John M. Flannery

Special Appointment
Judge Alvin Hellerstein of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York named John the Defendants’ Co-liaison Counsel for the personal injury claim brought by off-site workers injured during the clean-up of lower Manhattan following the World Trade Center terrorist attacks. In this role, John is responsible for coordinating the handling and administration of cases before the court and with the Plaintiffs’ Co-liaison Counsel. Nearly 1,500 plaintiffs have claims pending for injuries related to the clean-up effort.

Toxic Tort
John’s position as Defendants’ Co-liaison Counsel in the aftermath of the World Trade Center terrorist attack has provided him with a wealth of knowledge about the law and the science surrounding toxic exposure. He has represented land owners, businesses and municipalities involving individual and mass tort claims for contamination of sites by toxic substances. John is currently lead attorney on numerous toxic tort cases filed against two clients as a result of the 9/11 attacks. John filed a motion to dismiss and nearly 1,000 of the cases were dismissed for plaintiffs’ failure to serve a notice of claim. Significantly, the dismissal resulted in the amendment of General Municipal Law § 50-I, extending a one-year time period for the filing of 9/11 claims.

Municipal Litigation
John handles municipal matters surrounding allegations of violations of the Civil Rights Act, charges of police brutality, false arrest and false imprisonment. In regular, ongoing government business matters, John has handled zoning and land use, claims involving tort liability, discrimination in employment, wrongful discharge, failure to provide adequate police protection, malicious prosecution, RICO and sexual harassment.

General Commercial
John represents clients in matters involving business disputes and breach of contract, and has assisted in drafting appropriate land use ordinances and regulations. He also represents clients before state and federal courts on zoning and land use controversies, as well as environmental and real estate matters.

Employment
John has successfully litigated cases defending companies and management against a variety of claims arising out of the employer/employee relationship. He has defended companies and governmental entities in the areas of discrimination for sex, age, race, disability, religious beliefs and sexual orientation. He has defended cases related to a hostile work environment and statistical discrimination. John has also advised his clients on employment counseling and has conducted investigations into employer/employee misconduct. John has tried cases in both state and federal court and handled administrative hearings before the EEOC and the New York State Human Rights Commission.