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Lawyer Profile

Image of Steven E. Pegalis

Steven E. Pegalis

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Pegalis Law Group, LLC
  • Recognized Since:
    2006
  • Recognized in:
    Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
    Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
  • Law School:
    New York Law School
  • Website:
    https://pegalislawgroup.com
  • E-mail:
    spegalis@pegalislawgroup.com
  • Languages:
    English
  • Location:
    One Hollow Lane, Suite 107
    Lake Success, NY 11042
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Steven E. Pegalis is one of the nation's foremost plaintiffs' medical malpractice trial lawyers and the founder of Pegalis Law Group. Still actively doing what he has done over so many years, in 2019 he obtained a mediated settlement in the amount of $8.5 million dollar for a young woman who lost her mother as a result of medical negligence. In 2018, he obtained a $10 million dollar court settlement for a client involving a complex spinal surgery case. Pegalis’ most recent jury verdict in 2019 was in the amount of $4.7 million dollars, following his client’s treatment for a brain aneurysm. Steven Pegalis was named to the 2021 Best Lawyers in America®, among only 5% of all attorneys to be listed. It was his 15th consecutive year. In his 50 years as an advocate for seriously injured victims of negligence, Pegalis has obtained some of the highest jury verdicts.

Mr. Pegalis is most proud of providing peace of mind, a sense of justice, and financial security to clients. Stacks of photos and thank-you notes from clients’ families are among his most prized possessions. He believes his team’s personal investments in each case are without peer and has resulted in consistent success for clients year after year. He and his firm have worked tirelessly with over two thousand injured individuals and their families. In 1998, he obtained a $116 million jury verdict for a brain injured child, and in 2004 he obtained a $111.7 million verdict for a brain injured child. In 2019, Mr. Pegalis was awarded the “Lifetime Achievement Award for Community Leadership in the Law” by the New York Law School. He was the only lawyer named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers® for 2019, for Long Island Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs. He was also singularly named 2017 "Lawyer of the Year" on Long Island, for Plaintiffs' Personal Injury Litigation, and in 2016, was named "Lawyer of the Year," for Plaintiffs' Medical Malpractice in New York, by Best Lawyers®. Additionally, in 2016, he was honored with a "Lifetime Achievement Award" by the New York State Trial Lawyers Association (NYSTLA). In 2015, Mr. Pegalis was named co-director of the "Patient Safety Project" at New York Law School (NYLS), which focuses on making significant contributions to medical safety and promoting innovative health law policies for the public good. Also, in 2015, Mr. Pegalis was honored with the Nassau County Bar Association's "WE CARE Fund" award.  

Mr. Pegalis is the author of American Law of Medical Malpractice, Volumes 1-3, now in its 3rd edition. He serves on the NYLS Board of Trustees, is an Adjunct Professor of Law, and was honored with school's "Groundbreaker Award" for a lifetime commitment to his clients, and successfully pursuing their rights with passion. He is an advocate of the American Board of Trial Advocacy, a Dean Emeritus of the New York State Trial Lawyers Institute, and a member of the American Association for Justice, and the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He is an Associate in Law of the American College of Legal Medicine, and is AV rated on Martindale-Hubbell for professional excellence since 1982. Each year since 2006 he is voted to the Best Lawyers® list in New York and the New York Super Lawyers list. Mr. Pegalis has lectured extensively on medical/legal issues and contributed his experience and viewpoint to numerous articles and publications. He is admitted to practice in New York, the U.S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit, and the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York. He holds both a Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Law degree from New York Law School, and a bachelor's degree from Queens College of the City of New York.  

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Lawyer Bio

Steven E. Pegalis is one of the nation's foremost plaintiffs' medical malpractice trial lawyers and the founder of Pegalis Law Group. Still actively doing what he has done over so many years, in 2019 he obtained a mediated settlement in the amount of $8.5 million dollar for a young woman who lost her mother as a result of medical negligence. In 2018, he obtained a $10 million dollar court settlement for a client involving a complex spinal surgery case. Pegalis’ most recent jury verdict in 2019 was in the amount of $4.7 million dollars, following his client’s treatment for a brain aneurysm. Steven Pegalis was named to the 2021 Best Lawyers in America®, among only 5% of all attorneys to be listed. It was his 15th consecutive year. In his 50 years as an advocate for seriously injured victims of negligence, Pegalis has obtained some of the highest jury verdicts.

Mr. Pegalis is most proud of providing peace of mind, a sense of justice, and financial security to clients. Stacks of photos and thank-you notes from clients’ families are among his most prized possessions. He believes his team’s personal investments in each case are without peer and has resulted in consistent success for clients year after year. He and his firm have worked tirelessly with over two thousand injured individuals and their families. In 1998, he obtained a $116 million jury verdict for a brain injured child, and in 2004 he obtained a $111.7 million verdict for a brain injured child. In 2019, Mr. Pegalis was awarded the “Lifetime Achievement Award for Community Leadership in the Law” by the New York Law School. He was the only lawyer named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers® for 2019, for Long Island Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs. He was also singularly named 2017 "Lawyer of the Year" on Long Island, for Plaintiffs' Personal Injury Litigation, and in 2016, was named "Lawyer of the Year," for Plaintiffs' Medical Malpractice in New York, by Best Lawyers®. Additionally, in 2016, he was honored with a "Lifetime Achievement Award" by the New York State Trial Lawyers Association (NYSTLA). In 2015, Mr. Pegalis was named co-director of the "Patient Safety Project" at New York Law School (NYLS), which focuses on making significant contributions to medical safety and promoting innovative health law policies for the public good. Also, in 2015, Mr. Pegalis was honored with the Nassau County Bar Association's "WE CARE Fund" award.  

Mr. Pegalis is the author of American Law of Medical Malpractice, Volumes 1-3, now in its 3rd edition. He serves on the NYLS Board of Trustees, is an Adjunct Professor of Law, and was honored with school's "Groundbreaker Award" for a lifetime commitment to his clients, and successfully pursuing their rights with passion. He is an advocate of the American Board of Trial Advocacy, a Dean Emeritus of the New York State Trial Lawyers Institute, and a member of the American Association for Justice, and the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He is an Associate in Law of the American College of Legal Medicine, and is AV rated on Martindale-Hubbell for professional excellence since 1982. Each year since 2006 he is voted to the Best Lawyers® list in New York and the New York Super Lawyers list. Mr. Pegalis has lectured extensively on medical/legal issues and contributed his experience and viewpoint to numerous articles and publications. He is admitted to practice in New York, the U.S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit, and the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York. He holds both a Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Law degree from New York Law School, and a bachelor's degree from Queens College of the City of New York.  

  • Education
  • Affiliations
  • Award List
  • Additional Information
  • Lawyer of the Year Badge
  • Lawyer of the Year Badge
  • Lawyer of the Year Badge

Education:

  • New York Law School , J.D.

Affiliations:

  • New York Law School - Adjunct Professor
  • New York Law School - Board Trustee
  • Patient Safety Project at NY Law School - Co-director

Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers for:

  • Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs, Long Island (2019)
  • Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs, Long Island (2017)
  • Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs, New York City (2016)
 

Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for work in:

  • Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
  • Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
 

Awards:

  • 2015 Honoree of the Nassau Bar Association WE CARE Fund
  • 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award by the New York State Trial Lawyers Association (NYSTLA)
  • 2007 Ground Breaker Award from New York Law School

Special Focus:

  • Catastrophic Injury
  • Hospital Malpractice
  • Liability Litigation
  • Litigation
  • Medical Malpractice
  • Medical Negligence
  • Personal Injury
  • Wrongful Death
 

Additional Information:

2016 LAWYER OF THE YEAR
Steven Pegalis has been named 2016 Lawyer of the Year in the NY Metro Area for Plaintiffs' Medical Malpractice Actions.
2017 “Lawyer of the Year”
 on Long Island, for Plaintiffs’ Personal Injury Litigation by Best Lawyers©
 

Q&A

Tell us a little bit about your practice and what makes it unique.

  • We advocate for people of all ages who have been victims of negligence that caused them life-altering harm or death. Our team identifies avoidable healthcare mistakes that others fail to see. New clients and attorneys can feel confident in our 47 year track record, continued success with “record” high verdicts and settlements, and our credibility in court and with adversaries. Our clients need financial help, want to learn the truth, and make care safer for others. We help them achieve these goals. Our relationships with clients and our efforts to make health care safer are unique, and shared in our website Safety sections here https://pegalislawgroup.com/patient-safety/ and here https://pegalislawgroup.com/published_works/
 

Describe one of your most interesting or memorable cases in the past year.

  • This year we obtained a jury verdict for Ms. Christine Coffey, in a case against Dr. Henry Woo. The jury found the doctor liable based on medical negligence and lack of informed consent. I argued that there were safer alternatives. After two days of deliberations, the jury returned a unanimous verdict against Dr. Henry Woo and awarded her $4.7 million dollars. Ms. Coffey suffers from a hemiparesis following treatment for a brain aneurysm performed by Dr. Henry Woo at Stony Brook University Hospital. The case was tried before the Honorable Arthur Diamond in Nassau County Supreme Court and was resolved pursuant to a confidential agreement.

    Our client Christine Coffey underwent an Onyx brain aneurysm procedure performed by Dr. Henry Woo at Stony Brook University Hospital, his former employer. As a result Ms. Coffey suffered brain damage which caused permanent hemiparesis. Ms. Coffey is unable to return to work, and was left with an impaired ability to raise an infant who is now a young child, due to her hemiparesis.

    Ms. Coffey was strongly encouraged to undergo a risky and unnecessary surgery to remove her small “berry” aneurysm, within two months of her visit to the ER complaining of dizziness, and just a few months after the birth of her first child. Dr. Henry Woo failed to provide Ms. Coffey with proper information about the method of treatment. Ms. Coffey was employed at Stony Brook University Hospital.

    The jury heard testimony over three weeks before Nassau County Supreme Court Justice Arthur Diamond. Steven Pegalis and James Baydar of Pegalis Law Group, LLC represented Ms. Christine Coffey.
 

Lawyer Client Comments

Firm Details

Image for Pegalis Law Group, LLC View Firm Profile
Pegalis Law Group, LLC
https://pegalislawgroup.com
 
Headquarters
One Hollow Lane, Suite 107
Lake Success, NY 11042
(516) 684.2900

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Pegalis & Erickson
Steven E. Pegalis honored with NYSTLA's Lifetime Achievement Award

News & Media

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Lawyer Case History

2019, Christine Coffey vs. Dr. Henry Woo

Steven Pegalis recently obtained a jury verdict of $4.7 million dollars for Ms. Christine Coffey of Massapequa, NY, in a case against Dr. Henry Woo. The jury found the doctor liable based on medical negligence and lack of informed consent. Ms. Coffey suffers from a hemiparesis following treatment for a brain aneurysm performed by Dr. Henry Woo at Stony Brook University Hospital. The case was tried before the Honorable Arthur Diamond in Nassau County Supreme Court and was resolved pursuant to a confidential agreement.   Our client Christine Coffey underwent an Onyx brain aneurysm procedure performed by Dr. Henry Woo at Stony Brook University Hospital, his former employer.  As a result Ms. Coffey suffered brain damage which caused permanent hemiparesis. Ms. Coffey is unable to return to work, and was left with an impaired ability to raise an infant who is now a young child, due to her hemiparesis.    Ms. Coffey was strongly encouraged to undergo a risky and unnecessary surgery to remove her small “berry” aneurysm, within two months of her visit to the ER complaining of dizziness, and just a few months after the birth of her first child.  Dr. Henry Woo failed to provide Ms. Coffey with proper information about the method of treatment. Ms. Coffey was employed at Stony Brook University Hospital.   The jury heard testimony over three weeks before Nassau County Supreme Court Justice Arthur Diamond. Steven Pegalis and James Baydar of Pegalis Law Group, LLC represented Ms. Christine Coffey.  Steven Pegalis argued that there were safer alternatives. After two days of deliberations, the jury returned a unanimous verdict against Dr. Henry Woo.  

Obtained $111.7 million verdict for a brain injured child

$111.7 million verdict for a 6 year old who sustained brain damage and cerebral palsy because of placental insufficiency. Reden v. Wagner (Suffolk).

$15.1 million verdict for the death due to delayed diagnosis

http://www.pegalisanderickson.com/pdf/Metpath.pdf

$15.1 million verdict for the death of a 38 year-old woman due to a failure to timely interpret and act on PAP smear data, resulting in a delay in diagnosis of cervical cancer. Pedone v. Metpath (Nassau).

Authored: American Law of Medical Malpractice Volumes 1-3

Steven Pegalis is the author of American Law of Medical Malpractice, Volumes 1-3, now in its 3rd edition. 

 
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