Practice areas: Medical Malpractice, Civil Litigation, Health Care; view more
Licensed in New York since: 2011
Education: Hofstra University School of Law
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2022 - 2025 
Selected to Rising Stars: 2017 - 2021 Call today:
646-582-8213
Free Consultation Napoli Shkolnik PLLC
360 Lexington Avenue11th Floor
New York, NY 10017 Visit website
Details 
In New York’s competitive legal landscape, Joseph L. Ciaccio has established himself as a distinguished trial lawyer and a trusted advocate for those harmed by negligence and misconduct. As a partner at Napoli Shkolnik, he leads the firm’s Nursing Home, Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury Litigation departments, bringing depth of experience and an unwavering commitment to justice.
Mr. Ciaccio concentrates his practice on complex medical malpractice and catastrophic injury matters, with particular emphasis on birth-related injuries such as fetal distress, hypoxia, and Erb’s palsy. He also litigates cases involving misdiagnosis, surgical and orthopedic errors, hospital-acquired infections, and other forms of medical negligence—consistently achieving significant recoveries for his clients through both verdicts and settlements.
His advocacy extends to nursing home litigation, where he has held negligent facilities accountable for neglect, abuse, and substandard care, securing meaningful compensation for victims and their families. Beyond individual claims, Mr. Ciaccio has played an influential role in national opioid litigation, representing municipalities in actions against opioid manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies. In 2021, he served as co-trial counsel in a groundbreaking case that delivered a landmark victory for a county client.
Over the course of his career, Mr. Ciaccio has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for his clients. His recent representative results include:
- $6 million settlement for a client who suffered brain damage following a surgical error
- $4 million verdict for a teenager harmed by a prenatal medication error
- $2 million settlement for a young woman who sustained severe complications from an obstetrical mistake
Mr. Ciaccio’s results have earned him national recognition, including securing one of the largest medical malpractice settlements in New York State and a Top 50 settlement nationwide. In 2023, he obtained both the highest medical malpractice verdict in Suffolk County and the highest birth injury verdict in New York State, as reported by TopVerdict.
A graduate of Hofstra University School of Law, Mr. Ciaccio was admitted to the New York State Bar in 2011. In addition to his active trial practice, he is deeply committed to advancing the legal profession. He serves as an officer of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association (NYSTLA) and as a dean of the New York State Trial Lawyers Institute (NYSTLI), where he develops statewide educational programming for trial lawyers.
Through his leadership, record of success, and dedication to client advocacy, Joseph Ciaccio exemplifies the qualities of a trusted counselor and accomplished trial attorney.
Practice areas
Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice: Plaintiff, Civil Litigation: Plaintiff, Health Care, Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff, Personal Injury - Products: PlaintiffFocus areas
Birth Injury, Brain Injury, Construction Accident, Delayed or Incorrect Diagnosis, Dram Shop Laws, Informed Consent, Medical Devices, Medical Malpractice, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Nursing Home, Pharmaceutical, Premises Liability - Plaintiff, Wrongful Death
- 30% Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice: Plaintiff
- 20% Civil Litigation: Plaintiff
- 20% Health Care
- 20% Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff
- 10% Personal Injury - Products: Plaintiff
First Admitted: 2011, New York
Professional Webpage: https://www.napolilaw.com/en/attorneys/joseph-l-ciaccio/
Bar / Professional Activity
- New York
- United States District Court, Eastern District of New York
- United States District Court, Southern District of New York
- American Association of Justice (AAJ)
- Columbian Lawyers’ Association of Suffolk County, Inc.
- Long Term Care Community Coalition (LTCCC) Member
- New York Trial Lawyers Association (NYSTLA) Officer: Parliamentarian and Director, Class of 2025
- New York Trial Lawyers Institute (NYSTLI): Dean
- New York Academy of Trial Lawyers
Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)
- $4,000,000 Medical Malpractice Verdict in Suffolk County: This jury verdict was obtained on behalf of a 13-year-old child who suffered birth defects, including a cleft lip and cleft palate, due to a drug his mother was improperly prescribed before and while she was pregnant.
- $650 Million Ruling in National Pharmacy Chain Opioid Trial: U.S. District Court for Northern Ohio Judge Dan Aaron Polster ruled that CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart must pay over $650 million over 15 years and set up an abatement program for Lake and Trumbull counties. The ruling is the first by a federal judge that assigns a monetary amount against pharmacy chains for their role in the opioid epidemic. The funds will be used in programs to address the fallout from opioid abuse which the defendant’s marketing of opioids caused.
- Jury Verdict in New York Opioid Jury Trial: The jury held Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., Cephalon, Inc., Actavis, LLC, Actavis Pharma, Inc., Watson Laboratories, Inc., and Anda, Inc. responsible for causing a public nuisance. (Napoli Shkolnik is Counsel to Nassau County.)
- $1.1 Billion Settlement: New York Opioid Jury Trial: This settlement was reached with the three largest drug distributors, AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and McKesson, in the first opioid jury trial.
- $50 Million Settlement: New York Opioid Jury Trial: Endo Pharmaceuticals agreed to this settlement to end its involvement in the New York opioid jury trial, where the company was accused of its role in the opioid epidemic.
- $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.
- $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.
- $4.5 Million Settlement on behalf of a child who suffered significant brain damage following the administration of anesthesia for an MRI
- $1.85 Million medical malpractice settlement obtained on behalf of an 80-year-old woman from Long Island, NY, who was paralyzed after undergoing a routine epidural pain injection.
- $1.6 million medical malpractice settlement involving negligence related to an IVF patient.
- $1.3 Million medical malpractice settlement for our client, after a failure to diagnose a tumor on an MRI.
- $1,200,000 Medical Malpractice Settlement achieved on behalf of a Bronx woman who suffered complications following a hysterectomy procedure.
- $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
- $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.
- $875,000 settlement for a client who suffered a knee and hip injury after a broken stair caused him to fall.
- $750,000 Medical Malpractice settlement on behalf of a woman whose brain tumor was misdiagnosed as a stroke.
- $450,000 Nursing Home Settlement involving a Syracuse-area nursing home whose resident (our client) suffered from Stage IV Bed Sores.
- $450,000 Medical Malpractice Settlement reached on behalf of our client for a delayed diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.
- $200,000 against a Nursing Home after a dementia patient hit his head and died at the nursing home
- $785,000 Settlement on behalf of a young woman who lost sight in one eye due to an infection she developed as a result of dental work
- $750,000 Settlement on behalf of a client administered bupivacaine (general anesthesia), who then fell into cardiac arrest and then a coma
- $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
- $250,000 Nursing Home Settlement for the family of a 75-year-old Brooklyn resident who passed away due to an infection caused by a facility’s negligence.
- $101,000 Firefighter Settlement for an FDNY firefighter who sustained a shoulder injury in the line of duty.
Videos
- Standard of Care, 2016
- Medical Malpractice, 2016
Educational Background
- Hofstra University School of Law, J.D.
- Long Island University, B.S.
Scholarly Lectures / Writings
- In the years since enduring the front lines of the Covid pandemic, nurses have been increasingly vocal about the challenges they face in securing adequate working conditions—and the direct correlation between working conditions and patient safety. As unions have worked to improve these conditions, they’ve won significant gains. But understaffing remains an ongoing issue, and now at least one New York hospital system is fighting back., Author, In Staffing Push, Nurses Fight for Patients and Themselves,, LinkedIn, Nursing Home, 2024
- Today’s medical systems move faster, operate at greater scale, and handle a wider volume and variety of ailments than ever before. Doctors have access to vast repositories of medical information and data, all of which are intended to produce better patient outcomes. But in one critical way, this modern dynamic is failing patients: as doctors handle a higher volume of patients, they know less about them and can fall short in providing the detailed insight needed to ensure informed consent., Author, Informed Consent Requires an Informed Patient, LinkedIn, Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury, 2024
- We live in a world where exciting medical research promises to cure cancer, prevent heart attacks, and push back the effects of aging. Sadly, we also live in a world in which “maternity care deserts” are growing across the United States, leaving more women without access to essential care before, during, and after pregnancy, putting their lives and their children’s lives at risk., Author, Women Lack Access to Maternity Care. That’s Unacceptable., JD Supra, 2024
- Over the past several years state lawmakers have sought to improve care at nursing homes through staffing and quality care requirements. Now, new federal rules seek to do the same nationwide. The problem is that new rules don’t automatically translate to higher quality of care. The challenges are well known and persistent. Nursing home jobs are demanding and underpaid, making it harder to attract and retain employees. With the number of nursing homes in America diminishing, the medical system needs to keep remaining nursing homes open. The effects of inadequate care are well known as well: falls, infections, bedsores, serious medical complications, and even death., Author, Nursing Homes are Still Failing Patients, LinkedIn, Nursing Home, 2024
- Recently, the Jewish Voice had the distinct honor of speaking with Joseph Ciaccio of the Napoli Shkolinik, PLLC law firm. Mr.Ciaccio is a managing partner at Napoli Shkolnik’s Personal Injury Practice, where his expertise and dedication have made a significant impact in the field of personal injury and medical malpractice litigation. With a career marked by substantial settlements and verdicts, Ciaccio has proven himself a formidable advocate for his clients, ensuring they receive the justice and compensation they deserve., Author, A Career Spent “Rectifying Injustices” – An Interview with Joseph Ciaccio of Napoli Shkolnik, PLLC,, The Jewish Voice, 2024
- Whether it’s practicing medicine while under the influence, making an error in judgment, or other misconduct, physicians in the United States are rarely, publicly held accountable for their actions. If they are accountable for their actions, however, paying a civil penalty to the government can often get them out of trouble and allow them to continue to practice without a requirement that they notify their patients. Such a lack of disclosure can impact patient safety and make it more difficult for patients who have experienced adverse outcomes to gain compensation. It can also create a culture that enables practices that benefit doctors and hospitals more than patients., Author, Disciplinary Action Against Pathologist Highlights Patient Risks, Medium, Medical Malpractice, 2023
- A recent New York Times article reported that dozens of spine surgery patients at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center were treated with a product that was not approved for use in such procedures. Burst Biologics, Inc., the manufacturer of BioBurst, a stem cell treatment derived from umbilical cord blood, was issued a warning letter by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last year, citing possible contamination problems and insufficient screening of donors, making the product potentially unsafe. Despite the warning letter and employee complaints dating back years, BioBurst still ended up on hospital shelves nationwide. As regenerative medicine grows in popularity, without regulation, this may become a more common occurrence., Author, The Risks of Unregulated Regenerative Medicine, Medium, 2023
- A new study shows that approximately 371,000 people die and 424,000 sustain permanent disabilities due to diagnostic error, including brain damage, blindness, loss of limbs or organs or metastasized cancer. 40% of these severe outcomes are linked to errors in diagnosing stroke, sepsis, pneumonia, venous thromboembolism (VTE), and lung cancer. These five diseases fall under the umbrella of frequently misdiagnosed major vascular events, infections, and cancers, known as the “Big Three.”These numbers represent only a fraction of the roughly 12 million Americans who are misdiagnosed every year. While the chances of dying or sustaining severe physical harm due to diagnostic error are remote, misdiagnosis is a real issue, and in many cases, preventable., Author, Diagnostic Errors Claim Nearly 800,000 American Lives Per Year, Study Finds, Medium, 2023
- For decades, finding out the price of a medical service ahead of time has been a nearly impossible challenge. And whatever price you do find won’t be universal: a procedure like an MRI scan may vary by thousands of dollars, even at the same hospital. Why?Hospitals and medical insurance companies negotiate the rates they will charge enrollees. No two contracts are alike. These negotiated rates have largely been kept hidden from patients, blindsiding them when their bill arrives. But last year, the Trump Administration ruled that hospitals must post the actual prices for their services, including negotiated rates and cash prices. This is meant to increase competition between hospitals, giving patients the option to “shop” for providers. This ruling is historic and important. Patients absolutely have the right to know how much a medical service costs before they receive it. They should also have the ability to choose the provider that is right for them. But hospital shopping does not address the real problem, which is that pricing for medical services is not consistent throughout the country, even though it should be., Author, Hospital-Shopping: A Band-Aid for a Broken System, Medium, 2022
- The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic saw nursing homes rapidly devolve into infection hotspots. Unfortunately, many facilities ignored critical safety guidance designed to protect residents. In New York State facilities alone, there were over 15,000 deaths between February 2020 and October 2021. The Long Island State Veterans Home in Suffolk County had the second-highest death rate among nursing homes in New York State. 486 residents — all veterans — contracted COVID-19, and 124 died. Copious evidence points to flagrant disregard for safety protocols at the facility during the pandemic. Had the home fulfilled its duty to protect its residents, many of these deaths could have been prevented., Author, How Nursing Homes Failed Long Island Veterans, Medium, 2022
- New York State Trial Lawyers Association “Decisions” CLE – Products Liability (2024), Presenter, Decisions - Products Liability, New York State Trial Lawyers Association, 2024
- New York State Trial Lawyers Association “Decisions” CLE – Products Liability (2023), Presenter, Decisions - Products Liability, New York State Trial Lawyers Association, 2023
- Panelist, “Practitioner Voices: Medical Malpractice“, Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center (October 2, 2019), Panelist, Practitioner Voices: Medical Malpractice, Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, 2019
- Presenter, “Trial Theme Options”, Opioid Litigation Seminar, American Association for Justice (AAJ) Education (December 6, 2018), Presenter, Trial Theme Options”, Opioid Litigation Seminar, American Association for Justice, 2018
Other Outstanding Achievements
- 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
Honors
- America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators®, America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators®, 2018
- Leading Medical Device and Malpractice Attorney of the Year, New York, Leading Adviser Awards Winner, 2019
- New York’s Top 10 Personal Injury Attorneys, Attorney and Practice Magazine
- Lawyers of Distinction, Lawyers of Distinction, 2020
- Top 40 Under 40, National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys
- 2017-2023, Rising Stars, New York Metro Super Lawyers®, 2023
- 2024, 2025, New York Metro Super Lawyers®, New York Metro Super Lawyers®, 2025
- 2017-2019, Top 40 Under 40, The National Trial Lawyers, 2019
- Top 20 Settlements in New York, Top Verdict, 2019
- Top Medical Malpractice Verdict in Suffolk County, Top Verdict, 2023
- Top Birth Injury Verdict in New York, Top Verdict, 2023
Office location for Joseph L. Ciaccio
360 Lexington Avenue
11th Floor
New York, NY 10017
Phone: 646-582-8213
Selections
4 Years Super Lawyers
5 Years Rising Stars
- Super Lawyers: 2022 - 2025
- Rising Stars: 2017 - 2021
