Plaintiff is involved in an assault and battery, and then spends the next umpteen years litigating the case, suing his attorney, relitigating the case, suing the police department, suing his attorney once again.  It all ends in his being enjoined from suing again without court approval.  Only in a pro-se world could this happen.

InBanushi v Epstein ;2012 NY Slip Op 30123(U); ; January 11, 2012; Sup Ct, NY County; Docket Number: 402693/10; Judge: Doris Ling-Cohan

"In May, 1998, Banushi hired Epstein to litigate a case that was already in progress.  The case was based on Banushi’s allegations that he had been assaulted and battered ("the assault case").  At least six (6) cases have been commenced by Banushi related to such alleged assault/battery, including his claims based upon the alleged lack of effective legal representation that he received in litigating the assault case and not including a disciplinary complaint filed against defendants which was dismissed.

Epstein proceeded to represent Banushi in the assault case.  the relationship between client and attorney did not fare well, resulting in Epstein filing a motion to withdraw as counsel, which was granted, prior to the case going to trial.

Epstein alleges that the assault case was ready for trial when he withdrew and that he believes Banushi did not retain new counsel and tried the assault case pro se. After trial, a verdict was rendered in favor of the defendants. Banushi appealed the verdict, which was affirmed and he was denied leave to appeal that decision  Court of Appeals. In 2001, Banushi brought an action for legal malpractice against Epstein in Civil Court Kings County (“the 2001 case”), which resulted in a trial and a judgment in Epstein’s favor.  In 2003, Banushi lodged a complaint against Epstein with the Disciplinary Committee, First Department which, according to Epstein, was summarily dismissed. In 2006, in the United States District Court, Eastern District of New York, Banushi! the City of New York and a New York City police officer alleging that the New York City  Police Department
(NYPD) failed to provide him with a proper report of the assault, thus ability to litigate the assault case. The court determined that the federal and state were time barred and granted summary judgment dismissing the claims.

Thus, defendants’ motion to dismiss is granted and the cross motion to further amend the complaint is denied. The balance of Epstein’s motion is denied, except that Banushi is enjoined from commencing any further lawsuits or making any motions, unless he is represented by counsel if unrepresented, without prior court approval and a copy of this decision shall be provide
such application (see Sibersky v Winters, 42 AD3d 402,404 [lst’ Dept 2007).

 

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Andrew Lavoott Bluestone

Andrew Lavoott Bluestone has been an attorney for 40 years, with a career that spans criminal prosecution, civil litigation and appellate litigation. Mr. Bluestone became an Assistant District Attorney in Kings County in 1978, entered private practice in 1984 and in 1989 opened…

Andrew Lavoott Bluestone has been an attorney for 40 years, with a career that spans criminal prosecution, civil litigation and appellate litigation. Mr. Bluestone became an Assistant District Attorney in Kings County in 1978, entered private practice in 1984 and in 1989 opened his private law office and took his first legal malpractice case.

Since 1989, Bluestone has become a leader in the New York Plaintiff’s Legal Malpractice bar, handling a wide array of plaintiff’s legal malpractice cases arising from catastrophic personal injury, contracts, patents, commercial litigation, securities, matrimonial and custody issues, medical malpractice, insurance, product liability, real estate, landlord-tenant, foreclosures and has defended attorneys in a limited number of legal malpractice cases.

Bluestone also took an academic role in field, publishing the New York Attorney Malpractice Report from 2002-2004.  He started the “New York Attorney Malpractice Blog” in 2004, where he has published more than 4500 entries.

Mr. Bluestone has written 38 scholarly peer-reviewed articles concerning legal malpractice, many in the Outside Counsel column of the New York Law Journal. He has appeared as an Expert witness in multiple legal malpractice litigations.

Mr. Bluestone is an adjunct professor of law at St. John’s University College of Law, teaching Legal Malpractice.  Mr. Bluestone has argued legal malpractice cases in the Second Circuit, in the New York State Court of Appeals, each of the four New York Appellate Divisions, in all four of  the U.S. District Courts of New York and in Supreme Courts all over the state.  He has also been admitted pro haec vice in the states of Connecticut, New Jersey and Florida and was formally admitted to the US District Court of Connecticut and to its Bankruptcy Court all for legal malpractice matters. He has been retained by U.S. Trustees in legal malpractice cases from Bankruptcy Courts, and has represented municipalities, insurance companies, hedge funds, communications companies and international manufacturing firms. Mr. Bluestone regularly lectures in CLEs on legal malpractice.

Based upon his professional experience Bluestone was named a Diplomate and was Board Certified by the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys in 2008 in Legal Malpractice. He remains Board Certified.  He was admitted to The Best Lawyers in America from 2012-2019.  He has been featured in Who’s Who in Law since 1993.

In the last years, Mr. Bluestone has been featured for two particularly noteworthy legal malpractice cases.  The first was a settlement of an $11.9 million dollar default legal malpractice case of Yeo v. Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman which was reported in the NYLJ on August 15, 2016. Most recently, Mr. Bluestone obtained a rare plaintiff’s verdict in a legal malpractice case on behalf of the City of White Plains v. Joseph Maria, reported in the NYLJ on February 14, 2017. It was the sole legal malpractice jury verdict in the State of New York for 2017.

Bluestone has been at the forefront of the development of legal malpractice principles and has contributed case law decisions, writing and lecturing which have been recognized by his peers.  He is regularly mentioned in academic writing, and his past cases are often cited in current legal malpractice decisions. He is recognized for his ample writings on Judiciary Law § 487, a 850 year old statute deriving from England which relates to attorney deceit.