The Cattaraugus County District Attorney’s Office, headed by Lori Pettit Rieman, will serve as a special prosecutor to determine whether criminal charges should be filed against Erie County Holding Center deputies in the death of an inmate in 2012.

The state Commission of Correction, which investigates in-custody deaths, recommended a criminal investigation after determining that inmate Richard A. Metcalf Jr. died of asphyxia at the hands of jail deputies, not a heart attack as the county medical examiner determined at the time. Read More…..

Mike Scinta of Brown Chiari spoke with WIVB Channel 4’s Dave Greber regarding surveillance videos, which dispute statements from the Erie County Holding Center staff.

It’s an Erie County case that dates back to 2012, one that’s been investigated by local law enforcement, by the state, even by the federal government.

Read the full story here.

Brown Chiari obtains 1.9 million dollar verdict for a client who sustained serious visual injury to one eye as a result of a work related accident. Eric Shelton, of Brown Chiari, stated that in addition to the eye injury, our client suffered post-traumatic migraine syndrome.

Local law firm represents Buffalo woman in wrongful death case

BUFFALO, NY, November 22, 2016 – The law firm of Brown Chiari obtained a $1 million verdict in New York State Supreme Court against Kaleida and MFG on behalf of the Estate of Rose Kij, who suffered injuries and death as a result of the hospital’s conduct, according to the jury.

The 81-year-old was admitted with signs of a resolving stroke to Millard Fillmore Gates on Aug 16, 2007. The hospital provided the wrong dosage of a drug (Simvastatin) by failing to confirm her dosages before her hospital admission despite having knowledge of her pharmacy and primary physician. Ms. Kij developed Rhabdomyolysis, a disease causing severe muscle breakdown with resulting kidney failure, leading to her death on October 10, 2007.

“This verdict sends a clear sign that the people deserve the same treatment regardless of age,” said attorney Michael Scinta of Brown Chiari. “The elderly are entitled to enjoy the same protections under the law. This is a tragic situation which could have been avoided.”

The jury awarded the estate of Rose Kij a $1 million verdict for her case against Kaleida and MFG.

Attorneys Michael Scinta and David Olson from the law firm of Brown Chiari represented the Kij Estate. New York Supreme Court Justice Donna Siwek presided over the trial.

A jury has decided the City of Buffalo should pay $3 million to a woman who suffered serious spinal injuries when a police department tow truck ran a traffic light and triggered a crash downtown.

Brigette Brzezniak, of Cheektowaga, was 24 at the time and a passenger in a Ford Escape when it collided with the tow truck at Seneca Street and Michigan Avenue in 2013, according to her lawyer, Michael Scinta of the Brown Chiari law firm.