AUGUST 2020 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 13
THIS MONTH
ON 40 YEARS OF LEGAL VICTORIES
cases for my clients, but also to stand
up for what is right. When I tried the
Waldbaum’s Fire case, we were able
to secure a landmark victory for the
families who lost their husbands on
one of the deadliest days in the history
of the New York City Fire Department.
The evidence was clear that this was
an unimaginable tragedy, but one that
happened as a result of negligence.
Despite this, there was a young, African
American man, Eric Jackson, who
was convicted of arson for setting the
fatal fire. The evidence suggested not
only that he was innocent, but also that
his confession was coerced. I took his
case to the Appellate Division and was
able to get his conviction overturned
and secured his release. This, after he
spent nine years in prison for a crime
he didn't commit.
You see, the criminal justice system and
the legal system are nothing without
integrity. People’s trust in the courts
are, perhaps, the most important thing.
When someone with the power to act
sees something wrong, and fails to do
what is right, that is how people lose
faith in the system.
In one case I was able to secure compensation
for the families of the deceased
firefighters and exonerate a man who
otherwise would have spent decades behind
bars. Justice can come in different
forms, but this case reminds me that,
as lawyers, we have a responsibility to
pursue it at all times.
What is a true story from your career
that is too crazy to be true? I think
back on the hundreds and hundreds
of cases I have tried and one is more
crazy than the next, but my craziest
experience in the courtroom has to
be when I questioned Muhammad
Ali. Arguably the most noteworthy
professional boxer of the 20th century,
he also had an uncanny ability to keep
people entertained. Up on the witness
stand, his testimony was brilliant and
he was one of the ‘sharpest’ minds that
I’ve ever questioned. During this same
trial, I also had Howard Cosell and Tony
Perez as witnesses as well – but Ali was
the best. The jury loved him.
How have you made a difference
throughout your career? I would like
to think that my career has really made
a positive impact on individual lives and
on changing unsafe practices employed
by city agencies and corporations.
As counsel to the Uniformed Firefighters
Association and having an office
in downtown Manhattan, we deeply
felt the tragedy of 9/11. I hope that our
efforts as a firm to help the victims of
the terrorist attacks from that day,
both in the immediate aftermath by
representing hundreds of families
without taking a fee, and in the years
that followed through litigation and lobbying
to secure permanent healthcare
and compensation, gave some comfort
to those who lost a loved one or became
ill.
I also am proud that the successes in
the courtroom have translated into real
change. One case comes to mind, Lyle
v. City of New York, where our victory
ensured that New York City firefighters
had to be provided safe and adequate
bunker gear to fight fires. It is wins like
this that protect our first responders
from budget cuts that threaten their
safety.
Finally, I hope that our role in the New
York State tobacco litigation similarly
reminded everyone that corporate
greed will not be tolerated at the expense
of the health and safety of each
of us and our children.
Robert Sullivan, center, and his family. (Photo by Matthew Kropp)
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