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VBPNP is very proud to announce that 19 of our attorneys have been recognized by the prestigious Super Lawyers®, a rating service which identifies those attorneys who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. No more than five percent of lawyers from a given state are selected. The following attorneys have been recognized as Super Lawyers in 2020:

• Alfred P. Vigorito
• John W. Barker
• Gary W. Patterson, Jr.
• Jeffrey R. Nichols
• Mamie Stathatos-Fulgieri
• Dylan Braverman
• Kenneth J. Burford
• Kiki Chrisomallides
• Charles K. Faillace
• Anna I. Hock
• Guy A. Lawrence
• Neil Mascolo, Jr.
• Adonaid C. Medina
• Wayne M. Roth
The following attorneys were recognized as Rising Stars:
• Daniele DeZago
• Craig M. Goldwasser
• Danielle Hansen
• Allison Sanders
• Ruth L. Tisdale

Vigorito, Barker, Patterson, Nichols & Porter, LLP is proud to announce that Claudine Travers  has joined the firm as an Associate in the Garden City office.  Prior to joining VBPNP Ms. Travers worked as an Assistant District Attorney with the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office.  Mr. After her time with the District Attorneys  office she entered civil litigation defending claims against health care facilities, physicians and other professionals.  We are delighted to welcome Claudine aboard. 

Vigorito, Barker, Patterson, Nichols & Porter, LLP is very proud to announce that the firm was again recognized by Best Companies to Work for in New York. The annual list of the 2020 Best Companies To Work For In New York was created by the New York State Society for Human Resource Management (NYS-SHRM) and Best Companies Group.

This statewide survey and awards program is designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in New York, benefiting the state’s economy, its workforce and businesses. Companies from across the state entered the two-part survey process to determine the Best Companies To Work For In New York. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company’s workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics. The second part consisted of an anonymous employee survey to measure their experience. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final rankings. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process in New York and also analyzed the data and used their expertise to determine the final rankings.

On October 17, 2019, John Barker and Lauren Maloney obtained a unanimous defense verdict following a five week medical malpractice trial in Westchester County Supreme Court.  The case involved a colon perforation diagnosed four days following liposuction/abdominoplasty surgery in a 56 year old male.  Mr. Barker and Ms. Maloney represented a plastic surgeon who allegedly perforated the patient’s colon with a cannula during the liposuction portion of the surgery.  The patient required four subsequent surgeries and was left with significant abdominal scarring secondary to these surgeries and the use of retention sutures.  The defense argued that there was no evidence of any departure from accepted practice by the plastic surgeon and the pathology and clinical picture pointed to several more likely causes of the perforation.

Baltimore, MD –

Several VBPNP partners were invited to present at the annual national conference of the American Society for Health Care Risk Management (ASHRM) held on October 13 to 16 in Baltimore, MD.

Gary W. Patterson, Jr. and Scott Singer ironically challenged each other in a Mock Trial presentation to demonstrate the various stages of setting reserves on a lawsuit and the impact of litigation/trial developments. In a sold-out session, the audience served as the jury casting votes electronically.

Hon. Ruth Kraft and Mamie Stathatos-Fulgieri were invited back to present the grave issue of Human Trafficking and the unique opportunity for hospitals and medical facilities to help curtail the staggering statistics associated with trafficking of individuals. 

Dylan Braverman joined a panel with Lori Shapiro, Claims Team Lead with Sedgwick, Michael Midgley, VP of Healthcare Risk Engineering at Swiss Re, and Dr. Frank Illuzzi, Chief Medical Officer of City Med, addressing the issues of the aging population in the healthcare setting. 

Vigorito, Barker, Patterson, Nichols and Porter, LLP is very proud to announce the opening of our new office in Naples, Florida.　 Since our founding in 2015, the firm has developed relationships with many national insurance carriers, corporations and health care providers. Our clients have come to expect outstanding results secondary to our creative and relentless approach to each case.　 We will now bring this level of client service to the Sunshine State.  Margaret Antonino will be managing the Florida office. 　

On September 16, 2019, Mamie Stathatos-Fulgieri and Megan Lawless secured summary judgment in favor of a surgeon and hospital in the Supreme Court, Queens County.  The plaintiff claimed that these defendants committed malpractice by negligently performing surgery to retrieve a retained portion of the plaintiff’s intrauterine device (IUD), resulting in additional surgeries, the exacerbation of plaintiff’s pelvic pain and endometriosis, and contributing to plaintiff’s impaired fertility.　 In support of their motion for summary judgment, the defendants presented evidence that they fully informed plaintiff of the risks of the surgery and that surgery may not be successful in removing the IUD piece or relieving plaintiff’s pelvic pain.　 The defendants also presented expert testimony that plaintiff’s alleged injuries were not due to any act or omission on the part of the defendants, but rather were caused by plaintiff’s past medical history, including her adenomyosis and history of venereal disease, both of which are known to cause pelvic pain and impaired fertility.

Ultimately, despite repeated requests for extensions to oppose defendants’ motion, the plaintiff did not submit opposition papers and the Hon. Peter J. O’Donoghue granted summary judgment and dismissed the case.　 The court’s dismissal forestalled the need for our clients to continue with costly litigation and a protracted trial on the merits.

On September 25, 2019, Mr. Brennan obtained a directed verdict on behalf of his client, a Suffolk County hospital.　 The plaintiff alleged that the hospital staff negligently managed the care of the 85 year old decedent with several comorbidities, while in the custody of the hospital, resulting in a left femur fracture requiring surgical repair.　Following the close of the plaintiff’s case, Mr. Brennan successfully argued that plaintiff did not make out a prima facie case to establish negligence by the hospital staff, and that the doctrine of res ipsa loquitor was inapplicable under the facts of the case.　 Accordingly, his motion was granted and the case was dismissed.