Joseph L. Ciaccio
Partner
Since beginning his career, Joseph has dedicated his practice to the representation of victims of medical malpractice. This includes the representation of children who have suffered birth injuries as well as families who have lost loved ones due to the negligence of physicians and medical facilities.
Since joining our office, Joseph has also applied this experience in our Pharmaceutical litigation department with the representation of clients injured by prescription medications.
As a skilled and dedicated personal injury attorney with experience in medical malpractice litigation, Joseph is part of the team currently handling the representation of both families and governmental entities against the manufacturers and distributors of opioid pain medications. He is presently handling the representation of hundreds of counties, cities, and other governmental entities in this litigation.
He has successfully litigated a wide variety of medical malpractice actions, including failures to diagnose cancer, infections, orthopedic negligence, and more.
Joseph has also successfully litigated a wide variety of birth-related injuries including fetal distress, hypoxia, and Erb’s palsy injuries.
Contact Joseph Ciaccio with your Medical Malpractice Referral
Medical Malpractice Managing Partner
With over $300 million paid in referral fees, our nationally recognized firm is available to assist your clients. We evaluate new cases daily and would be happy to discuss litigations that may be of interest to you.
- Bar Admissions
- New York
- United States District Court, Eastern District of New York
- United States District Court, Southern District of New York
- Education
Hofstra University School of Law, J.D.
Long Island University, B.S.
- Awards and Honors
America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators®, 2018
2019 Leading Adviser Awards Winner, “Leading Medical Device and Malpractice Attorney of the Year, New York”
Attorney and Practice Magazine, New York’s Top 10 Personal Injury Attorneys
Lawyers of Distinction, 2020
National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys: Top 40 Under 40
New York Metro Super Lawyers, Rising Stars®, 2017- 2020
The National Trial Lawyers, Top 40 Under 40, 2018 – 2019
- Professional Affiliations
- New York Trial Lawyers Association
- New York Academy of Trial Lawyers
- American Association of Lawyers
- Speaking Engagements
Panelist, “Practioner Voices: Medical Malpractice“, Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center (October 2, 2019)
Presenter, “Trial Theme Options”, Opioid Litigation Seminar, American Association for Justice (AAJ) Education (December 6, 2018)
Legal Terms Explained, Standard of Care (Medical Malpractice)
- Media Appearances
AGs Unveil $26B Global Opioid Deal With J&J, Distributors, Law360 (July 21, 2021)
New York, Drug Distributors Reach $1.18 Billion Opioid Settlement as National Deal Looms, One1News (July 21, 2021)
New York Attorney General Announces Settlement With Three Opioid Distributors Amid Long Island Trial, Law.com/New York Law Journal (July 20, 2021)
New York, drug distributors reach $1.18 billion opioid settlement as national deal looms, Reuters (July 20, 2021)
Nassau, Suffolk Reach Opioid Crisis Settlements With ‘Big Three’ Drug Companies, Long Island Press (July 20, 2021)
Drug distributors to pay up to $1.1 bln to settle New York opioid case, Financial Post (July 20, 2021)
New York, drug distributors reach $1.18 billion opioid settlement as national deal looms, Express Pharma (July 20, 2021)
GCASA director: Multimillion dollar deal with opioid distributors would ‘stabilize’ treatment system, The Batavian (July 20, 2021)
AG: State reaches $1.1 billion settlement with opioid distributors, Newsday (July 20, 2021)
Drug Distributors Strike $1.1B Opioid Deal, Exit NY Trial, Law360 (July 20, 2021)
Landmark Opioid Trial Opens in New York, Courtroom View Network (CVN) (July 2, 2021)
‘Honesty Was In Short Supply’: N.Y. Trial Starts With Arguments Against Opioid Makers, WBFO npr (June 30, 2021)
Opioid Suppliers Rebut Claims in First Jury Trial Over Epidemic, Bloomberg (June 30, 2021)
Heroin Needle and Cereal Box Figure in Plaintiffs’ NY Opioid Trial Opening, New York Law Journal/Law.com (June 30, 2021)
Suffolk’s Lawyer Urges Jurors to Hold Drugmakers Liable for Opioid Crisis, Long Island Press (June 30, 2021)
Facing 1st Jury Opioid Attys Turn to Instagram, ‘Wizard of Oz’, Law360 (June 29, 2021)
Landmark opioid trial opens as lawyers address jurors for first time, Newsday (June 29, 2021)
Drug Cos. Share Blame For Opioid Crisis, NY Jury Told, Law360 (June 29, 2021)
‘Calculated Decision in Boardrooms’ Led to Crisis, Lawyers Say in Opening NY Opioid Suit, New York Law Journal/Law.com (June 29, 2021)
Jury in New York opioids lawsuit gets instructions, Newsday (June 28, 2021)
Nation’s Eyes On New York As Unprecedented Opioid Trial Begins On Long Island, CBS-2 New York (June 28, 2021)
A Look At A Lawsuit Filed By NY Municipalities Over Opioid Crisis, WSKG npr PBS (June 23, 2021)
3 Pharmacies Cut From NY Opioid Trial, CVS Reaches Deal, Law360 (June 25, 2021)
New York Opioid Trial Delayed Again As Jury Selection Lags, Law360 (June 16, 2021)
Unhappy AGs Have Options In Latest Purdue Ch. 11 Plan, Law360 (March 16, 2020)
McKinsey Opioid Deal With NY AG Approved Amid Objections, Law360 (March 16, 2020)
Landmark NY Opioid Trial Delayed Amid Virus Concerns, Law360 (March 5, 2021)
NY AG’s Opioid Epidemic Jury Trial Set For Early 2021, Law360 (October 28, 2020)
Pharmacies Can’t Slip Opioid Nuisance Claims, Counties Say, Law360 (July 6, 2020)
City of Grande Prairie files proposed $10B class-action lawsuit against opioid companies
- As covered By CBC News Canada (June 3, 2020), Everything Grand Prairie (June 3, 2020), Daily Herald Tribune (June 4, 2020)
Man sues Brooklyn nursing home for failing to protect dead father from COVID, New York Post (May 26, 2020)
NYC woman sues Harlem nursing home after dad dies from coronavirus, New York Post (May 25, 2020)
Purdue Says Ch. 11 Stay Can’t Be Lifted For NY Opioid Trial, Law360 (April 16,2020)
Some Public Nuisance Claims Cut In NY Opioid Suit, Law360 (April 10,2020)
Law360 Names Attys Who Moved Up The Firm Ranks In Q3, Law360 (November 15, 2019)
Napoli Shkolnik PLLC and Team Obtain Landmark Opioid Settlement in Federal Opioid Litigation, Olean Times Herald (October 22, 2019)
Purdue’s Sacklers Shifted $1B Amid Opioid Fight, NY AG Says, Law360 (September 13, 2019)
Five more counties file lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies for opioid epidemic, West Virginia Record (December 17, 2018)
County mulls suing opioid drug makers, Adirondack Daily Enterprise (February 19, 2018)
Niagara legislature will declare opioids a ‘public nuisance’, Niagara Gazette (February 12, 2018)
County sues big pharmacy in opioid crisis, Osceola News-Gazette (February 9, 2018)
Alachua, Osceola counties take aim at opioid manufacturers, Gainesville.com (February 8, 2018)
Alachua County Sues Pharmaceutical Companies Over Opioid Epidemic, Florida’s 89.1 WUFT-FM (February 5, 2018)
At least 14 NY counties and NYC suing opioid companies, pressconnects, Part of the USA TODAY Network (January 30, 2018)
Nashua Becomes Second N.H. City to Take Opioid Companies to Court, New Hampshire Public Radio (December 22, 2017)
York County sues opioid companies, TribLIVE (December 14, 2017)
York County goes after drug makers, distributors, blaming them for opioid epidemic, York Daily Record (Part of the USA Today Network) (December 8, 2017)
Opioid lawsuits may become a trend for local governments, The Anniston Start (October 19, 2017)
Niagara County moves forward with opioid lawsuit, Lockport Union-Sun & Journal (October 17, 2017)
Mora County Joins Lawsuit Suing Opioid Makers Over Damages Caused By Prescription Drugs, Santa Fe New Mexican (September 1, 2017)
Broome will coordinate opioid lawsuit with eight counties, Press & Sun-Bulletin [Part of The USA Today Network] (August 25, 2017)
Two New Hampshire cities may sue big pharma to recoup opioid overdose costs, MassLive.com (August 22, 2017)
Manchester Likely to File Its Own Lawsuit Against Opioid Companies, New Hampshire Public Radio (August 16, 2017)
County considers drug company lawsuit, Observer-Review.com (August 16, 2017)
Parma Suing Opioid Makers, FoxNews8 Cleveland (August 11, 2017)
Nassau County Sues Pharma Companies and Doctors, Verizon FiOS News 1 (June 19, 2017)
- Court Appointments
- Plaintiffs’ Liaison Counsel in the West Virginia Opioid Litigation (Civil Action No. 17-C-248) by the Honorable Judge David W. Hummel, Jr. of the Second Judicial Circuit Court, Division 2 of Marshall County, West Virginia
- Representative Cases and Settlements of Note
*Results May Vary Depending On Your Particular Facts and Legal Circumstances*
Mr. Ciaccio has successfully negotiated millions of dollars worth of settlements for his clients throughout his career. He has also successfully argued cases before the Appellate Division, First and Second Departments.
He is currently working on the opioid lawsuits that Napoli Shkolnik PLLC has filed across the country.
- $320 Million Opioid Settlement
This landmark settlement was reached on behalf of Cuyahoga County (Ohio), one of the bellwether plaintiffs in the National Opioid Litigation, against four of the key players responsible for the opioid epidemic.
He is the medical malpractice partner responsible for obtaining the following:
- $1.2Million medical malpractice settlement on behalf of a woman who suffered an infection and epidural abscess after underdoing back surgery, leading to a spinal fracture.
- $6 Million medical malpractice settlement on behalf of a man who suffered a severed thyroid artery which led to a blocked airway and hypoxic brain damage.
- $4.8 Million medical malpractice settlement on behalf of a child who suffered an anoxic brain injury leading to significant developmental delays.
- This settlement was selected by TopVerdict.com as one of the Top 20 Personal Injury Settlements in New York in 2019 and as one of the Top 50 Personal Injury Settlements in the United States for 2019.
- $950,000 medical malpractice settlement on behalf of a family whose 63-year old family member died after a delayed Hepatocellular Carcinoma diagnosis.
- $900,000 pharmaceutical settlement was obtained on behalf of a child who suffered a birth defect due to a pharmaceutical drug.
- $800,000 medical malpractice settlement on behalf of a family of a Seattle man who passed away from an overdose after being prescribed an excessive amount of opioids following surgery.
- $750,000 Settlement on behalf of a client administered bupivacaine (general anesthesia) who then fell into cardiac arrest and then a coma
- $700,000 medical malpractice settlement on behalf of a man who was forced to undergo additional surgeries after a spine surgery was performed improperly.
- $700, 000 medical malpractice settlement for a client who suffered a dural tear while undergoing back surgery. Our client continues to suffer from ongoing spinal headaches.
- $650,000 Settlement on behalf of the client who suffered from Tardive Dyskinesia after being prescribed Geodon (a psychiatric medication)
- $525,000 Settlement on behalf of the family of a Queens man who passed away due to a post-surgical hematoma of the neck
- $4.5 Million Settlement on behalf of a child who suffered significant brain damage following the administration of anesthesia for an MRI
- $1.1 Million Settlement on behalf of a child who suffered Erb’s Palsy as a result of negligent delivery
- $1 Million + Settlement for the family of a young mother who passed away after being discharged from the hospital with a brain aneurysm
- $320 Million Opioid Settlement