New York Injury Claims against Governmental Entities
Injury claims against counties, cities, towns, and public authorities have notice of claim requirements that must be met before you can properly succeed in a personal injury lawsuit. If you fail to properly and timely file a notice of claim, your claim will be forever timed barred.
In order to bring an action against New York City or one of its agencies or departments, for personal injuries you must serve a notice of claim within 90 days of the occurrence.
In New York, the legal requirements for asserting a claim against a municipality are governed by the General Municipal Law. Generally speaking, for example, a notice of claim against the City of New York must be filed within 90 days of the date of the accident.
In addition to municipalities, there are a host of other city agencies and public authorities that are entitled to their own notice of claim in order to properly prosecute an accident claim that was caused by their negligence or carelessness.
Statute of Limitations
A statute of limitations is just what it says. It limits the time within which you can start a lawsuit. If you fail to file or start a lawsuit within the proscribed time, the court will dismiss you case and you will never be able to recover for your injuries. The statute of limitations applicable to a municipality such as the City of New York is shorter than the normal statute of limitations that applies to other negligence claims.
In New York, statute of limitations for negligence is 3 years from the date of the accident. For medical malpractice, it is 2 1/2 years from the malpractice. On the other hand, any such claim against a municipality or municipal agency the statute of limitations may be as short as 1 year and 90 days from the date of the accident.
Claims against the City of New York
In order to bring an action against New York City or one of its agencies or departments for personal injuries, you must serve a notice of claim 90 days of the occurrence.
There are two categories of New York City agencies that determine the appropriate entity to serve the notice of claim upon: “Mayoral Agencies” and “Non-Mayoral Agencies.”
Mayoral Agencies
Mayoral Agencies include:
- Office of the Comptroller
- Office of the Mayor
- New York City Fire Department
- Emergency Medical Service
- Police Department (including Housing and Transit Police)
- Sanitation Department
- Department of Buildings
- Department of Corrections
- Department of Finance (Sheriff’s Office)
- Department of Environmental Protection
- Department of Parks and Recreation
- Dept. Housing Preservation and Development (City owned buildings, not projects)
- Department of Social Services/Human Resources Administration
- Department of General Services
- Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC)
- Department of Transportation (Ferries, Highways, Parking Violations Bureau)
- New York City Community Colleges (2-year colleges)
Non-Mayoral Agencies
Notice of Claim
A Notice of Claim against any Mayoral Agencies must be served upon the City of New York Comptroller, One Centre Street, New York, NY 10007. The New York City Comptroller’s Office provides information about filing claim manually or electronically.
After 30 days, a lawsuit may be started. The lawsuit must be started within one year and ninety days of the time of the injury. The defendant in any lawsuit against a Mayoral Agency is the City of New York. It is not necessary to sue the specific Mayoral Agency under its own name.
A notice of claim against a Non-Mayoral Agency must be filed with the specific agency directly. The statute of limitations is also 1 year and 90 days from the date of the accident.
Claims against Public Authorities
There are also numerous public authorities that have their own deadlines for filing a notice of claim and starting a lawsuit. For example:
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)
Long Island Rail Road (LIRR)
Triborough Bridge & Tunnel Authority (TBTA)
New York City Municipal Liability Lawyer
New York notice of claim law can seem complicated and confusing to the inexperienced. If you have been injured or hurt due to the negligence or carelessness of a municipal entity, such as the City of New York, you need an experienced New York City accident lawyer on your side to protect your rights and properly assert your claim.
Since 1987, Mr. DiMartini has represented people injured in accidents throughout the New York City metropolitan area. He has a long record of success winning favorable settlements and awards for his injured clients.
Personal injury law is all we do. We know how to get results!
Contact Us
We understand the hardships accident victims face. That is why we offer our injured clients the attentive personal service they deserve. You will not be just another file number at our offices. In fact, we don’t use file numbers. You will be known by your name.
Call Mr. DiMartini directly at 1-855-428-7322. You can also contact us online. The consultation is free. There is never a fee unless we win your case!
