S. Joseph Donahue

S. Joseph Donahue joined Block O’Toole & Murphy in 2005 and was named a Partner at the firm in 2012. During his legal career, Mr. Donahue has earned a reputation as a skilled trial attorney, first as a Brooklyn prosecutor handling violent felony offenses and then as a plaintiff’s attorney representing those who have suffered catastrophic personal injuries. He has obtained approximately $400 million for his clients, focusing primarily on construction accidents, motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, and medical malpractice cases.

Mr. Donahue has returned an impressive array of verdicts and settlements for his clients. In 2023, he obtained a $53.5 million unanimous jury verdict in a Labor Law 240(1) case for a construction worker who was rendered paraplegic after a devastating construction site fall in Brooklyn. In 2025, he secured a $25 million settlement in another Labor Law case for a crane operator who suffered serious neck, back, ankle, and leg injuries after he was struck by a load of concrete forms and fell 12 feet.

Mr. Donahue’s reputation as a skilled and respected trial lawyer has earned him various recognitions across the industry. He has been selected to the “New York Super Lawyers” list every year since 2011, which recognizes him as one of the top 5% of lawyers in the New York Metro area among Personal Injury – Plaintiff attorneys. Since 2024, he has also been named a New York Best Lawyer for Personal Injury – Plaintiffs by Best Lawyers® Magazine. Mr. Donahue has also earned memberships to both The Million and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forums.

After graduating from The City University of New York School of Law in 1997, Mr. Donahue joined the Brooklyn DA’s office as an Assistant District Attorney. He investigated thousands of criminal cases and was eventually promoted to Senior Assistant District Attorney, focusing on prosecuting violent crimes like homicides, shootings, and robberies.

In 2003, he made the switch to private practice at a prominent New York City firm specializing in medical malpractice defense. There, he represented hospitals and physicians accused of medical malpractice in the fields of cardiology, obstetrics and gynecology, neurosurgery, general surgery, and oncology. This work on the defense side gave Mr. Donahue unique insights into how medical organizations operate, and he brings this expertise to his plaintiff-side cases.

Even after nearly 30 years as an attorney, Mr. Donahue still finds the most satisfaction in making a difference in the lives of those who have been harmed. Helping his clients and their families rebuild their lives after devastating injuries has always been the most rewarding aspect of his career.

Mr. Donahue has two teenage sons.

Jury Verdicts

• $53,500,000 jury 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 Brooklyn renovation project.
• $5,160,916 jury verdict for a landscaper who was injured in a motor vehicle accident.
• $5,000,000 jury verdict for a Brooklyn 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 in Brooklyn.
• $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 in the Bronx.
• $2,056,656 jury verdict for a teacher who suffered spine injuries after being struck by a New York City bus.

Settlements

• $25,000,000 settlement for a crane operator at a Bronx construction site who sustained serious injuries to his neck, back, ankle, leg, and shoulders after falling from the first floor of a building.
• $10,875,000 settlement for a union laborer that suffered internal injuries after being impaled by an uncapped piece of rebar while constructing a rooftop in Brooklyn.
• $10,500,000 settlement for the family of a union laborer who was fatally injured in a worksite accident in Staten Island.
• $9,750,000 settlement for a tow truck operator who was rear-ended by a drunk driver on the Long Island Expressway, suffering profound head and knee injuries and chronic pain.
• $9,500,000 settlement for a union roofer who sustained severe spine, wrist, and elbow injuries after falling from the roof of a jobsite in Dutchess County.
• $8,000,000 settlement for a non-union laborer who suffered severe spine injuries after falling through rotted subflooring on a construction site.
• $7,300,000 settlement for a construction worker who lost his right arm after a 10,000-pound steel beam fell on him during a demolition project in Brooklyn.
• $7,000,000 settlement for a union carpenter who suffered face and neck injuries while dismantling a scaffold in Astoria, Queens.
• $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 in the Bronx who was injured in a ceiling collapse caused by a water leak.
• $5,500,000 settlement 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 in Manhattan.
• $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 on Hempstead Turnpike.
• $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 for a New York music festival 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 in the Bronx.
• $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 Bronx construction project.
• $3,500,000 settlement in a Bronx 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 while working on a subway tunnel project in Brooklyn.
• $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 settlement 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 with a tractor trailer on Interstate 287 in New York.
• $2,875,000 settlement for a New York 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 a construction project for the Hilton Hotel in Manhattan.
• $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 a crash involving a tractor trailer.
• $2,500,000 settlement after a demolition worker suffered numerous fractures in a fall on his job site.
• $2,500,000 settlement for a client who struck a metal spike while jogging through an intersection, resulting in injuries that required surgery.
• $2,400,000 settlement for a union construction worker in Queens who suffered a partial arm amputation in a saw accident.
• $2,400,000 settlement 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 a woman who suffered cervical spine and shoulder injuries after her vehicle was side swiped by a tractor trailer.
• $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 a 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 settlement 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.
• $1,850,000 settlement for a client who suffered head, neck, shoulder, and arm injuries after slipping on an icy driveway at work in Westchester County, which required multiple surgeries to resolve.
• $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.
• $1,750,000 settlement for a client who was riding an electric scooter when he struck a minivan door that had opened directly into his path.
• $1,725,000 settlement for a welder who suffered an ankle fracture in a fall from a ladder.
• $1,640,000 settlement for a cab passenger who suffered injuries to her neck and back in a motor vehicle accident.
• $1,500,000 settlement for a pedestrian who sustained back injuries after being struck by a school bus while crossing the street in the Bronx.
• $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 a scaffold accident.
• $1,400,000 settlement for a union ironworker who was injured by a falling beam in a school gymnasium on Long Island.
• $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.
• $1,300,000 settlement for a non-union electrician who fell from a ladder and sustained neck, back, and shoulder injuries.
• $1,250,000 settlement 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 a driver that suffered exacerbation of pre-existing spine injuries in a motor vehicle accident.
• $1,200,000 settlement for a union longshoreman who suffered neck and back injuries after being struck by a box truck while driving home from work.
• $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 settlement 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, even though 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 a client injured during a motor vehicle accident caused by an obstructed stop sign.

Honors & Associations

• New York Metro Super Lawyers, 2011-Present
• Best Lawyers, New York, 2024-Present
• Million Dollar Advocates Forum
• Multi-million Dollar Advocates Forum
• “Top 1% Trial Counsel for Medical Malpractice,” New York State

Press Mentions 

• Brooklyn Worker Paralyzed in Fall to Receive $53 Million for Damages | BK Reader
• Sketches of Court: $53.5M in Damages for Construction Worker’s Paralyzing Fall | Brooklyn Eagle
• A horrific power-saw accident. A worker dead. Now a multimillion-dollar lawsuit. | SI Live

Areas of Practice 

• Construction accidents
• Motor vehicle accidents
• Wrongful death
• Premises liability
• Medical malpractice

Bar Admissions 

• New York
• New Jersey