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About The Firm |
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Since 2001, Chet Lukaszewski has successfully represented hundreds of injured municipal workers, and helped them to secure benefits and compensation from the New York City and State Retirement Systems and Pension Funds, as well as through Social Security Disability, World Trade Center and personal injury matters. In 2008 he formed Chet Lukaszewski, P.C. The mission of the firm is to present clients with a highly personal level of representation, and to parlay an exemplary history of litigation success, into an aggressive and effective means to assist injured workers in obtaining the pension and other benefits to which they are entitled. Mr. Lukaszewski knows the value of client contact and interaction, and refuses to compromise the firm’s ability to ensure its clients the utmost in personal service. At Chet Lukaszewski, P.C., clients have a direct line of communication with Mr. Lukaszewski, he himself will write your legal papers, and he’ll personally appear with or for you in Court, or any other tribunal where your case is venued. Each and every client directly benefits from the knowledge, experience, and exemplary litigation record that Mr. Lukaszewski has amassed over the course of his career.
Chet Lukaszewski has successfully litigated 101 disability pension Article 78's, won 12 such Appellate Division matters, five of which were first of their kind decisions; as well as the landmark New York State Court of Appeals 9/11 case, that defined how the World Trade Center Presumptive Law is to be applied; along with securing the decision by the Court of Appeals which created the rule of law that a “purposeful act” can be deemed an “accident” for disability pension purposes. (SEE PENSION LITIGATION PAGE FOR SYNOPSIS OF ALL CASES) The first of their kind decisions include: a 'disability versus no disability' matter, for an injured police officer; the first successful 9/11-World Trade Center line of duty death case, for the widow of an FDNY Lieutenant; a decision compelling that the NYPD re-open a disability pension application found to be prematurely closed, and permit the applicant to add a ‘Heart Bill’ claim; the first 9/11-World Trade Center Presumptive Law case approving a disability pension for obstructive sleep apnea; and the first 9/11-WTC Law case approving benefits for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In addition, in December of 2012, Mr. Lukaszewski successfully litigated the historic New York State Court of Appeals, 9/11-WTC Law cancer case, which set a precedent that has, and will continue to benefit countless sick 9/11 responders and their families in the future; as it defined how the law is to be interpreted, and greatly favors 9/11 responders. Also, in May of 2024, based upon Mr. Lukaszewski’s advocacy, the Court of Appeals definitively stated that a “purposeful act”, like a school shooting, or other heinous crimes committed against a City or State worker in the line of duty, can be deemed an “accident” for disability pension purposes; a tremendous victory for civil service and municipal workers, and a defining pension law decision. To the firm's knowledge, no other law office or individual has had as much success in this area of law. Additionally, Mr. Lukaszewski has worked diligently with New York State Legislators to bring about Retirement System reforms and to create new laws that will benefit all municipal workers; and is regularly consulted by news organizations and other attorneys, as an expert in disability pension law. (SEE: NEWS & ARCHIVES , WRITINGS & VIDEOS & PROFILE PAGE FOR COMPLETE DETAILS)
Mr. Lukaszewski has spent the majority of his career assisting injured workers with disability pension application matters, but has other legal experience which has served him well in said efforts, and in running his own practice. Mr. Lukaszewski has handled Social Security Disability matters all across New York State, and possesses a Social Security Disability record which far exceeds the average national success rate. He has experience in Agency Disqualifications, Workers’ Compensation matters, and 9/11 Victims’ Compensation Fund claims. He worked for the top insurance defense firm, Ahmuty, Demers & McManus, where he trained under the firm’s highest level of partners. This experience has allowed Chet Lukaszewski, P.C. to provide top rate representation in all its cases, including personal injury matters; wherein Mr. Lukaszewski enlists the assistance of a renowned veteran New York trial lawyer as special litigation counsel, whose 40 years of experience, including 600(+) trials, provides the firm and its clients with a level of knowledge and expertise that is rare and invaluable.
While now focusing primarily on disability pension work (SEE PENSION APPROVALS PAGE), it has always been, and will remain Mr. Lukaszewski's intent, to utilize his diverse and extensive litigation background and experience, to maximize his ability to skillfully represent all his firm’s clients. He particularly believes disability pension clients will greatly benefit from his pension litigation success; as he feels that based upon his Court record, the City and State Pension Funds and Retirement Systems will be more hesitant to force his clients into litigation, thereby presenting them with the greatest chance for approval at the administrative level. Since becoming an attorney, and particularly since forming his firm, Mr. Lukaszewski has prevailed in hundreds of cases and secured life changing compensation and benefits for his clients and their families; and he looks forward to continuing to do so far into the future.
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Recent Items |
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December 2024 - Chet Lukaszewski’s article entitled: A Momentous, but bittersweet, Pension Law Court of Appeals ‘Victory’; is published in The Nassau Lawyer, the Journal of the Nassau County Bar Association. (CLICK HERE TO READ [scroll to page 12])
November 2024 - Retired FDNY Firefighter, approved by the New York City Fire Department’s Pension Fund, for a 9/11-World Trade Center Accident Disability Retirement pension reclassification, for 9/11-WTC PTSD; who had applied and been denied multiple times prior to hiring Chet Lukaszewski, P.C. as counsel.
October 2024 - The Supreme Court, Kings County, ruled that the New York City Employees’ Retirement System improperly denied a line of duty ¾’s disability pension to a FDNY-EMT, where its Board of Trustees based the denial on a medical theory presented by its Chief Medical Officer Dr. Bottner, that was only presented at the last minute and not during the long history of the case. The theory was set forth after the applicant and her attorney had completed a presentation and testimony, and left the board meeting, and thus had no chance to hear or respond, before it was adopted in denying the pension. The Court found the denial was improper and remanded the application to NYCERS to allow for the member and counsel and her doctors, to respond to Dr. Bottner’s theory.
September 2024 - A NYPD Police Officer is approved by the Police Pension Fund for an Accident Disability Retirement pension, for an orthopedic disability, resulting from an injury sustained during the transportation of an arrestee to a police precinct; where the Fund’s Board of Trustees contested whether the disabling injurious event met the legal criteria of an “accident” for disability pension purposes; but after extensive advocacy by Chet Lukaszewski, P.C., the ¾’s pension was granted.
August 2024 – Retired NYPD Police Sergeant, approved by the Police Pension Fund for a World Trade Center Accident Disability Retirement pension reclassification, for a collection of serious 9/11 related illnesses, including chronic asthma, sinusitis, rhinosinusitis and sleep apnea; with the assistance of Chet Lukaszewski, P.C. as counsel.
July 2024 - FDNY Fire Marshal, approved by the New York City Fire Department’s Pension Fund, for a World Trade Center Accident Disability Retirement pension, for multiple serious 9/11 related illnesses; whose application had been previously denied, prior to hiring Chet Lukaszewski, P.C. as counsel.
June 2024 – Based upon the advocacy of Chet Lukaszewski, the New York State Court of Appeals definitively states that a “purposeful act”, like a school shooting, or other heinous crimes committed against a City or State worker in the line of duty, can be deemed an “accident” for disability pension purposes. The determination is a tremendous victory for civil service and municipal workers, and a defining pension law decision. The Court of Appeals overruled the findings of the Supreme Court and Appellate Division, which held that as a matter of law, a purposeful act could not be an accident; and a precedent has now been set, which protects any New City or New York State employee, disabled in such a manner.
May 2024 - Retired NYPD Detective, approved by the Police Pension Fund for a World Trade Center Accident Disability Retirement pension reclassification, for cancer; where the application was not approved for nearly a year prior to the hiring of Chet Lukaszewski, P.C., based upon the Fund’s position that the Detective’s 9/11-WTC line of duty efforts could not be verified; but following the initiatives, efforts and involvement of the firm, the pension was granted.
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