Renee Simon Lesser

Renee S. Lesser is a founding member and managing partner of Simon•Lesser PC. She specializes in complex personal injury claims, sexual assault cases, insurance defense and coverage litigation, and commercial litigation. For more than two decades, she has successfully defended churches, synagogues, schools, nursing homes, non-profit entities, as well as large and small businesses and individuals throughout New York State.  Most of these cases involve allegations of personal injury, property damage or economic loss resulting from premises defects, sports related injuries, labor law claims, assaults, negligent supervision, and building design and maintenance claims.  For example, in Ehrens v. Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, 385 F.3d 232 (2d Cir. 2004), she obtained summary judgment, affirmed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, on behalf of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and its Atlantic District on claims pertaining to an alleged sexual assault committed by a former pastor.  In Young v. Brown, 113 A.D.3d 761, 978 N.Y.S.2d 867 (2d Dep't 2014), she obtained dismissal of claims asserted against a Church in connection with the sexual misconduct of a religious counselor. In Spielman v. Grace Gospel Church of Suffolk, Inc., 77 A.D.3d 816, 910 N.Y.S.2d 105 (2d Dep't 2010), she obtained dismissal of claims asserted against Church in connection with alleged sexual misconduct by a pastor.  Other recent reported successess include Egar v. Congregation Talmud Torah, 885 N.Y.S.2d 711 (NY Sup. 2009), where she obtained dismissal of a personal injury claim involving a synagogue's “eruv” wire located on a hospital property that had allegedly injured a patient, and Yeshiva Ohr Torah Community School, Inc. v Zurich Am. Ins. Co., 910 N.Y.S.2d 517 (2d Dep’t 2010), where she obtained reversal of summary judgment awarded to an indemnitor in connection with the claims of her clients, the indemnitee and its subrogee, for reimbursement of fees and expenses incurred in defending an underlying tort action.

Ms. Lesser also has a history of securing significant awards in plaintiff personal injury cases, including a $6 million judgment obtained after trial against a property owner resulting from the sexual assault of a tenant.  In a related bankruptcy proceeding, 698 Flushing Realty Corp., 355 B.R. 17 (Bnkr. E.D.N.Y. 2005), Ms. Lesser successfully moved for dismissal of the property owner's bankruptcy petition filed after the judgment, and was awarded sanctions against the debtor's counsel.  In Christopher v. PharmaStem Therapeutics, Inc., 824 N.Y.S.2d 761 (NY Sup. 2006), Ms. Lesser prosecuted an action for fraud, negligent misrepresentation, and deceptive business practices against an umbilical cord blood preservation company which issued communications to obstetricians around the nation threatening them with claims for patent infringement if they collected cord blood for patients who intended to preserve such cord blood with other companies.  Ms. Lesser's representation of plaintiffs and defendants has given her a unique insight into the successful resolution of tort claims.