Practice Area
Decades of Experience Representing Municipalities, Public Entities, and Local Agencies
Morris Duffy Alonso Faley & Pitcoff is widely recognized as a leader in municipal liability defense across New York. We represent a broad range of municipal entities, government agencies, and public officials in complex and often high-profile litigation involving personal injury, civil rights, employment disputes, and regulatory compliance. Our attorneys have successfully defended municipalities in claims involving premises liability and general negligence, motor vehicle accidents involving public transportation and service vehicles, assaults and negligent security, and public works and infrastructure-related incidents. We have experience defending municipal entities in transportation-related claims, including those arising from accidents involving police vehicles, fire trucks, ambulances, buses, and trains.
MDAFP regularly defends municipalities in civil rights actions brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, including claims alleging excessive use of force, false arrest and imprisonment, malicious prosecution, and failure to train and supervise law enforcement personnel. Our team also handles municipal employment litigation, including discrimination claims under Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), sexual harassment and hostile work environment claims, retaliation and whistleblower claims, and representation before administrative agencies such as the New York State Division of Human Rights. In addition, we are frequently retained to conduct internal investigations, draft Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) policies, and provide risk management counsel to prevent future claims.
MDAFP has defended numerous municipalities and public housing entities in lead paint exposure cases, particularly those involving allegations of childhood lead poisoning. Our attorneys have in-depth knowledge of New York City housing regulations, testing standards, and landlord obligations related to lead-based paint.
Our municipal clients include cities, towns, and villages, police and fire departments, housing authorities and school districts, transit and sanitation departments, charter schools and educational institutions, water, highway, and parks departments, and public benefit corporations and regional authorities. We serve municipalities of all sizes, from small villages and towns to major metropolitan entities, and are trusted by public officials, risk managers, and insurance carriers for our cost-effective, strategic, and trial-ready approach.