S. Joseph Donahue

S. Joseph Donahue joined Block O’Toole & Murphy in 2005 and was named a Partner of the firm in 2012. Since joining the firm, Mr. Donahue has obtained in excess of $200,000,000 in jury verdicts and settlements, focusing his attention on significant personal injury cases involving construction accidents, motor vehicle accidents, tractor trailer accidents and medical malpractice cases.

During his legal career, Mr. Donahue has earned a reputation as a skilled trial lawyer, first as a Brooklyn prosecutor handling violent felony offenses and then as a trial lawyer representing individuals who have suffered catastrophic personal injuries. Mr. Donahue’s reputation as a trial lawyer has earned him various recognitions and awards, including his selection to “New York Super Lawyers” from 2011-2023, recognizing him as being one of the top 5% of lawyers in his field, being named as “Top 1% Trial Counsel for Medical Malpractice” in New York State and earning membership into The Million Dollar Advocates Forum and The Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum.

Recent Jury Verdicts:

• $53,500,000 verdict for a paralyzed construction worker who sustained his injuries in a 10-foot fall from a rooftop in Brooklyn
• $9,792,412 jury verdict for a patient who suffered an intraoperative stroke during brain surgery to remove a tumor
• $6,793,881 jury verdict for a laborer who suffered an impalement injury on rebar while working at a New York City construction site
• $5,160,000 jury verdict for a landscaper who was injured in a motor vehicle accident
• $5,000,000 jury verdict for an electrician who suffered an Achilles tendon rupture when he fell from a ladder
• $5,000,000 jury verdict for a carpenter who suffered head and spine injuries when a scaffold collapsed
• $4,950,000 settlement for a sandhog who suffered permanent back pain and loss of his union job after a piece of shotcrete fell on his spine.
• $4,011,000 jury verdict for a 62-year-old lead inspector who suffered an exacerbation of a pre-existing low back condition when he fell at a NYCTA construction project
• $2,056,656 jury verdict for a teacher who suffered spine injuries after being struck by a New York City bus

Recent Settlements:

• $10,875,000 settlement for a union laborer that suffered internal injuries while constructing a rooftop
• $10,500,000 settlement for the family of a union laborer who was fatally injured in a worksite accident
• $9,750,000 settlement for a tow truck operator who was rear-ended by a drunk driver, suffering profound head and knee injuries and chronic pain
• $7,300,000 settlement for steel worker injured during a demolition project
• $7,000,000 settlement for a union carpenter who suffered face and neck injuries while dismantling a scaffold
• $6,000,000 settlement for an infant who suffered a brain injury during labor and delivery at a New York City Hospital due to medical malpractice
• $5,850,000 settlement for a mother of three who was injured in a ceiling collapse
• $5,500,000 for an NYPD Officer who suffered serious injuries as the result of a fall in the line of duty
• $5,500,000 settlement during trial on behalf of a worker injured in an elevator accident
• $5,400,000 settlement for a passenger injured in a motor vehicle accident
• $5,000,000 settlement for a laborer who was injured by an electric shock after hitting an unmarked electrical box on a work site
• $5,000,000 settlement for a woman who suffered an activation of a pre-existing brain abnormality as a result of a motor vehicle accident
• $5,000,000 settlement for a union laborer who suffered a fractured ankle, fractured vertebra and dislocated elbow when he fell 20 feet during the erection of a high-rise building
• $5,000,000 settlement for a union rigger who was setting up the stage when a piece of scaffolding broke free, causing him to fall 30 feet to the ground
• $4,750,000 settlement for a union transit worker who was struck by an NYC sanitation vehicle at an intersection, resulting in injuries that required multiple surgeries
• $4,000,000 settlement during a medical malpractice trial involving an infant who suffered a brachial plexus injury during labor and delivery
• $4,000,000 settlement for a pedestrian who was knocked down by a car while crossing the street
• $3,800,000 settlement in products liability case for union delivery driver who suffered spinal injuries when the trailer step he was standing on broke
• $3,750,000 settlement for scaffold worker injured during dismantling of sidewalk bridge
• $3,750,000 settlement for a laborer who suffered an ankle fracture when he was struck by a falling beam at a construction project
• $3,500,000 settlement in premises liability case for pedestrian injured after falling through a poorly maintained vault door
• $3,500,000 settlement for a union carpenter who suffered a head injury when he was struck in the head by a falling pipe
• $3,250,000 settlement during trial for a union laborer that suffered injuries in a floor collapse accident
• $3,250,000 settlement for a family involved in a motor vehicle accident
• $3,000,000 settlement for the surviving family in a wrongful death suit
• $3,000,000 recovery for non-union electrician’s helper who fell as a result of a scaffold and ladder collapse during work
• $3,000,000 settlement for a landscaper who suffered herniated discs and a rotator cuff tear after a rear-end collision
• $2,875,000 settlement for a City maintenance worker who suffered a femur fracture and thumb fracture after being struck by a motor vehicle
• $2,750,000 settlement for laborer injured in construction accident
• $2,700,000 settlement for a union laborer who suffered ligament tears to his ankle when he fell at work
• $2,600,000 settlement for a union laborer who suffered injuries after falling off a scaffold
• $2,500,000 settlement awarded to man who sustained an exacerbation of pre-existing back and shoulder injuries after crash involving a tractor trailer
• $2,500,000 settlement after a demolition worker suffered numerous fractures in a fall
• $2,400,000 settlement for a union construction worker who suffered a partial arm amputation in a saw accident
• $2,400,000 for a passenger in a vehicle who suffered low back injuries in a motor vehicle accident
• $2,300,000 settlement for an infant who required removal of his large colon due to a pediatrician’s failure to diagnose a congenital disorder. The award, which was for the entirety of the insurance coverage available for the Defendant physician, will compensate the infant with over $18,000,000 during the course of his lifetime.
• $2,300,000 settlement for a non-union flagman who suffered ankle injuries on a construction site
• $2,300,000 settlement for a maintenance worker who suffered injuries during spine surgery
• $2,225,000 settlement for an Access-A-Ride passenger who was injured when the vehicle was struck while attempting to make a left turn
• $2,225,000 settlement for a union carpenter who sustained injuries when he was struck by falling door
• $2,200,000 settlement for a non-union plumber who suffered multiple herniated discs in a ladder fall
• $2,200,000 settlement for a construction laborer who suffered a back injury in a work related fall
• $2,195,000 settlement for a worker who suffered severe injuries after falling through an unguarded hole at an Orange County project
• $2,100,000 settlement for patron of lounge that suffered an ankle injury from a trip and fall on a defective stairway
• $2,000,000 settlement for a driver who was struck by a vehicle that ran a red light in a Brooklyn intersection
• $2,000,000 settlement for a deliveryman who fell and was injured on steps while making a delivery at a restaurant
• $2,000,000 settlement in Manhattan case for non-union painter who was injured as a result of a ladder fall while working at a residential building
• $1,950,000 settlement against a neurosurgeon in a medical malpractice case
• $1,900,000 settlement for a construction worker who suffered serious shoulder injuries after a trip and fall on a Manhattan construction site
• $1,900,000 for a maintenance worker injured in an elevator accident
• $1,850,000 settlement during trial for a cement & concrete union laborer who suffered an injury to the tips of two fingers of his non-dominant hand
• $1,750,000 settlement for a deliveryman whose previous neck and back injuries were exacerbated after slipping on a diner floor 
• $1,750,000 settlement awarded to 40-year-old Verizon employee who was struck in the rear while he was stopped in traffic
• $1,750,000 settlement for a construction worker who was injured in a work fall caused by broken stilts
• $1,725,000 settlement for a welder who suffered an ankle fracture in a fall from a ladder
• $1,640,000 for a client who suffered injuries to her neck and back in a motor vehicle accident
• $1,490,000 settlement against a hospital that failed to properly supervise a patient performing physical therapy resulting in a neck injury
• $1,475,000 settlement for a laborer injured during scaffold accident
• $1,400,000 settlement for a union ironworker who was injured in a falling beam accident
• $1,400,000 settlement for asbestos handler injured when he fell from a scaffold
• $1,400,000 settlement during trial for a union carpenter who suffered amputation of two fingers while operating a table saw at a construction project
• $1,300,000 settlement awarded to Queens pedestrian who suffered fractures to her left leg requiring surgery
• $1,250,000 on behalf of a client in a medical malpractice case involving failure to diagnose breast cancer
• $1,250,000 settlement during trial against the City of New York for the exacerbation of a pre-existing neck injury due to a motor vehicle accident
• $1,250,000 settlement for a driver injured in a motor-vehicle-hit-in-the-rear accident
• $1,225,000 settlement for driver that suffered exacerbation of pre-existing spine injuries in motor vehicle accident
• $1,175,000 settlement for an administrative assistant who suffered herniated discs after a rear-end motor vehicle accident.
• $1,065,000 settlement for a motorist who injured her spine in a motor vehicle accident
  $1,050,000 settlement for a pedestrian who suffered an ankle fracture after being struck by a car
• $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 advice
• $1,000,000 settlement for a client who suffered injuries in a motor vehicle accident
• $1,000,000 settlement for client injured during motor vehicle accident caused by an obstructed stop sign

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 crimes, including 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.

Mr. Donahue is a 1994 graduate of Loyola University 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.

Mr. Donahue is married and has two sons.