A: Let’s face it; when you go to trial and a jury renders a verdict, there will always be a winner and a loser. The losing party will ask the trial court to reduce or throw out the award. Regardless of what the trial judge does, the unhappy litigant will usually want to appeal their case. If they want to appeal, they can do so ‘as of right’. That means they do not have to get special permission to appeal their case.

If the appellate court denies the appeal, the litigant must then ask for special permission to take their appeal to the highest court in the state. Unless the issues for review are novel and could apply to a large number of people, the Court of Appeals will usually decline to review the lower court decision.
Gerry practices law exclusively in the State of New York. Within New York he practices primarily in the following counties: New York, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Staten Island, Nassau and Suffolk. Technically, Brooklyn is known as "Kings County," and Manhattan and New York City are known as "New York County." Staten Island is known as "Richmond County." These counties make up the New York metropolitan area.