S. Joseph Donahue

Associate 
Phone:    212-736-5300
Fax:    212-971-9840
EMail:    jdonahue@blockotoole.com

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S. Joseph Donahue joined the firm in September 2005 and since that time has obtained over $50,000,000 in settlements and verdicts, focusing his attention on significant personal injury cases involving medical malpractice, construction accidents, motor vehicle accidents and tractor trailer accidents.

In May of 2006 Mr. Donahue procured a $9,792,412 verdict in a medical malpractice case in the Bronx involving a young man who suffered a stroke during brain surgery to remove a tumor. Prior to trial Mr. Donahue settled the case against the primary surgeon involved in the surgery for $1,950,000 out of an available $2,000,000 policy of insurance. The case then proceeded to trial against the assistant surgeon only and Mr. Donahue convinced the jury that although the remaining defendant was only an assistant, he was nonetheless responsible for the harm done to the patient.

During trial in September of 2005 Mr. Donahue reached a settlement of $4,000,000 on an Erbs Palsy case.

In August 2006 Mr. Donahue, procured a settlement in the amount of $1,250,000 on behalf of a client in a medical malpractice case involving failure to diagnose breast cancer. In November 2007 Mr. Donahue obtained a settlement in the amount of $1,000,000 for a client in a medical malpractice action where a physician failed to properly treat the patient's kidney stones requiring the removal of the kidney, despite the fact that the patient left the hospital against medical advise. In both cases Mr. Donahue was able to secure the settlements in the early stages of discovery, prior to the completion of depositions.

Mr. Donahue has also successfully represented workers in various trades, including construction workers. In a sixty day time period from December 2008 to February 2009 Mr. Donahue obtained in excess of $15,000,000 on behalf of injured workers, including a December 2008 award for $5,000,000 for a union laborer that suffered a fractured ankle, fractured vertebra and dislocated elbow when he fell 20 feet during the erection of a high rise building, a January 2009 award for $5,500,000 on behalf of a worker injured in an elevator accident, a February 2009 award for $3,500,000 for a union carpenter that suffered a head injury when he was struck in the head by a falling pipe and a February 2009 award of $1,850,000 during trial for a cement & concrete union laborer that suffered an injury to the tips of two fingers of his non-dominant hand, despite the fact that the worker returned to work full time and had not seen a medical provider in nearly two years.

Mr. Donahue's representation of workers also includes a June 2009 award for $2,600,000 for a union laborer that suffered injuries after falling off a scaffold, an April 2008 award during trial in excess of $2,000,000 for a deliveryman injured while making a delivery and a September 2008 award for $1,400,000 for a union carpenter that cut himself while operating a table saw at a construction project.

In a June 2007 trial, covered by the New York Post, New York Daily News, and Associated Press, Mr. Donahue secured a $1,250,000 settlement from the City of New York on behalf of a client claiming neck injuries as a result of a motor vehicle accident wherein she drove over a pothole on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. Following five days of trial, Mr. Donahue was able to secure the settlement despite the fact that the City of New York had no notice of the defect and the client had a history of neck injuries dating back to 1980, including neck injuries sustained in four prior accidents, requiring prior neck surgery.

Mr. Donahue has also handled cases involving tractor trailer accidents, including a July 2009 award for $1,640,000 for a client who suffered injuries to her neck and back, as well as an August 2008 award on behalf of a client for the entire $1,000,000 policy of insurance available, despite the Defendant's claim that the client's vehicle cut off the Defendant's vehicle and came to an abrupt stop causing the accident.

In 1997 Mr. Donahue began his career as a trial lawyer as an Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn, New York. As an Assistant District Attorney Mr. Donahue investigated thousands of criminal cases, presented hundreds of cases to the New York State Grand Jury and successfully obtained jury verdicts on behalf of crime victims. Mr. Donahue was promoted to Senior Assistant District Attorney where he focused on prosecuting violent criminals in homicides, shootings and robberies.

After leaving the District Attorney's Office in 2003, Mr. Donahue began his career in private practice at a prominent New York City law firm specializing in medical malpractice litigation. Mr. Donahue represented hospitals and physicians against claims of medical malpractice in the fields of cardiology, obstetrics and gynecology, neurosurgery, general surgery and failure to diagnose cancer. Mr. Donahue also handled substantial personal injury cases, including negligent security matters.

In March 2008 Mr. Donahue was appointed to the Board of Directors of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association.

Mr. Donahue is a 1994 graduate of Loyola College in Baltimore Maryland and a 1997 graduate of The City University of New York School of Law. Mr. Donahue is licensed to practice in the Federal and State Courts of New York and New Jersey.

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