Piles of urine-stained clothes on the floor. A bed stripped of sheets and bowed and broken in the middle. A cup of liquid filled with dead ants. That was the condition of Wally Lassiter’s bedroom at a Schenectady group home in 2017. On July 4, as the region was in the midst of a heat wave, the 26-year-old developmentally disabled man was found dead in his bed while wearing multiple layers of shirts. A former employee who provided photographs to the Times Union that showed the condition of Lassiter’s room last year said the man’s untimely death was horrifying but not surprising. What Legal Issues Can Arise in Group Home Neglect Cases? Cases involving group homes and facilities caring for vulnerable individuals may involve: Negligence Wrongful death Failure to supervise Medical neglect Abuse of developmentally disabled adults Violations of state regulations Families deserve answers when a loved one suffers serious injury or death due to inadequate care. About Scott E. Charnas Scott E. Charnas is a New York trial attorney with decades of experience representing victims and families in serious injury and wrongful death cases. Read the full story at Times Union: https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/a-death-at-schenectady-group-raises-questions-13179533.php

For years, patients have assumed that if a medical device reaches the market, it has been properly vetted, tested, and cleared for use. The reality is far more complicated. The recent FDA Class I recall involving certain Stryker temporomandibular joint (“TMJ”) implants used to reconstruct or replace the jaw joint connecting the lower jaw to the skull, underscores a larger concern in medical device safety: even highly specialized implants can reach patients before critical design issues are fully discovered. According to the FDA, the recall involved a discrepancy between the screw-hole position listed in the design specifications and the actual fossa design, creating a risk that screws could penetrate the cranial vault and lead to dural tissue damage, bleeding, cerebrospinal fluid leak, meningitis, or other serious injury. As someone who has spent years representing victims injured by defective medical and dental devices, I can tell you this is not an isolated event. “What’s alarming is not simply that recalls happen,” said Scott E. Charnas, Esq., founder of Charnas Law Firm, P.C. “It’s the frequency with which we continue to see patients suffer life-altering injuries tied to products they were told were safe. In many of these cases, patients are only discovering the true source of their injuries years later.” The numbers surrounding medical device recalls continue to raise serious questions across the healthcare and legal industries. According to FDA data, thousands of medical device recalls have been issued over the past decade, including Class I recalls reserved for situations involving a reasonable probability of serious injury or death. The medical device industry itself exceeds $500 billion globally, with manufacturers often operating under aggressive timelines to bring products to market. For patients, the consequences are not abstract; they are physical, financial, and permanent. Many individuals impacted by defective implants face: • multiple revision surgeries • chronic nerve pain • infection risks • bone loss and structural damage • long-term disability • substantial medical costs and lost income “We continue seeing cases where patients trusted the system, trusted their doctors, and trusted the manufacturers behind these devices,” Charnas added. “When those systems fail, the impact follows people for the rest of their lives.” The broader issue extends beyond a single manufacturer or product category. Litigation involving dental devices, orthopedic implants, surgical mesh, joint replacements, and other implanted products continues to grow nationwide as more patients come forward alleging inadequate warnings, flawed design, and insufficient long-term testing. Regulatory clearance does not always equal long-term safety, and that distinction matters. As scrutiny surrounding medical device oversight intensifies, accountability will continue becoming a central issue for manufacturers, regulators, and healthcare providers alike. Patients deserve transparency before products enter the market — not years after injuries have already occurred.

Scott Charnas was featured in The New York Times for his work advocating for cyclists’ rights in New York City, highlighting his role in bringing complex bike-law issues from the streets into the courtroom. The article examined his legal challenges to enforcement practices involving so-called “phantom violations,” as well as broader questions surrounding cyclist safety, roadway design, and fair application of the law. The coverage underscored Scott’s early and sustained involvement in this area of the law, positioning his work within a growing movement to protect vulnerable road users through litigation and policy accountability. See the full story at The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/nyregion/a-new-breed-of-lawyers-focuses-on-bicyclists-rights.html

Charnas Law Firm, P.C. is a personal injury lawyer representing victims of serious accidents, negligence, wrongful death, and medical malpractice nationwide for over 30 years. Experience Matters. So Does Integrity. Charnas Law Firm, P.C. brings a rare combination of discipline, precision, and unwavering resolve to every case, delivering the kind of advocacy that forces accountability when it matters most. And when we take on a client, we treat their fight like it’s our own. Get Legal Help Now Compassionate Legal Representation Proven Track Record of Success Client-Centered Approach Every Step Our Practice Areas When life changes in an instant, you need an attorney who knows exactly how to fight back. Scott Charnas brings decades of experience to some of the most complex and devastating injury cases, standing up to insurers, corporations, and anyone who tries to avoid accountability. Every case is handled with precision, strategy, and relentless advocacy. Catastrophic Injury & Death Traumatic brain injuries Spinal cord injuries Life-altering injuries Wrongful death Severe or permanent disability claims Learn More Premises Liability Slip and falls Dog bites Unsafe property conditions Negligent security Learn More Dental Appliance/Surgical Injuries Serious injury caused by: Attempts to grow an adult upper jaw forward with an appliance Improper use of dental appliances Negligently performed dental surgery Learn More Hearing Loss/Acoustic Trauma Sudden noise exposure injuries Long-term noise damage Occupational hearing loss Acoustic trauma injuries Permanent hearing impairment Learn More Workplace Injuries Construction site accidents Scaffolding/ladders/falls Nail gun accidents Heavy machinery injuries Workplace negligence Learn More Medical Malpractice Medical malpractice Diagnostic errors Surgical errors Medication mistakes Learn More A Proven Record of Results: Over 50 Million Recovered for Clients Results matter, especially when the stakes are life-altering. Scott Charnas has secured over $50 million in recoveries for individuals and families facing catastrophic injury, professional negligence, and wrongful death. Every case is pursued with precision, urgency, and the expectation that responsible parties will be held fully accountable. See the Results News & Media 1 2 3 4 Read More Articles Forever Grateful “From the moments of our first consultation through the process of litigation, negotiation and ultimate settlement, I felt fully confident in Scott’s ability to represent me with integrity. This was very important to me, I wanted to be represented by a lawyer I could be sure would not only act in my best interests, but work for me in a way which was congruent to my ethics.　 Scott was that person. He took care to be compassionate as well as professional. I am forever grateful for his being there for me when I needed counsel.” – G. Benkert

Charnas Law Firm, P.C. represents patients nationwide harmed by medical negligence, misdiagnosis, surgical errors, and serious healthcare malpractice. Medical Malpractice Patients place their lives in the hands of medical professionals. When that trust is breached through error, delay, or negligence, the consequences can be permanent or fatal. We represent individuals and families in complex medical malpractice cases requiring rigorous investigation, expert analysis, and disciplined litigation strategy. Holding Medical Providers to Professional Standards Medical malpractice cases are among the most heavily defended and technically complex forms of litigation. We work with leading medical experts to establish deviations from standard of care, prove causation, and present clear, compelling claims. Our focus is accountability, pursued with precision, discretion, and resolve. Misdiagnosis & Delayed Diagnosis Failure to diagnose or delays in treatment can allow conditions to worsen, eliminating critical treatment options and causing irreversible harm. Medication & Treatment Errors Improper medication, dosage mistakes, or failure to monitor patients can lead to serious and avoidable medical outcomes. Surgical Errors Errors during surgery including wrong-site procedures, retained instruments, or preventable complications can result in severe injury or death. Life-Altering Medical Injury Medical negligence can result in permanent disability, loss of function, or long-term medical dependency. We litigate cases involving profound, lasting harm.

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