger Miller Tarallo represented a defendant driver in a civil case for personal injuries who had pled guilty to DWI and vehicular assault in the accident. The pedestrian plaintiff was demanding a mid six-figure amount over our client’s insurance which was lowered to $150,000 at jury selection. The essential evidence was that our driver was driving under the speed limit in the middle lane of a Nassau County highway when the pedestrian staggered into the car’s path over 100 feet from the closest crosswalk. The jury came back with an 80% verdict against the plaintiff pedestrian who had a blood alcohol level two times higher than our defendant driver and the pedestrian crossed a six lane highway while “jay-staggering or jay-stumbling.” Prior to receiving the verdict, the plaintiff accepted a nominal four-figure amount of money over the policy for settlement. Trial Attorney: Christopher G. Todd (Kings County) In this case, Plaintiff was struck in a crosswalk by a driver who ran a red light and fled the scene. The impact threw Plaintiff into the side of our client’s car, which was legally turning left in front of Plaintiff. Plaintiff sued our clients only, and did not attempt to identify the fleeing driver, nor pursue an MVAIC claim. Our pre-trial investigation was crucial in identifying and garnering the cooperation of a non-party witness who provided critical testimony at trial. At trial, there was a unanimous defense verdict. Trial Attorney: Robert J. Gironda (Richmond County) In this case, the insured driver stopped at a stop sign and then proceeded through the...
by PMT | Sep 21, 2018 | News, Uncategorized
Over the Summer the PMT Law Firm held it’s Annual Pillinger Miller Tarallo Golf Outing. It was a great day with Raffles, 50/50, gift baskets, prizes, silent and live auctions. Most importantly, with the help of our friends, employees and clients we were able to raise $13,492.20 for Crossroads Programs. Crossroads Programs empower youth who are homeless, abandoned, abused, or at-risk to lead healthy, productive lives. Crossroads Programs was founded in 1978 through a collaboration of interfaith community leaders committed to providing shelter to runaway and homeless youth. These leaders formed a volunteer board of directors and incorporated Crossroads as a private, non-profit organization. Since that time, the agency has developed considerable expertise in serving youth who must transition to independent young adulthood without the support and guidance typically provided by family. The Crossroads continuum of care for homeless youth – shelter care, outreach services, group homes, residential treatment, community-based treatment homes, life skills training and family therapy – has resulted in improved outcomes and enhanced futures for the thousands of kids and families we have served. Please visit crossroadsprograms.org to learn more. Click the image to see the letter of appreciation from the CEO of the CrossRoads Programs, Michael...
by PMT | Jul 18, 2018 | News
This is a first for PMT. We have never before reported on two cases together. However, this is a special circumstance as these cases read together are “game changers” when it comes to loss transfer. Two recent Court of Appeals decisions underscore the primacy of contractual language (or a lack thereof) over appeals to the “reasonable expectations” of a contracting party. The decisions signaled the Court’s faithfulness to principles of contractual interpretation, including the proposition that contracts should not be judicially re-written when their terms are plain and unambiguous. Of course, where the majorities used interpretation to find clarity, the dissents detected ambiguity and/or issues of fact. The dissents also charged the majorities with narrow readings that undermined the intent and expectations of the parties. The decisions share another important similarity: they are the culmination of litigations involving a complex construction project, contracts, and insurance arrangements, fields that are not shy to conflict but also yearn for the opposite. In view of the foregoing, it is an opportune moment to think comparatively about the Court’s decisions and to assess their impact. With Whom Have You Bargained? In Gilbane v. St. Paul Fire[1], the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (“DASNY”) contracted with Samson Construction Company (“Samson”) for the construction of a medical laboratory next to Bellevue Hospital. Gilbane Building Company and TDX Construction (“Gilbane JV”), a joint venture, contracted with DASNY to be the project’s construction manager. Crucially, Gilbane JV had no contract with Samson. The DASNY-Samson contract contained a provision requiring Samson to procure general liability insurance, naming DASNY and other entities, including Gilbane JV, as...
