18 THE QUEENS COURIER • AUGUST 22, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Scott Baron celebrates quarter-century of legal service
BY THE QUEENS COURIER STAFF
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Scott Baron and Associates, PC, is
celebrating 25 years serving the greater
Diocese hit with new round of sex abuse suits
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Hundreds of lawsuits were fi led electronically
across the state just aft er midnight
on Aug. 14 as the one year “lookback
window” provision of the Child
Victims Act opened in New York state.
It allows for survivors of child sexual
abuse to fi le civil suits against their
attackers and the institutions that may
of harbored them, no matter how long
ago that abuse took place.
As expected, the majority of the
lawsuits were fi led against Catholic
Dioceses across the state. Th e law fi rm
Weitz and Luxenberg claimed it had
1,200 clients expected to fi le lawsuits
across the state. Another fi rm, Anderson
& Associates, which has been fi ghting
for child sex abuse survivors for nearly
40 years, named 18 perpetrators in the
Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens that
were subject to lawsuits.
Anderson & Associates claims incidents
occurred at churches in Bayside,
Elmhurst, Woodside, Richmond Hill,
Jackson Heights and Flushing but provided
little detail.
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, leader of
the Diocese of Brooklyn, braced his
parishioners for the anticipated new litigation
with an Aug. 7 letter. He also
issued a statement on Aug. 14, the fi rst
day of the one-year look-back window.
“Today, we stand with the victims
who were sexually abused as children.
We have reached this point because too
many victims all across society have
sadly carried this heavy cross for far too
long,” the bishop said. “Sexual abuse is
a heinous crime, and victim-survivors
now have a new avenue to seek redress
through the Child Victims Act. For anyone
abused by a priest, employee or volunteer,
I am sorry that a member of our
church you trusted became the source of
pain and anguish. You should know the
Diocese of Brooklyn has instituted the
most aggressive policies to prevent any
future abuse and to protect children.”
To date, the Diocese of Brooklyn has
worked with nearly 500 victims and paid
over $90 million in settlements. Earlier
this year, the Diocese of Brooklyn published
a list of credibly accused clergy
who have served the Diocese throughout
its 166-year history.
Th e Diocese has put victim-survivors
fi rst through the resources off ered by
the Victim Assistance Ministry and provides
independent licensed therapists
and support groups to help victim-survivors
through the healing process. Th e
Bishop also celebrates a yearly Mass of
Hope and Healing bringing the faithful
of Queens and Brooklyn together
to pray for victim-survivors of clergy
sex abuse.
“Our various support groups and
our yearly Mass of Hope and Healing
highlight our commitment,” the
Bishop said. “I have also personally
met with victim-survivors to hear their
heart-wrenching stories. Th e Diocese of
Brooklyn will never stop fi ghting sexual
abuse. We will never stop supporting
those who need healing and will forever
work to restore the faith of those who
have failed.”
New York community, representing
the wrongfully injured and hurt, all
the while, remaining true to its Queens
roots.
Baron, the fi rm’s founder, was raised
in Howard Beach. Despite expanding
beyond the borough – the fi rm has offi ces
in both Yonkers and Howard Beach –
Baron said his commitment to his community
and clients remains constant.
Baron and his team work to help clients
who have suff ered serious physical,
emotional or mental harm. Th e fi rm represents
clients involved in disputes alleging
wrongdoing or damage to their rights,
reputation or property caused by another
party.
Some of the more common cases the
fi rm takes on center around dog bites,
slip-and-fall injuries and wrongful death
claims, but the fi rm also handles cases
like automobile accidents, defective
products, infl iction of emotional distress,
intentional misconduct or negligence.
“What I love about personal injury
representation is the contingency retainer.
Unlike other litigation matters, the
client need not pay any money upfront,
and retains our fi rm on a contingency
basis,” Baron told QNS. “Th e fee is
one-third of the gross recovery. Th is
enables people to hire an attorney and
not worry about coming up with a substantial
amount of money upfront, and
focus on just feeling better.”
Baron said that he sees his role in the
fi eld of personal injury law as leveling the
playing fi eld against insurance companies.
“Insurance companies are corporations
in business to make a profi t. Th ey
in no way wish to unilaterally compensate
injured victims for their injuries.
Th ey also don’t fully inform injured victims
of all of their legal rights, including
but not limited to medical treatment
coverage, lost wages, etc.,” Baron said.
From an $8 million verdict, to various
multimillion-dollar settlements, the
Howard Beach fi rm works to make sure
each individual client gets fair compensation.
Th ey also settle cases for as little
as $2,000.
Th e client comes fi rst, according to
Baron, who built his fi rm around this
idea starting in 1994.
When the fi rm’s Howard Beach offi ce
was devastated by Hurricane Sandy in
2012, Baron and his team didn’t waste a
moment getting back to work. Th ey continued
to serve their clients in the aft ermath
of the storm, rebuilt the fi rst fl oor
of their Queens offi ce and came back
better than ever.
Baron, who earned his law degree
from St. John’s University, has also used
his fi rm and his success to give back to
his community and those less fortunate
beyond the courtroom.
One of Baron’s favorite charities is
the NBA Cares All Star Day of Service,
which takes place every year during
the NBA’s All-Star Weekend. Year after
year, Baron has traveled around the
country to join basketball players and
other volunteers to give back on a massive
scale.
In 2015, when the Day of Service took
place in New York City, Baron and his
family headed over to the Metropolitan
Pavilion in Manhattan to help sort and
pack 160,000 pounds of food to benefi t
more than 10,000 New Yorkers in need.
“It was very enjoyable and enlightening
to assist and watch successful professional
ball players who want to give back
to their fan base,” Baron said at the time.
But Baron didn’t stop there; that same
weekend, he helped sponsor a charity
luncheon.
Twenty-fi ve years aft er opening his
fi rm, Baron has no plans of slowing
down. His fi rm will continue to do what
it always has done: serve the community,
treat clients with professionalism and
respect and get them results.
Th e fi rm’s Howard Beach offi ce is located
at 159-45 Cross Bay Blvd., and can be
reached by phone at 718-738-9800. Th eir
Yonkers offi ce is located at 1750 Central
Park Ave., and can be reached by phone
at 914-337-9800. More information can
be found at www.scottbaronassocaites.
com.
Photo via Wikipedia Commons
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, leader of the Diocese
of Brooklyn, is now facing a new round of sex
abuse lawsuits fi led against the diocese and its
various parishes, priests and schools.
Photo courtesy of Scott Baron & Associates
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