Scott Occhiogrosso

Scott Occhiogrosso is a partner at Block O’Toole & Murphy, having handled many very significant construction accident cases as well as other catastrophic injury matters that have resulted in multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for our clients. In April 2019, he won a $110,174,972.38 verdict from a Brooklyn jury for a catastrophically-injured cyclist against the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA). This result is believed to be the largest non-medical malpractice verdict in New York State.

After graduating from law school, Mr. Occhiogrosso – – like several of his colleagues at the firm – – began his training as a trial lawyer in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office. He handled thousands of serious cases and spent his days navigating the gritty, cavernous courtrooms in downtown Brooklyn. He had occasion to work side-by-side with now firm partners Stephen J. Murphy and S. Joseph Donahue and made a distinct impression on them while he honed his skills as a prosecutor. Mr. Occhiogrosso was recognized for his tenacity and skills, resulting in a promotion to the prestigious Brooklyn Gang Unit. While with the Gang Unit, Mr. Occhiogrosso focused on prosecuting criminals that were involved in violent crimes and gang related activities. He handled cases involving drug, robbery, burglary, assault, attempted murder and murder charges and did so with tremendous success. It was at the District Attorney’s Office where Mr. Occhiogrosso developed a reputation for being an ethical but formidable adversary. Most importantly, his experiences solidified his desire as a lawyer to impact people in a positive way. He left the District Attorney’s Office in 2005 determined to advance his skills and experience as a trial attorney, beginning as a defense attorney in the civil arena for the Port Authority. Mr. Occhiogrosso fought on behalf of police officers and other Port Authority employees, successfully defending hundreds of multi-million dollar cases through trial and settlement. He continued to gain valuable courtroom experience while learning the nuances of civil practice. In 2010, he left the Port Authority and joined a well respected, boutique plaintiff personal injury practice, continuing his career as a New York City trial attorney. In his brief but invaluable tenure with that firm, among other successes, he obtained a jury verdict of $5.5 Million in a fiercely contested medical malpractice case against a seasoned adversary in Manhattan.

In 2013, Scott joined Jeffrey A. Block, Daniel P. O’Toole, Stephen J. Murphy and S. Joseph Donohue in being selected by his peers as a New York Super Lawyer, signifying that he is among the top 5% of attorneys in the field of plaintiff’s personal injury law.

Mr. Occhiogrosso is fluent in both Spanish and English. He lectures about worker safety and legal rights to Spanish-speaking laborers in New York.

Recent results include:

• $110,174,972 jury verdict for a cyclist who was hit by a falling railroad tie due to subway maintenance in the tracks above
• $30,000,000 jury verdict for a man who suffered sexual abuse from his fifth-grade teacher for several years that began at the age of ten
• $13,500,000 settlement at trial for catastrophically injured pedestrian
• $11,500,000 settlement for a worker injured in a saw accident, leaving him with reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) in his left wrist
• $11,000,000 settlement in a Brooklyn case for a worker who fell three stories to the basement during the construction of a new apartment building
• $8,166,666 settlement for a building superintendent who suffered cervical and lumbar spine injuries that left him permanently disabled from work after a freight elevator he was in dropped 2-3 floors
• $7,000,000 settlement in a work injury case for a man who suffered crush injuries after he fell 30 feet down an elevator shaft at an iconic Manhattan building
• $6,524,000 jury verdict for union laborer disabled by falling debris
• $6,500,000 jury verdict for union laborer who suffered herniated discs in a construction accident
• $6,080,408 jury verdict in a Labor Law 240 case for a union laborer who became permanently disabled from working as a carpenter after falling in a scaffold collapse
• $5,900,000 for union bricklayer who suffered back, head and wrist injuries in a ladder fall
• $5,500,000 jury verdict for woman injured during child birth
• $5,000,000 settlement for an Albanian immigrant who suffered serious injuries after he was hit by a falling plank at a Manhattan construction site
• $4,750,000 for undocumented day laborer who suffered back, hip and shoulder injuries in fall from warehouse shelf
• $4,500,000 for plumber’s assistant who suffered neck, should and back injuries when struck by a falling metal pipe
• $4,250,000 for union excavator who suffered shoulder and back injuries when struck by falling trench shoring planks
• $4,083,333 settlement for a construction foreman who sustained cervical spine injuries when a freight elevator he was in dropped 2-3 floors
• $4,000,000 settlement for a carpenter who suffered knee and back injuries after a work fall from a closed A-frame ladder
• $4,000,000 for a motorist who suffered neck, shoulder and back injuries in a two car collision
• $3,720,000 settlement for a 28-year-old commercial glass installer who suffered ankle and foot injuries requiring surgery after a construction site fall
• $3,400,000 for a union carpenter in NYC hi-rise construction accident
• $3,250,000 for a Brooklyn motorist injured in a New York City Transit bus accident
• $3,100,000 for a security system installer who suffered lower back injury in a fall from an unstable ladder
• $2,270,000 jury verdict for Brooklyn woman injured in New York City Transit bus accident
• $2,750,000 For a woman injured in trip and fall on uneven sidewalk
• $2,700,000 settlement in Kings County case for 23-year-old man injured in vehicle collision involving a commercial truck
• $2,500,000 settlement for a cyclist who suffered back, knee and hip injuries in an accident involving an Access-A-Ride van
• $835,000 jury verdict for freelance photographer injured in motor vehicle accident

Scott works as an adjunct professor in trial advocacy at The St. John’s University School of Law where he teaches trial techniques and has coached national and regional championship trial advocacy teams. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and three young children.