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| Stephen rehfuss records another civil rights victory for his client |
| Following a 7 day trial in Albany Supreme Court, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the law firm's clients. The clients, Albany Police officers, had been assigned an overtime detail at the Pepsi Arena. A NYS trooper and his wife and child were attending a concert when, without provocation, a concert goer sitting behind them struck the mother and child in an attempt to get them to sit down. Security was called, the plaintiff was taken out of the concert, arrested by the State Trooper and subsequently brought to the APD, processed and released. The charges were ultimately dismissed because the Trooper and his wife never appeared in court. The claim against the APD was for excessive force, false arrest and failure to investigate the incident. The jury deliberated for 2 hours before returning a verdict in favor of the APD defendants. |
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| Law firm wins verdict in civil rights case |
| After 1 week of trial in the federal district court in Syracuse, NY, Stephen Rehfuss was able to obtain a verdict in favor of his clients, two members of the Albany Police Department. The officers had been accused of beating a suspect following a foot chase in the West Hill neighborhood after witnessing a hand to hand drug transaction. The plaintiff claimed to have suffered a fractured orbital bone which required reconstructive surgery. Testimony at the trial proved that as the officers approached, the plaintiff ran off. As the officer was about to apprehend him, the officer and the plaintiff slipped on the icy sidewalk causing both to fall into the side of a parked car. The defendants were able to show, through their testimony and by production of the vidoe tape from Central Booking, that the plaintiff never requested medical treatment, was released on an appearance ticket, left the station and went and smoked crack and finally, 14 hours later, sought medical treatment. After a week long trial, the jury deliberated for approximately 1.5 hours and returned a verdict in favor of the police officers. |
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| Abigail Rehfuss has a career year for Loyola Women's Division I lacrosse |
| Abigail Rehfuss led her Loyola University womens lacrosse team to the Big East tournament title, earning the school its first NCAA tournament bid in 7 years. Loyola made it to the quarterfinals of the NCAA where it lost to the 3rd seed UNC Chapel Hill. Loyola finished the season 17-3 and ranked 5th in the country. Along the way, Abigail earned All American, All Region, Big East First Team, Big East Tournament Team Awards and the Medal of Merit Award given to one male and female athlete for athletic and academic excellence from Loyola University |
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| Rehfuss Liguori & Associates negotiate substantial settlement for client injured in an automobile accident. |
| Rehfuss Liguori & Associates negotiated a substantial settlement for a client for injuries suffered in an intersection automobile accident. The client, while driving through a green light intersection, was struck broadside by the defendant who also claimed to have had a green light. Several witnesses at the scene had conflicting views of which driver had the green light. Through extensive investigation and witness interviews, RLA was able to determine that there were video cameras at two retail establishments located at the intersection. The one camera showed the defendant driver texting on his cell phone as he approached the intersection. The other camera clearly showed that the defendant had a red light for almost 15 seconds prior to the accident. Upon learning of this evidence, and after reviewing the substantial and significant medical documentation demonstrating the client's serious injuries, the insurance company for the defendant driver agreed to settle the claim for the full limits of the defendant's automobile policy. RL&A were also able to negotiate a complete waiver of their client's insurance company's subrogation rights for No Fault benefits paid over and above the statutory limit. |
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| Rehfuss Liguori & Associates successfully defend civil rights lawsuit |
| Rehfuss Liguori & Associates successfully defended a municipal client and several police officers in a claim alleging assault, improper and insufficient training and improper supervision. The plaintiff had alleged that a co-employee police officer had pointed a loaded weapon at her while she was sitting at her desk. On a motion for summary judgment, the court dismissed the claim on the basis that the plaintiff had made an election of remedies and that workers compensation was her sole and exclusive remedy. This case involved the novel issue of the interplay of workers compensation and horseplay in a work environment. |
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| Stephen J. rehfuss and John W. Liguori obtain $650,000 award for injured construction worker |
| After a 2 week trial in the Washington County Supreme Court before the Judge Krogmann, Stephen J. Rehfuss and John W. Liguori obtained a verdict of $650,000 against 4 defendants arising out of a construction accident. The plaintiff received a permanent injury to his ankle when a sheetrock cart loaded with more than 1100lbs of material tipped and fell. This verdict marked the highest jury award given to a plainitff in Washington County in more than 3 years. |
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| Officer Found Not Guilty of Excessive Force |
| After a two week trial, Stephen J. Rehfuss, successfully obtained a jury verdict in favor of a police officer who was accused of using excessive force during the course of an arrest. |
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| Welcome, Jessica A. McClung, Esq. |
| Rehfuss, Liguori & Associates, welcomes its newest associate, Jessica A. McClung, Esq. Ms. McClung recently moved to the area from Long Island, where she practiced civil defense. |
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| $650,000 verdict for injured electrician |
| After a seven day trial, Rehfuss, Liguori & Associates obtained a $650,000 jury verdict in favor of its client, an electrician severely injured on a construction site, under Labor Law Sections 200 and 241(6). The firm successfully defended summary judgment motions brought by the owner, general contractor, as well as the subcontractor who caused the dangerous condition, prior to trial. |
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| Dec-23-2009 |
| Rehfuss named All American |
| Abigail Rehfuss has, once again, been names All American in lacrosse. Ms. Rehfuss is currently attending Loyola College in Maryland. |
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| Dec-23-2009 |
| Rehfuss named All American |
| Caroline Rehfuss has been named High School All American for lacrosse and Academic All American. Ms. Rehfuss is currently attending Princeton University. |
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| Dec-14-2009 |
| RLA successfully obtains dismissal of Federal Claims by former City of Albany Employee |
| The United States District Court for the Northern District of New York has dismissed the constitutional causes of action against the City of Albany and its police officers in the matter of Morton v. City of Albany upon the successful motion to dismiss by Rehfuss, Liguori & Associates. |
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| Dec-14-2009 |
| RLA now serves your needs on the highest level |
| Partners Stephen J. Rehfuss, Esq. and John W. Liguori, Esq. have been admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States. |
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| Feb-02-2009 |
| RLA announces new matrimonial law practice |
| At Rehfuss, Liguori & Associates, we understand the need to zealously protect your financial, familial and emotional well being during the painful process of divorce. Our office is pleased to now offer sympathetic, yet aggressive representation throughout the process of both amicable and contentious divorces, including custody disputes. |
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| Crystal Royal Discontinues Her Action Against the City of Albany and Employees of the Albany Police Department |
The matter of Crystal Royal v. City of Albany, et al. received much notoriety by the local media in the early part of this year in the midst of other highly publicized cases which called into question the policies and practices of the Albany Police Department, in particular, the Department’s strip search policies. Crystal Royal was stopped by the Albany Police on January 28, 2008, when the car she was driving with passenger Rayquis Watson, had been tracked throughout the day and suspected of transporting drugs upstate from New York City. Rayquis Watson was the subject of a months long wiretap investigation by the Albany Police. After a positive response from the canine unit in the driver’s seat area of the car, Royal was strip searched at the police station. Having reason to believe that she may have secreted drugs on her person, the Albany Police obtained a search warrant for a body cavity search to be conducted at the hospital. Although no drugs were found, Royal was charged with conspiracy for her involvement in the drug activities that were discovered in the course of the wiretap investigation. Thereafter, complaining that the police lacked probable cause for their actions, in particular, the strip search and hospital body cavity search, Royal filed an action in federal court against the City of Albany and certain Albany police officers for false arrest, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, assault and battery, and excessive force.
After months of investigation, the City of Albany was able to show that plaintiff Royal had in fact been involved in prior drug transactions and that its’ police officers had followed departmental policy as well as U.S. Supreme Court directives by getting a valid judicial warrant authorizing the body cavity search of Royal that evening in January. As a result, Royal recently pled guilty to a conspiracy drug charge and discontinued her lawsuit against the City, with prejudice.
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| Oct-01-2008 |
| Attorney is not entitled to fees from non-party in unsuccessful debt collection proceeding |
| RLA has successfully defended Warner Management of Ohio in a motion for attorneys' fees. Warner obtained a default judgment against an Albany business in Ohio and turned the judgment over to a Florida based collection agency, who hired a local attorney to commence an action to collect the judgment. Complications arose in the collection action, leading to a directive to discontinue the action. According to the Albany City Court, the attorney was not entitled to fees from Warner, as it was not a party to the contract with the attorney and also because the fee was contingent upon successful completion of the action. |
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| Oct-01-2008 |
| Defect in sidewalk not Housing Authority's responsibility |
| An elevation in a sidewalk caused by a tree root is not the responsibility of the Kingston Housing Authority, according to the Dutchess County Supreme Court, who dismissed the personal injury action against the Kingston Housing Authority upon RLA's motion in the matter of Lowry v. Kingston Housing Authority. The Court held that the tree and the sidewalk were the responsibility of the City of Kingston, which was not notified of the defect. |
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| Oct-01-2008 |
| Slip and fall dismissed on Summary Judgment |
| RLA has successfully defended the Auburn Housing Authority in the matter of Ostrander v. Auburn Housing Authority. The Hon. Mark D. Fandrich of the Cayuga County Supreme Court dismissed the action against the Housing Authority upon motion, citing lack of notice of the alleged icy condition due to a storm in progress. |
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| Welcome, Mary Kenney, Esq. |
| Rehfuss, Liguori and Associates would like to welcome Mary Kenney, Esq. as the firm’s newest associate. Mary brings to the firm a wealth of knowledge in the field of litigation and a love of oatmeal rasin cookies. |
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| Happy Anniversary |
| Happy 14th anniversary to John and Mary Ellen Liguori!!! |
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| Not-so rabid cat adjusts to new home life. |
| Tara Sorvari-Burnetter has welcomed the newest addition to her family, Bandit, a stray cat whom Tara saved from certain doom. After extended treatment and quarantine with Whiskers Animal Shelter, Bandit was brought home to live with Tara, her husband Jamie, and their cat Puma. We wish the best for Bandit and his new family. |
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| Rehfuss named All American for Lacrosse |
Abigail Rehfuss continues her dominance on the lacrosse field by being named to the All American Second Team for the Mid-Atlantic Region on May 22, 2008.
"Rehfuss led Loyola in assists during the season with 15. She was second to Gavin on the team in goals scored (35) and total points (50), as well. Rehfuss was not only consistent, scoring a goal in all but three of Loyola's 16 games this season, but she tallied three or more goals eight times.
"Rehfuss had 20 ground balls and was third on the team with 17 caused turnovers. She also was third on the squad with 28 draw controls. Rehfuss earned WomensLax.com National Rookie of the Week honors and BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week honors on March 17 after scoring four goals and assisting on four others against Connecticut and earned BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll mention another time." (Quote taken from the Loyola website)
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| Firm sucessfully competes in two races |
| As a part of the firm's new wellness plan, the employees of RLA have successfully participated in two 5k races. The first was the Albany County Bar Association's Run Against Domestic Violence on April 25, 2008. The firm then continued its fitness regimen by participating in the Corporate Challenge on May 15, 2008. We are pleased to report that all participants completed the races without incident. |
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| Abigail Rehfuss Earns Big East Player of the Week and National Rookie of the Week Honors |
BALTIMORE - Loyola freshman midfielder Abby Rehfuss (Latham, N.Y./Shaker High School) earned two major awards following her outstanding performance in the Greyhounds' 21-15 win over Connecticut on Saturday.
Rehfuss was named the BIG EAST Conference Offensive Player of the Week and WomensLax.com National Rookie of the Week today.
Rehfuss totaled eight points, as she matched her career-best with four goals and had a career-high four assists in the victory.
The first-year player from Latham, N.Y., also had four ground balls, tying her for team-high honors, three caused turnovers and two draw controls.
"Abby had a great all-around game against UConn," Greyhounds Head Coach Kerri O'Day said. "Every game is a learning curve for her. Abby has the ability to dominate games, and she is only going to get better as she gains more experience."
Rehfuss is the first Loyola player this season to earn a BIG EAST Player of the Week Award. In the Greyhounds' two-plus season in the conference, Rehfuss is the third player from Loyola to earn an award.
Kate McHarg was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week on March 13, 2005, and Kristin McKay earned BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week honors on April 17, 2005.
With her offensive output on Saturday, Rehfuss moved into the team lead through eight games in goals (19), assists (8) and total points (27). She is third on the Greyhounds in draw controls (15) and tied for third in caused turnovers (7) this season.
In addition to Rehfuss' honor, Kristen Stone was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the second time this year after causing four turnovers and scooping up three ground balls against the Huskies.
Loyola (3-5 overall, 1-2 BIG EAST) continues conference action on Saturday, March 22, 2008, when it plays at Notre Dame. Game time is slated for 1 p.m. in the Loftus Sports Center.
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| Rosey is housebroken! |
Yes, it's true. Rosey, the intrepid bassett hound currently residing at the Liguori compound, is housebroken. Rosey, a bassett hound (which for those of you who didn't know, shares the rib cage with its next of kin, the greyhound) showed exceptional prowess for her years (or is that months?) when she scratched at the door Monday morning asking to be let outside to relieve herself. Surprised? You shouldn't be. Rumor has it that Rosey's vet has intimated that Rosey is in fact "gifted".
to be continued .................... |
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| Federal Court dismisses Lyman claim |
| Federal District Court Judge Lawrence Kahn, in a sharply worded decision, dismissed all of the 1st Amendment, conspiracy, false arrest claims brought against the City of Albany and numerous City defendants. The defendants were represented by Stephen Rehfuss and Jennifer Carlson of the Rehfuss, Liguori firm. Lyman, the head of SNAP, brought the claim based on his arrest for violating an order of protection outside of Holy Cross Church on Palm Sunday. He claimed that the City had conspired with the Diocese to intimidate him and other protestors thereby violating his 1st Amendment right to free speech. The court held that there was no proof in support of his claim and dismissed the complaint, save for a minor issue which will be addressed in a fioling in the next 2 weeks. |
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| D'Alessandro case dismissed |
| The City of Albany, represented by the law firm of Rehfuss, Liguori & Associates, received a decision from United States Federal District Judge Thomas Eisele dismissing the plaintiffs complaint with prejudice. D'Alessandro claimed that he was wrongfully dismissed from his employment as a Commander with the Albany Police Department and brought suit for defamation, retaliation, deprivation of his 1st and 14th A rights and wrongful termination. In two separate decisions, Judge Eisele found that D'Alessandro failed to prove any of the elements of his claims, found his claims to be baseless as a matter of law and dismissed his complaint with prejudice. |
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