The corner of Ashland Place and Lafayette Avenue after Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s DOT adding a protected bike lane to one block that was left out of a 2023 redesign by his predecessor. Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026.
Photo courtesy of DOT
The city has sued a Manhattan law firm and its principals, accusing them of running a personal injury fraud scheme that allegedly sought tens of millions of dollars from the city over accidents that did not happen as described in court filings, officials said on Tuesday.
NYC Corporation Counsel Steven Banks and NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Mike Flynn announced a lawsuit against Asher & Associates, P.S., including Ryan Asher and Roberta Asher, which was filed in Manhattan Federal Court.
“Personal injury laws exist to protect actual victims of trauma, not to line the pockets of people looking to make a quick buck off city taxpayers,” Banks said. “As detailed in our complaint, this firm undermined our civil justice system by operating an illegal scheme to defraud taxpayers and fabricating personal injury claims against the city and others.”
The lawsuit, filed in the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York, accuses Asher & Associates of fraudulently filing more than a dozen notices of claim and related lawsuits seeking tens of millions of dollars from the City and its Department of Transportation for injuries that the law firm falsely claimed its clients sustained in scooter, moped and bicycle accidents caused by roadway defects.
According to the city’s complaint, medical records and statements made to ambulance crews and hospital personnel sometimes gave different accounts of how the injuries occurred. The city alleges that those accounts pointed to incidents including assaults, hit-and-run crashes and rear-end collisions rather than roadway defects.
In one case, the firm sought $3 million for a 2022 bicycle crash on Brooklyn’s Utica Avenue, claiming a defective roadway caused the rider’s injuries. But the city says medical records showed the injuries came from a fight — not a roadway accident.
The complaint alleges that when the city or other defendants challenged the claims with contradictory evidence, the firm discontinued the cases without explanation. The city also alleges that the firm filed similar lawsuits against utility companies and paving contractors, based on claims that their work contributed to roadway defects.
When amNewYork called Asher & Associates to ask for someone to speak to for comment on the case, a staff member told the reporter to ‘have a good day’ and hung up the phone.
Flynn said bogus injury claims can waste taxpayer money and the city plans to hold those responsible accountable.
“Fraudulent personal injury lawsuits profit on the misfortune of others and taxpayers bear the burden,” he said. “The Mamdani administration will hold these bad actors accountable to the full extent of the law.”
The city is seeking treble damages under the federal RICO Act, as well as treble damages and penalties under the city and state False Claims Acts.