Sta. Maria, Noriel L.

Noriel L. Sta. Maria currently focuses his practice in the area of toxic tort defense, specifically, asbestos litigation and holds both a J.D. and an M.D. Noriel manages the medical work-ups and coordinates the medical defense of all the cases in the firm's New York asbestos group, which include potentially high exposure matters. Here, he uses his medical training and education in the defense of cases where in-depth knowledge of medicine is an integral component of the defense.

Noriel graduated from SUNY Downstate School of Medicine, earning his M.D. in 1992 and, after a brief but intensive period in medicine, went on to obtain his juris doctor from the Fordham University School of Law in 1999. In his legal career, Noriel began in the area of medical malpractice defense and then went on to a firm that represented physicians before New York's Office of Professional Medical Conduct.
 
Significant Representative Matters

• During his tenure in medical malpractice defense, Noriel won summary judgment on behalf of a physician who was alleged to have caused a burn injury from a surgical lamp.  On Noriel's papers, the Court ruled that the matter sounded in medical malpractice, not simple negligence, and dismissed the case for failing to file within the appropriate statue of limitations.  Plaintiff's counsel did not file an appeal.
  
  
• In a physician discipline case where a physician's medical license was at risk of suspension because of the physician's role during a cardiac arrest ("a Code"), Noriel prepared a medical defense which included demonstrating the physician's competence in Advanced Cardiac Life Support, dissecting the fast-paced and hectic events of the Code to determine that in each step of the Code, the physician observed the standard of medical care and preparing the physician-client to face an in-person inquiry before the licensing authority.  The physician's license was maintained.