On February 9, 2010 a Broome County, New York jury awarded a verdict totaling $2,511,500 to a union plumber/pipefitter injured while working as a contractor at Amrex Chemical Company, Inc. at its East Frederick Street facility in October of 2005. The worker and his wife were represented in the case by Stephen G. Schwarz, managing partner at Faraci Lange, LLP of Rochester, New York.

The plaintiff was called in to work on the sprinkler system in the basement of the facility and had been told at a prior visit by representatives of defendant Amrex that he did not require any respiratory protection such as a respirator. Workers on the floor above were apparently cleaning out 55 gallon drums that had been used for chemical storage and the residue of the chemicals leaked through the floor into the area where the plaintiff was working. As the liquid leaked into the basement two incompatible chemicals, a strong acid and sodium hypochlorite, mixed together creating a cloud of chlorine gas that the plaintiff inhaled. More…

As the economic downturn worsens, many people will likely be looking for new ways to cut corners in every facet of their lives to try to make ends meet. One of the areas already being impacted is automobile liability insurance coverage. This is the insurance that covers you when you are in an auto accident and are injured because of the fault of another driver. In some states like California and Arizona, as many as 20% of drivers have no insurance at all. In New York, the estimated percentage of drivers without insurance is lower – estimates range from 3 to 8%. We can expect that number to grow as those affected by the economic downturn opt to pay rent or buy food rather than pay their automobile insurance premiums.

New York Drivers Need to Protect Themselves By Making Sure They Have Enough “SUM Coverage”

Even before the latest economic crisis began, drivers in New York could choose to register a motor vehicle and buy only the minimum $25,000 of liability coverage required by law. In fact, for people who have had multiple accidents, $25,000 is frequently all the liability insurance a company will sell to them. These people are in what the insurance companies refer to as the “high risk pool.” Not coincidentally, the people who cause the most accidents and injure the most people on the road are well-represented in this high risk group. More…

The Rochester, New York law firm of Faraci Lange, LLP was recognized in the 2008 Upstate New York addition of Super Lawyers with five of its attorneys listed in this prestigious publication. Founders Angelo G. Faraci and Paul K. Lange were both listed in the personal injury section, while Joseph A. Regan, Brian M. Zorn and Stephen G. Schwarz were listed in the medical malpractice section. Faraci was also listed as one of the ten lawyers receiving the highest point totals (inclusive of all legal specialties) and Schwarz was listed as being in the top 50 for Upstate New York.

According to the Super Lawyers publication, only 5% of the lawyers in New York State are named to this list, which recognizes attorneys who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection is made after a rigorous process that includes peer review and nomination, as well as extensive background checks and research into each prospective candidate. More…

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and predominantly trichloroethylene (TCE) have long been recognized as dangerous and persistent groundwater pollutants. Numerous epidemiological studies have established that TCE is a likely human carcinogen with the strongest evidence supporting a causal link to kidney, liver and lymphoma cancers. In the past, the most common route of exposure was through contaminated well water, whether by ingestion, inhalation of vapors or though contact with the skin. In many jurisdictions, government regulators were less aggressive where a plume of TCE or other VOCs was discovered in an area serviced by a public water supply, believing that residents were not being exposed.

In recent years, however, the danger of vapor intrusion is finally getting the attention it deserves from regulators and legislators across the country. One of the largest vapor intrusion sites discovered to date is in Endicott, New York. A plume of TCE and other VOCs are contaminating the air in hundreds of Endicott homes, requiring the installation of hundreds of individual vapor intrusion remediation systems. Faraci Lange, LLP, a Rochester, New York law firm, is involved in toxic chemical exposure litigation commenced against IBM on behalf of the victims of this contamination. More…