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SKETCHES OF COURT: One defendant found liable in three-vehicle accident on LIE

October 22, 2015 By Alba Acevedo Special to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Court sketch by Alba Acevedo
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In this courtroom sketch, Hon. Richard Velasquez listens as defendant’s attorney Rosario Marquis D’Apice (standing), of the law firm Longo & D’Apice, conducts a cross-examination in the motor vehicle accident trial Gela Sachaleli v. Marion Zdrazil and Lincoln Ryner.

The plaintiff, Sachaleli, is on the stand, accompanied by a Georgian-language interpreter.

The afternoon rush-hour accident occurred on the eastbound Long Island Expressway in November 2011. Sachaleli’s vehicle was at the head of a three-car incident, followed by Ryner’s and then Zdrazil’s. Sachaleli, represented by attorney Frank J. Lombardo (seated, left), of the law firm Wingate, Russotti, Shapiro & Halperin, has not worked since the accident. 

Both defendants had been found negligent by prior partial summary judgment, though at issue was the conflicting testimony as to who struck whom when and the determination of liability. 

The jury found that only Ryner’s actions were a substantial factor in causing the accident. Ryner, who did not appear in court, was represented by D’Apice. Zdrazil was represented by attorney Thomas R. Craven (seated, middle), of the law firm Picciano & Scahill. Court reporter Marlin Cassidy (seated, at ​​center) recorded the proceedings in the trial, which took place last week in King’s County Civil Term. 

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