Stephen J. Murphy joined the firm Block & O'Toole in early 2005 after a successful and rewarding career as a homicide prosecutor working in the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office under Charles J. Hynes. Mr. Murphy is a lawyer that is best known for his work in the courtroom, now focusing on serious construction accidents and catastrophic personal injury trial work.
Mr. Murphy handles a wide range of cases including labor law and construction accidents, wrongful death, premises liability, tractor trailer collisions, medical malpractice and motor vehicle cases. Mr. Murphy has beenfeatured on Fox News Radio as one of "America's Premier Trial Lawyers", has been named a "New York Super Lawyer" over the last few years recognizing him as one of the top 5% of lawyers practicing in his field, has been recognized by 'The National Trial Lawyer' as one of the top 100 trial lawyers and was featured in 'The New York Times' as one of the "Top Attorneys in New York.
With just eight (8) years in civil practice, Mr. Murphy already has an extremely impressive body of work, regularly returning verdicts and settlements in excess of a million dollars. He has amassed well over $100,000,000 in results for his clients during that time period. Mr. Murphy is an attorney that members of the bar frequently consult with on trial matters and refer their most significant cases to.
Mr. Murphy, along with his colleague Daniel O'Toole, persuaded a Suffolk County jury to return a record-setting verdict of $32,756,156 on behalf of a 60 year-old man in a traumatic brain injury case. The verdict, covered extensively by the local media, is the largest negligence verdict ever in Long Island and was featured in a cable television documentary entitled "The Good Samaritan." In addition, the result was also recognized by the New York Law Journal as the second highest negligence verdict in New York State for 2007 and one of the top 100 verdicts in 2007 for the entire United States. Recently, Mr. Murphy and his colleague David Scher, successfully negotiated a $5,500,000 settlement for an injured electrician that sustained a traumatic brain injury after falling from an extension ladder. In 2008, Mr. Murphy also successfully negotiated a $15,500,000 settlement on behalf of an injured client. In Queens county, Mr. Murphy recently convinced a jury to return a verdict of $5,585,000 for an undocumented worker that sustained back and wrist injuries in a construction accident. Mr. Murphy also secured $3,925,000 for an injured worker that tried to help a truck driver that was stuck at a railroad crossing. The truck was struck by a locomotive, resulting in serious orthopedic injuries to the plaintiff. In recognition of his achievements, he was named a partner in July 2008 and the firm name was then changed to Block O'Toole & Murphy. Recently, Mr. Murphy has been published for a series of columns that he co-authored with colleague David Scher concerning construction accident cases that appeared in the New York Law Journal.
Mr. Murphy began his legal career working as an Assistant District Attorney. He honed his skills in the criminal courtrooms in Brooklyn, prosecuting violent crimes. Mr. Murphy earned a reputation from the judiciary and his colleagues as a tough, but fair, prosecutor. In early 2002, District Attorney Hynes appointed Mr. Murphy to his elite Homicide Bureau. Mr. Murphy, the youngest member of Brooklyn's Homicide Bureau at the time, successfully handled several high profile cases, including double and triple murders, arson homicides, gang murders and brutal murders of innocent children.
In July 2003, Mr. Murphy traveled to Sarajevo on behalf of the United States Justice Department to assist in the implementation of a new justice system in post-war Bosnia & Herzegovina. While there, Mr. Murphy, and two Federal District Court judges from California, were responsible for trial advocacy training for the newly appointed attorneys and judges in the region.
Mr. Murphy served as an adjunct professor of law for eight years at the St. John's University School of law. He instructed students on trial advocacy and lectured on criminal and civil trial practice and evidence. Mr. Murphy also served as an instructor for their nationally regarded trial advocacy program. His students won national championships in trial competitions in five of the seven years Mr. Murphy was involved.
In 2011, Mr. Murphy was appointed to the New York County Democratic Judicial Screening Panel. Mr. Murphy has also appeared on Court TV, Fox Radio and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio as a guest host offering expert legal commentary and his work has been featured in The New York Times, New York Post, Newsday and New York Daily News.
Mr. Murphy is a proud member of the St. Jude Children's Hospital fundraising team, helping raise well over $1,000,000 for this worthy cause. He also is a dedicated supporter of the Frances Pope Memorial Foundation, an important charity that assists families with a child that has been diagnosed with a pediatric disease such as leukemia and cancer. Mr. Murphy was a recipient of the "2010 Man of the Year Award" by The Frances Pope Memorial Foundation for his efforts on behalf of children with cancer.
Experience
Recent Results:
- $32,756,156 Jury Verdict in Suffolk County for a 60 year-old man that sustained a traumatic brain injury.
- $15,500,000 Settlement for an injured client in a pedestrian knockdown case.
- $5,585,000 Jury Verdict in Queens County for a 35 year-old undocumented worker that sustained back and wrist injuries requiring surgery.
- $5,500,000 Settlement just before jury selection for an injured electrician that sustained a traumatic brain injury after falling from an extension ladder.
- $3,925,000 Settlement for a "good samaritan" that was injured while trying to help a truck driver that was stuck on a railroad crossing. The truck and the plaintiff were hit by a L.I.R.R. locomotive.
- $3,231,000 Settlement against a Bronx slumlord on behalf of an infant that was burned with hot water while bathing in her home.
- $3,100,000 Settlement for a plumber that sustained spine injuries while working in a trench at a construction site.
- $3,000,000 Settlement for a man that sustained orthopedic injuries after being struck by a tractor trailer.
$2,750,000 Settlement for a 57 Year-Old female pedestrian that sustained a neck injury after being struck by a van. - $2,250,000 Settlement during trial for a laborer that sustained a lower back injury requiring surgery.
- $2,250,000 Settlement just before trial for an injured coca-cola worker that sustained a back injury while making a delivery at a prominent French restaurant.
- $2,200,000 Settlement just before trial for an injured sanitation worker that sustained a fractured leg while working that required surgery and a skin graft.
- $2,005,000 Settlement in a "reckless disregard" case against an ambulance company.
- $2,000,000 Settlement for an injured client that sustained non-surgical spine injuries in a elevator accident.
- $2,000,000 Settlement in a case against The City of New York for a client that required spine surgery.
- $1,941,000 Jury Verdict in a spine surgery case in Kings County.
- $1,823,000 Jury Verdict in a non-surgical disc bulge case in Kings County. His client, a surgeon, missed a total of one day of work.
- $1,750,000 Settlement for a Suffolk County woman that sustained a back injury in an
accident with a bus. - $1,750,000 Settlement for a undocumented worker that lived in Queens for back injuries sustained in a construction accident.
- $1,650,000 Settlement for a family in a wrongful death action due to the negligence of a building owner in a deadly fire.
- $1,500,000 Settlement in a case against The City of New York for a 57 Year-Old woman that sustained back and leg injuries after being knocked down by an unmarked police car while crossing the street.
- $1,490,000 for a 44 year old man that was injured in a collision with a bus.
- $1,475,000 Settlement for a hospital employee that was injured on the job.
- $1,450,000 and $924,000 Settlements in two concurrent causation cases in Queens County.
- $1,400,000 Settlement in Queens just before summations for an injured carpenter that lost the tips of his fingers in a construction accident.
- $1,350,000 Settlement before trial on a trucking accident in Queens County.
- $1,350,000 Settlement for a Construction Laborer that had two tips of his fingers from his dominant hand amputated in a construction site accident.
- $1,350,000 Settlement on the eve of trial for a construction laborer that fell off a roof, fracturing his arm and a bone in his pelvis. The trial was venued in Rockland County.
- $1,325,000 Settlement just before trial for a carpenter at a construction project who fell from a ladder that was on top of a rolling scaffold, sustaining lower back and knee injuries
- $1,250,000 (the entire insurance amounts) for a woman that aggravated a prior spine injury requiring surgery.
- $1,250,000 Settlement just before summations in a Bronx trial on behalf of a bicycle messenger that sustained leg and knee injuries in an accident.
- $1,250,000 Settlement in a Suffolk County case for a carpenter that sustained a neck injury after falling from a ladder.
- $1,250,000 Settlement in a Manhattan case for a mother and son in a suit against the City for spine and knee injuries sustained in a collision with a N.Y.P.D. vehicle.
- $1,220,000 Settlement for a truck driver that sustained an elbow injury and aggravated a long-standing back injury just before trial in a Nassau County tractor trailer accident.
- $1,200,000 Settlement in a Suffolk County case where a driver was struck by another driver that was charged with Driving While Intoxicated (VTL ?1192(2)
- $1,200,000 Settlement for a laborer that lost the tips of four toes in a construction site accident.
$1,200,000 for a 54 Year-Old female in Nassau County that exacerbated neck and back injuries requiring surgery. - $1,200,000 for a 50 Year-Old female that aggravated a prior neck injury in an auto accident.
- $1,175,000 Settlement on the eve of trial for a woman with long standing and preexisting cervical herniations. The victim was struck by unsafely stacked products in a large supermarket.
- $1,150,000 Settlement for a laborer that sustained a facial laceration while working with an unsafe saw.
- $1,050,000 Settlement for a Queens woman that sustained a neck injury in a motor vehicle collision.
- $1,100,000 Settlement during trial for a female laborer that sustained a back injury in a construction accident.
- $1,000,000 Settlement for a Suffolk County female that underwent a neck surgery after a motor vehicle accident.
- $1,000,000 Settlement following a Jury Verdict in the Bronx for a 14 year-old that had arthroscopic knee surgery after an accident.
- $1,000,000 Settlement (the entire insurance policy) for a 36 year-old man that sustained lung damage during a fire that took place in his apartment. The suit was brought against the landlord for illegally removing the fire escape 4 months before the fire occurred.
