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Practice Areas / Other Injury

Dog Bite Injuries in New York.

New York holds dog owners strictly liable for medical costs when their dog bites someone — and if the owner knew the dog had dangerous tendencies, full damages including pain and suffering are available on top of that. A single prior incident of aggression, a history of lunging, or even a warning from the owner can be enough to establish that knowledge. We investigate the dog’s history and build the case from the ground up.

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01 — Dog Bites

NY's dog bite law is unusual.

Unlike most states, NY is not a strict-liability jurisdiction for full damages. The owner is automatically responsible only for medical bills. To recover for pain and suffering, scarring, lost wages, or psychological trauma, you generally have to prove the owner knew or should have known the dog was dangerous.
Strict Liability — Medical Bills Only · AML §123
Under New York Agriculture and Markets Law §123, the owner of a dog that bites is strictly liable for medical and veterinary expenses, regardless of prior aggression. Applies automatically. No proof of negligence required.
Full Damages — Vicious Propensity · Petrone v. Fernandez
For pain and suffering and beyond, you must show the owner knew or should have known of the dog’s “vicious propensities.” Rule established in Petrone v. Fernandez, 12 N.Y.3d 546 (2009). Evidence: prior growling/lunging/snapping, prior complaints, “Beware of Dog” signs, use of muzzles, breed and training history, prior incidents with police or animal control.
Landlord Liability · Strunk v. Zoltanski
A landlord can be liable if they knew a tenant kept a dangerous dog and had the ability to remove it but failed to do so. Strunk v. Zoltanski, 62 N.Y.2d 572 (1984). Lease records, complaint logs, building management records all matter.
02 — Negligent Security

When the property owner's security failure caused the harm.

A property owner has a duty to take reasonable security measures to protect tenants, customers, and invited guests against foreseeable criminal acts. When that duty is breached — broken locks, no security in a high-crime area, inadequate lighting in a parking garage, ignored complaints — and a crime causes injury, the property owner can be liable.
Common scenarios:
  • Surveillance footage — from the property — preserved before the owner has the chance to overwrite it.
  • Maintenance logs and inspection schedules — produced in discovery, often showing gaps that contradict later testimony.
  • Employee testimony — from staff on the floor at the time.
  • Photographs — of the condition immediately after the fall.
  • Prior complaints — about the same condition or area.
Apartment building assault
Broken locks, ignored complaints
Parking garage attack
Inadequate lighting / security
Hotel / hospitality premises
Foreseeable criminal acts
NYCHA premises
90-day Notice of Claim required
03 — Lead Paint

NYC lead paint exposure — Local Law 1.

Under NYC Local Law 1 of 2004 (formerly Local Law 38), landlords of pre-1960 buildings with children under six are required to inspect for and remediate lead paint hazards. When a landlord fails this duty and a child suffers lead poisoning, liability is well-established.
Lead exposure cases involve specific evidentiary requirements:
  • Documentation of the child's blood lead levels (BLL) — typically 5 µg/dL or higher under current standards
  • Property records showing the building's age and tenancy history
  • Records of any landlord inspections, repairs, or known violations
  • Medical records connecting the child's lead exposure to developmental or cognitive harm
  • Neuropsychological evaluation linking BLL to specific deficits
04 — Catastrophic Outcomes

TBI · Spinal cord · Severe burns.

“A catastrophic injury is a different category of case — both legally and operationally.”
Traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, severe burns, amputations — any injury that fundamentally changes how you live the rest of your life — requires a different damages model, different discovery, and a different medical record. The case becomes about life-care planning over a 30- or 40-year horizon.
  • Life-care planning — with a certified life-care planner, projecting future medical costs across the rest of the client's expected lifespan.
  • Economic-loss modeling — with a forensic economist, accounting for lost earning capacity, household services, and inflation.
  • Treating-physician testimony — that anticipates the multi-decade course of treatment and recovery.
  • Settlement or trial preparation — to the federal-court documentation standard — where the difference between adequate and excellent representation often shows up as a multiple of the recovery.
  • Prior complaints — about the same condition or area.

05 — How We Work

No fee unless we recover.

01
Free consultation

In person at 1 WTC, by phone, by video, or at your hospital bed. Same day for new matters.

02
Contingency fee

Percentage of recovery. No upfront costs. Disclosed in writing.

03
Direct attorney access

Bob personally represents Amparo’s clients.

04
Trilingual

English · Español · فارسی — directly by the principals.

06 — FAQ

Questions we hear most.

The case is brought against the owner regardless of personal relationship — but in most cases the recovery comes from the owner’s homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy, not from the owner personally. We handle these in a way that preserves the relationship while protecting your right to recover.
You have a strict-liability claim for medical bills regardless. For full damages, you need to show prior signs of aggression — not necessarily a prior bite. Growling, lunging, complaints from neighbors, “Beware of Dog” signs, and similar evidence all support the vicious-propensity case.
Lead paint cases involve a delayed-discovery rule under NY law in some circumstances. The statute generally runs from the date the injury is discovered or reasonably should have been discovered. Don’t assume the case is barred without talking to a lawyer.
Three years from the date of injury under CPLR §214 for most claims. If a public entity is involved (NYCHA, a city park), a 90-day Notice of Claim is required under GML §50-e. Specific causes (lead paint, certain medical claims) may have different rules.
Built to stand guard.

Talk to Bob about your case.

Free, confidential consultation. English · Español · فارسی. No fee unless we recover.

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Call (212) XXX-XXXX