Audrey Perlman Raphael is a partner at Levy Konigsberg LLP. Mrs. Raphael was recently appointed by the Office of the United States Trustee to serve on the Official Committee of Tort Claimants in the Imerys Talc America, Inc. Bankruptcy (2019), the Paddock Enterprises, LLC Bankruptcy (2020) and the Cyprus Mines Corporation Bankruptcy (2021). She is honored in the 2013-2018 editions of The Best Lawyers in America in the practice area of Mass Tort Litigation and the 2016 National Trial Lawyers’ list of Top 100 Trial Lawyers. Mrs. Raphael speaks at conference around the country and is licensed to practice law in New York and Connecticut. She leads several departments at Levy Konigsberg including: Elmiron Litigation, Estates, Lien Resolutions and Asbestos Bankruptcy Trusts.
Since joining Levy Konigsberg in 1990, Mrs. Raphael had dedicated her life to representing victims of asbestos exposure. Each year she achieves numerous multimillion-dollar settlements against manufacturers and suppliers of dangerous asbestos products. Mrs. Raphael led the way investigating cases involving asbestos exposures from cosmetic talc and filed the first asbestos cases against cosmetic talc manufacturers. She also discovered that many different types of equipment and products contain asbestos. For example, Mrs. Raphael was one of the first attorneys to conduct depositions of mesothelioma and lung cancer victims who were exposed to asbestos from cigarette filters. She also conducted some of the first depositions of asbestos victims who were exposed to asbestos from pizza ovens, welding rods, automotive friction products and residential boilers. Today, as a result of those earlier depositions, it is well known and accepted in courts across the country that these products contain asbestos. Mrs. Raphael continues to lead the way discovering sources of asbestos exposure currently unknown to the general public.
Mrs. Raphael also works closely with victims of asbestos exposure who were exposed to asbestos in often overlooked non-occupational settings. For example, many asbestos victims were exposed through home renovations, household products and contaminated work clothes worn by family members. She has been a leader in the fight for the rights of women who did not work with asbestos themselves, but unfortunately suffer from asbestos related diseases. She is proud to represent female victims of asbestos exposure including women who have been diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma and ovarian cancer.
Aside from her work in asbestos and mesothelioma litigation, Mrs. Raphael has joined the fight against Janssen Pharmaceuticals for allegedly causing irreversible eye injuries, including pigmentary maculopathy and retina damage, to people who were prescribed the drug Elmiron for interstitial cystitis.
Mrs. Raphael also represents women and children who were injured from the drug diethylstilbestrol (DES).
She also represents victims of childhood sexual abuse under the New York Child Victims Act, a groundbreaking new law that extends the time limit to commence lawsuits for abuse that occurred many years ago. These cases are prosecuted against abusers and their affiliated organizations, including doctors, hospitals, foster care facilities, religious entities, and youth programs.
Mrs. Raphael has also obtained payment for injured clients by uncovering hidden assets and insurance policies. For just one example, she successfully tried a case in the United States Bankruptcy Court against an uninsured motorist who declared personal bankruptcy in an effort to escape paying for the injuries he caused. Importantly, the Court ruled that the perpetrator of an intentional tort may not hide behind bankruptcy laws.
Mrs. Raphael graduated Phi Beta Kappa from University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, earned a Master’s Degree in psychology from New York University and graduated from Fordham Law School where she was a member of the Fordham Urban Law Journal. Prior to and while attending law school, Audrey was employed with the Special Narcotics Department of the New York County District Attorney’s Office. For many year Mrs. Raphael volunteered with the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau County.
NOTE: While our offices are located in the states of New York, New Jersey, and Georgia, many of our mesothelioma lawyers are licensed to practice law in a number of U.S. states and have the capability and extensive experience of representing mesothelioma clients throughout the United States. You are encouraged to contact us with any questions.
