Construction workers are known for being tough, but sometimes that toughness comes at a devastating price. In this episode of Hard Hats and Justice, Chris Gorayeb examines one of the most dangerous habits in the construction industry: ignoring an injury and continuing to work. From head trauma and torn shoulders to herniated discs and knee injuries, seemingly manageable pain can develop into permanent physical damage when workers delay getting medical attention.

The consequences can also extend far beyond a worker's health. Waiting days or weeks to see a doctor can give an insurance company ammunition to question whether an injury was serious or even connected to the job. Meanwhile, crucial evidence can disappear as equipment is repaired, scaffolding is moved, surveillance footage is erased, and witnesses move on to other projects. Chris explains why immediate medical documentation, written notice to an employer, evidence preservation, and speaking with an experienced construction accident attorney can become critical to protecting a worker's rights.

The episode also examines occupational illnesses and injuries that develop gradually rather than through a single accident, including hearing loss, carpal tunnel syndrome, silicosis, mesothelioma, and repetitive strain injuries. Drawing on more than 40 years of experience representing New York workers, Chris delivers a direct message to the construction community: toughness should never mean sacrificing your health or your ability to seek justice. Your body cannot simply be replaced when it breaks down.

About Gorayeb & Associates, P.C.

Founded in 1981, Gorayeb & Associates, P.C. is one of New York's leading personal injury law firms, specializing in construction accident litigation. The firm has represented more than 12,000 injured workers and secured over $2 billion in verdicts and settlements. The firm provides bilingual legal services and free community education to immigrant and working class communities across the five boroughs.

For more information visit: https://www.gorayeb.com/en/

In this episode of Hard Hats & Justice, Chris Gorayeb examines one of the most controversial limitations in New York wrongful death law: when someone is killed because of another party's negligence, the surviving family generally cannot recover damages for their grief, emotional anguish, or loss of companionship. Instead, New York law largely measures the loss in financial terms, including lost wages, financial support, services the deceased would have provided, and certain other economic damages. The foundation of the statute dates back to 1847, creating a system in which the financial value assigned to a death can depend heavily on the deceased person's earning potential.

The episode explores the proposed Grieving Families Act, legislation intended to dramatically change that system by allowing families to seek compensation for grief, anguish, loss of companionship, and loss of society. The legislation would also broaden who may qualify to bring certain wrongful death claims and extend the statute of limitations. The New York State Legislature passed versions of the measure four consecutive times, including with overwhelming support in 2025, but Governor Kathy Hochul vetoed the legislation each time. Supporters argue that New York's current system undervalues retirees, children, undocumented workers, lower-income workers, and others whose economic earnings may not adequately reflect the significance of their lives to their families.

For construction workers and their families, the issue carries particular weight because serious and fatal workplace accidents remain an unavoidable reality of a dangerous industry. The episode explains that even when negligence causes a worker's death, the current system may compensate a family for economic losses while failing to recognize the emotional devastation of losing a spouse, parent, child, or loved one. Chris urges workers and families to understand the law before tragedy occurs, pay attention to the continuing political fight surrounding the Grieving Families Act, and know their legal rights if they are already navigating a wrongful death claim.

About Gorayeb & Associates, P.C.

Founded in 1981, Gorayeb & Associates, P.C. is one of New York's leading personal injury law firms, specializing in construction accident litigation. The firm has represented more than 12,000 injured workers and secured over $2 billion in verdicts and settlements. The firm provides bilingual legal services and free community education to immigrant and working class communities across the five boroughs.

For more information visit: https://www.gorayeb.com/en/

In this episode of Hard Hats & Justice, Chris Gorayeb takes on the financial pressure that quietly determines case outcomes long before any legal argument does. He opens with the reality every injured construction worker faces: a strong scaffold law case that will take four or five years to resolve, medical bills piling up, rent due, kids needing school and food, and a workers' compensation check capped as of July 2025 at $1,222 per week, which for a worker previously earning $2,500 per week is less than half of prior income. He explains that insurance companies know exactly what an injured worker's bank account looks like and structure their strategy around that financial desperation, making low early offers designed to close cases at a fraction of true value. The math works for the carriers because they do it thousands of times a year. It does not work for the worker, who ends up with a closed case, no workers comp, an evaporated settlement, and often worse economic circumstances than before the accident. Litigation funding, sometimes called lawsuit lending or pre settlement funding, emerged to relieve that pressure. According to market research cited in industry reports, the global litigation funding market was valued at approximately $20.64 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach more than $51 billion by 2036.

Chris then walks through the December 19, 2025 Consumer Litigation Funding Act signed by Governor Hochul, New York's first regulation of the industry. According to Insurance Journal reporting on the legislation, the law caps funding company recovery at 25 percent of the gross recovery from the litigation, requires plain language contracts with specific disclosures of amount received, payment schedule, and maximum total repayment, grants a 10 day right of rescission, prohibits funders from influencing settlement decisions or referring clients to specific attorneys or medical providers, and requires all funding companies to register with New York State and file annual reports. He quotes sponsoring State Senator Jeremy Cooney's characterization of the pre law environment as opaque and often predatory, with vulnerable plaintiffs left in the dark about the true cost of funding. Chris then gives the practical breakdown clients need: the 25 percent cap applies to gross, not net, and the client remains the last person paid after the attorney fee, workers compensation lien, and litigation funding claim are settled. He closes with two warnings. First, never sign a funding agreement without your attorney reviewing it in detail. Second, some law firms need money as badly as their clients and will push early settlements to cover their own bills, which is why choosing an attorney with the financial stability to hold out for full case value matters as much as legal skill.

About Gorayeb & Associates, P.C.

Founded in 1981, Gorayeb & Associates, P.C. is one of New York's leading personal injury law firms, specializing in construction accident litigation. The firm has represented more than 12,000 injured workers and secured over $2 billion in verdicts and settlements. The firm provides bilingual legal services and free community education to immigrant and working class communities across the five boroughs.

For more information visit: https://www.gorayeb.com/en/

Keywords

litigation funding, Consumer Litigation Funding Act, pre settlement funding, New York lawsuit lending, insurance company delay tactics, workers compensation cap, 25 percent recovery cap, Governor Hochul December 2025, financial desperation settlement, Chris Gorayeb