Stephen J. Murphy

Bar / Professional Activity

• Member, Board of Directors, New York State Trial Lawyers Association, 2008 - Present
• Member, New York State Trial Lawyers Association Labor Law Committee, 2012-Present
• Past Co-Chairman, New York State Trial Lawyers Association Partnership for Justice
• Member, Brehon Law Society, 2008 - Present
• Past President, Brooklyn Manhattan Trial Lawyers Association 
• Member, Board of Directors, Tuesday’s Children
• Panelist, New York County Democratic Judicial Screening Panel, 2015
• Panelist, Kings County Democratic Judicial Screening Panel, 2012
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York
• New York
• New Jersey

Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)

• $32,756,156 Jury Verdict in Suffolk County for a 60 year-old man that sustained a traumatic brain injury
• $15,500,000 Settlement for an injured client in a pedestrian knockdown case
• $9,950,000 settlement for a young woman in Buffalo who suffered an above-the-knee amputation after she was struck by a van in a parking lot 
• $9,500,000 settlement for a painter who fell from a poorly secured extension ladder and suffered a traumatic brain injury
• $8,800,000 settlement for a grandmother who sustained a head injury requiring surgery.  The victim was walking to pick up her grandsons at school when two cars collided at an intersection controlled by stop signs.  One of the stop signs was partially obstructed by a tree branch and caused the driver to miss the sign.  After the collision, one of the vehicles was propelled on to the sidewalk and crashed into the plaintiff.  Plaintiff brought suit against the operators of both vehicles as well as The City of New York.  The City contributed $7,500,000 of the settlment. The other two vehicles contributed the entire $1,300,000 of the available insurance policies., 2013
• $7,525,000 settlement for a family in a wrongful death case after a devastating motor vehicle crash in Long Island 
• $7,400,000 settlement for a union sheet metal worker who fell on a construction site
• $7,200,000 settlement for the family of a worker who died tragically in a workplace accident 
• $7,100,000 settlement for a union steamfitter who fell from a ladder after being struck by a poorly secured pipe
• $7,000,000 settlement for a union ironworker who was injured after being struck by a hoist 
• $6,950,000 settlement for a union carpenter who fell from scaffolding
• $6,000,000 settlement for a crane operator who sustained spine injuries after a worksite fall
• $5,750,000 settlement for a worker who was pulled to the ground by a falling staircase during a demolition project
• $5,585,000 Jury Verdict in Queens County for a 35 year-old undocumented worker that sustained back and wrist injuries requiring surgery
• $5,500,000 Settlement just before jury selection for an injured electrician that sustained a traumatic brain injury after falling from an extension ladder
• $5,475,000 settlement for a photographer who was involved in a motorcycle crash caused by improperly repaired brakes
• $4,750,000 Settlement for an HVAC worker who sustained back injuries in a scaffolding collapse. 
• $4,600,000 Settlement for a rigger who underwent surgery after suffering neck and back injuries.  
• $4,500,000 Settlement for a carpenter injured in a scaffold fall at a Brooklyn work site. 
• $4,450,000 Settlement for a client who fell at a Brooklyn work site, causing brain and spine injuries. 
• $4,000,000 Settlement in a construction accident case for a Long Island worker who suffered spinal injuries after falling from a roof 
• $4,000,000 Settlement for a cyclist who was struck by a NYC sanitation truck while riding within the bike lane. 
• $4,000,000 Settlement for a worker who fell from a ladder while installing new awnings, causing ankle and leg fractures. 
• $3,925,000 Settlement for a "good samaritan" that was injured while trying to help a truck driver that was stuck on a railroad crossing. The truck and the plaintiff were hit by a L.I.R.R. locomotive
• $3,231,000 Settlement against a Bronx slumlord on behalf of an infant that was burned with hot water while bathing in her home
• $3,100,000 Settlement for a plumber that sustained spine injuries while working in a trench at a construction site
• $3,000,000 Settlement for a man that sustained orthopedic injuries after being struck by a tractor trailer
• $2,250,000 Settlement just before trial for an injured coca-cola worker that sustained a back injury while making a delivery at a prominent French restaurant
• $2,250,000 Settlement during trial for a laborer that sustained a lower back injury requiring surgery
• $2,200,000 Settlement just before trial for an injured sanitation worker that sustained a fractured leg while working that required surgery and a skin graft
• $2,005,000 Settlement in a "reckless disregard" case against an ambulance company
• $2,000,000 Settlement in a case against The City of New York for a client that required spine surgery
• $1,941,000 Jury Verdict in a spine surgery case in Kings County
• $1,000,000 Settlement following a Jury Verdict in the Bronx for a 14 year-old that had arthroscopic knee surgery after an accident

Videos

• Union Worker's Life-Altering Injury: Legal Battle for His Family's Future, 2025
• The Jury Duty Experience: Explained by NYC Lawyer, 2024
• NYC Attorneys Discuss $7.2 Million Wrongful Death Settlement for Fatal Elevator Accident, 2024
• On March 13, 2004, at 4:30 PM, Jimmy Dunne, a Vietnam Veteran, retired railroad conductor and American Legion Commander, and his wife were returning from a birthday party, when they witnessed and stopped to help the victims of a three-car crash in the small town of Port Jefferson Station, New York. Jimmy offered help because he was a Good Samaritan, and he knew CPR. While Jimmy gave his statement to police officers, a brand new Subaru driven by Lisa Lloyd crashed into the police barricades and slammed into Jimmy. Lisa kept going, with Jimmy’s head smashed into the windshield, until the fire chief ran alongside her car, dove through the window and threw the car into park. Jimmy was catapulted 30 feet into the air, landing on his head and changing his life forever in that split moment. Jimmy’s head was fractured in two places, and he suffered a brain hemorrhage. He plunged into a coma for a month and required brain surgery to treat his injuries. He now requires round-the-clock nursing care due to his injuries. Lisa Lloyd later pleaded guilty to second-degree assault while driving a car while impaired by drugs. Today, the Insider Exclusive will show you Jimmy Dunne’s truly courageous struggle to recovery; and how Stephen Murphy, former top homicide prosecutor for the Brooklyn DA’s office, and Daniel O’Toole, partners at the law firm of Block O’Toole & Murphy got Jimmy justice with a record judgment of $32.7 million, the largest non-medical malpractice personal injury award in Long Island history., The Good Samaritan: The Jimmy Dunne Story

Pro bono / Community Service

• Proud Member, St. Jude Children's Hospital fundraising team
• Proud supporter of the Brooklyn to Alaska Project
• Dedicated supporter of the Frances Pope Memorial Foundation
• Youngest Member of the District Attorney's Office's Homicide Bureau

Educational Background

• St. John's University School of Law, J.D.
• Johns Hopkins University, B.A. in Political Science, 1994

Scholarly Lectures / Writings

• Mr. Murphy discusses how to protect construction workers from fatal work injuries. , Author, Building a Safer Culture, Best Lawyers, 2023
• Mr. Murphy discusses a high-profile murder case from his time as a Brooklyn prosecutor. , Guest, Lie or Die, Anatomy of a Murder Podcast, 2021
• Mr. Murphy is featured on Episode 10 of the show to talk about a murder case he handled against John J. Lennon, who would go on to become a well-known “prison journalist.”, Interviewee, Killer Writing, Inside Evil with Chris Cuomo, 2019
• Can Injured, Undocumented Construction Workers Recover Lost Wages?The New York Law JournalOn February 22, 2010, the New York Law Journal featured an article by two of Block O'Toole & Murphy's construction accident attorneys: Stephen J. Murphy and David L. Scher. The central question of the piece is whether undocumented construction workers have the right to recover lost earnings resulting from injuries on the job. As they put it, "If a worker has obtained employment without documentation, a violation of the law, should he be able to recover lost wages after he is hurt on the job?" Both experienced construction accident attorneys, Murphy and Scher begin by discussing a 2006 decision by the New York Court of Appeals, Balbuena v. IDR Realty LLC, a landmark which held that undocumented construction workers may be entitled to recover lost earnings as a result of workplace injuries. After reviewing the differences between the Balbuena decision and a U.S. Supreme Court Decision, Hoffman Plastic Compounds Inc. v. NRLB, Murphy and Scher proceed to a decision by the Appellate Division, Second Department (Coque v. Wildflower Estates Developers Inc.), which concluded: "Where an employer violated the IRCA in hiring an employee, such as by failing to properly verify the employee's eligibility for work, the employee is not precluded, by virtue of his submission of a fraudulent documentation to the employer, from recovering damages for lost wages as a result of a workplace accident." A similar decision was made the by the First Department in Macedo v. J.D. Posillico Inc., holding that the worker's lost earning was not forfeited by submitting a fraudulent social security card because the employer failed to comply with its employment verification obligations in good faith. Murphy and Scher note that "the principles established in Balbuena have even been applied to prevent certain defendants from inquiring about an injured construction worker's immigration status." This was the case in a 2007 New York Supreme Court case, Gomez v. F&T Int'l (Flushing, NY), in which the employer failed to verify the immigration status of two demolition workers, a violation of the IRCA. The court, punishing the company for its apparent practice of intentionally hiring undocumented workers, denied a motion to compel further deposition regarding the immigration status of the injured workers. While it may first appear that the Balbuena decision struck a blow against the IRCA by "rewarding" undocumented workers, the Court was persuaded that "limiting the lost wage claims would increase employment levels of undocumented aliens." This, in turn, would make it "more financially attractive" to hire undocumented workers, thereby thwarting the purpose of the IRCA. In conclusion, Murphy and Scher note that federal legislative changes, such as making it a crime to work without documentation, would have a dramatic impact on the law, compromising a major underpinning of Balbuena. The final irony, they note, is that "stricter federal immigration laws could encourage further hiring of undocumented aliens, leading to less safe work environments and more injuries, because subsequent injury claims would become far less valuable, absent lost earnings components.", Author, Can Injured, Undocumented Construction Workers Recover Lost Wages?, The New York Law Journal, 2010
• Taught trial advocacy at the St. John's University School of Law for eight years, Adjunct Professor of Law, St. John's University School of Law

Honors

• New York City Lawyer of the Year, Personal Injury - Plaintiffs, Best Lawyers, 2022
• From 2013 to present, Best Lawyers Magazine has named Mr. Murphy as one of New York's Best Lawyers for the Personal Injury - Plaintiff practice area, Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers
• From 2023 to present, Forbes has recognized Mr. Murphy as one of New York's best personal injury attorneys. , New York's Best Personal Injury Lawyers, Forbes
• 2013-Present, Irish Legal 100
• 2011-Present, Top 100 Trial Lawyer, National Trial Lawyers
• Chairperson of the Year, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 2019
• Man of the Year, Brooklyn to Alaska Project, 2017
• Honoree, Brehon Law Society, 2015
• P.T.A.I Alumni Excellence Award, St. John's University School of Law, 2014
• Volunteer of the Quarter, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 2014
• In 2010, The Frances Pope Memorial Foundation honored Stephen J. Murphy for His Extraordinary Commitment To Children & Their Families Who Endure Catastrophic Challenges. The mission of The Frances Pope Memorial Foundation is to assist families caring for children with cancer by helping to pay some of the expenses NOT covered by insurance., Man of The Year, The Frances Pope Memorial Foundation, 2010
• Magna Cum Laude, St. John's University School of Law
• Ranked in the Top 3% of His Class, St. John's University School of Law

Awards

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Avvo Client's Choice Award: This award is granted to attorneys with at least 5 reviews with 4+ stars in a given year on Avvo.com

Industry Groups

• Law

“one of the best plaintiff's personal injuries lawyers in the business”

“Mr. Murhphy has demonstrated himself to be one of the best trial lawyers in the State of New York. His compasssion, intellect, logic, dilengence and character allow him to accomplish record results on a regular basis.”