Joseph McManus | Grafton Personal Injury Lawyer

Attorney Joseph P. McManus has been a civil trial attorney since he began practicing law in 2004. He focuses his practice on personal injury and family law.  He has handled hundreds of cases involving serious personal injuries, motor vehicle collisions, motorcycle injuries, premises liability, defective products, dog bites, police misconduct, construction site accidents, medical malpractice and nursing home neglect. Attorney McManus specializes in serious motorcycle injury cases. As a motorcyclist, Attorney McManus is able to apply his experience directly to collision cases resulting in injured riders. Attorney McManus also handles a multitude of family law cases, including divorces, modifications and contempts.  He has successfully handled cases in Worcester, Middlesex and Norfolk counties through settlement and trial.  Attorney McManus has also been appointed as a Guardian Ad Litem to investigate child custody and visitation cases and as a Special Master to assist in the divorce process by the Worcester Probate and Family Court.

He has tried numerous cases to verdict. Several significant verdicts have been covered by the Connecticut Law Tribune and Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly publications. In one medical malpractice/wrongful death case involving the suffocation of a woman by medical personnel, he was the first attorney in the nation to persuade a court to disallow the testimony of a well-known, national defense expert because the expert’s opinions were scientifically invalid. Bogazis vs. Bristol Hospital et al. Superior Court of New Britain at New Britain, Docket No. CV-03-0519859.

Attorney McManus is passionate about advocacy and utilizes his courtroom skills to assist his clients during difficult times. Whether it is a serious personal injury or a difficult divorce. Attorney McManus is dedicated to pursuing and attaining justice on behalf of each and every client.

In his free time, Joe enjoys riding his motorcycle and spending time with his wife, Amanda, and two young daughters, Jane and Ida.

Position	Organization	Location	Duration
Attorney	McManus Law Offices	Grafton, MA	Present

School	Degree	Major	Graduation
Western New England University School of Law	J.D.	Law School	2004
University of Vermont	Bachelors	English and Philosophy	2001

State / Court	Date
Connecticut	2004
New Hampshire
Massachusetts	2010

• Member | Massachusetts State Bar Association
  Member | Connecticut State Bar Association
  Member | New Hampshire State Bar Association

• $214,000 Settlement
  Attorney McManus recovered $214,000 at arbitration for a woman who was injured when she was struck by the rearview mirror of a pickup truck during trick-or-treating hours on Halloween. The Defendant and his insurance company argued that the injured woman was at fault because she was wearing dark clothing and standing on the edge of the roadway.

• Substantial Settlement
  Attorney McManus obtained a substantial confidential settlement for the estate of a 60-year-old woman who died as a result of multiple drug toxicity. Experts on both sides agreed that the main drug that contributed to the woman’s death was a narcotic cough medication. The toxicology report indicated that the woman had taken far more of the cough medicine than had been prescribed. Attorney McManus sued the doctor who prescribed the narcotic cough medicine to the woman after a reported adverse reaction. The defense lawyer argued that the woman had a long standing history of COPD and that the narcotic cough medicine was necessary to control her cough. The defense argued that the reported reaction was sleepiness, which is a common side-effect of the medication. Attorney McManus was able to overcome these arguments and demonstrate that it was dangerous to have prescribed the narcotic cough medication to the woman after a reported adverse reaction and in the absence of any active complaints of cough. The confidential settlement prohibits the disclosure of the settlement amount.

• One Million Dollar Settlement
  Attorney McManus obtained a one million dollar settlement on behalf of a man who was suffered a serious foot injury when a driver fell asleep at the wheel and struck his vehicle head on. This settlement reflected the full amount of the Driver’s insurance coverage and the balance of the client’s Umbrella Insurance Policy. The client’s insurance company initially attempted to deny coverage because the client had not specifically selected that his umbrella policy would apply to underinsured motorist cases. Attorney McManus was able to convince the company to change their position and offer the full amount of coverage under the umbrella policy.

• Nearly 7.8 million dollars was awarded
  Attorney McManus obtained a jury verdict of nearly 7.8 million dollars for the estate of one of two men ejected from a van during a single vehicle rollover collision and killed. The estates of both men sued each other claiming that the other man was the driver. Attorney McManus’ client was listed as the driver of the van on the official police report because of a statement to the investigating officer by the men’s employer. The two lawsuits were consolidated, and a lengthy trial was conducted on the issue of the identity of the driver. At trial Attorney McManus was able to discredit the statement by the employer as well as multiple expert witnesses who testified that Attorney McManus’ client was likely the driver based on a model designed to calculate the trajectories of people ejected during rollovers. Attorney McManus hired the expert who designed the ejection model. He testified that the adverse experts had made fundamental mistakes in applying his model and that a correct application of his model was inconclusive as to the identity of the driver. Attorney McManus then convinced the jury that the facts and witness testimony demonstrated that his client was the passenger. The responsible insurance company refused to offer any money to settle the case before the verdict. After the verdict, the insurance company refused to offer more than 1.5 million dollars to settle the case, so a second trial on the issue of damages was conducted. The second jury returned a verdict of nearly 7.8 million dollars after trial.

• $235,000 Settlement
  Attorney McManus negotiated a $235,000 settlement on behalf of the family of a man who had committed suicide one day after he was evaluated for a mental health crisis at an emergency room. Attorney McManus argued that the man’s behavior and state of mind should have led the crisis evaluator to recommend an involuntary admission.

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	9:00 am - 5:00 pm	9:00 am - 5:00 pm	9:00 am - 5:00 pm	9:00 am - 5:00 pm	9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Joseph P. McManus has been a Premium Member since November 02, 2020.
Lawyers with longer memberships tend to have more experience so we use the Membership date to help prioritize lawyer listings on search pages.

Verified Credentials	Date Verified
(2004) Licensed as Attorney in Connecticut . Verified with Connecticut Bar Association.	November 02, 2020
(2010) Licensed as Attorney in Massachusetts. Verified with The Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers.	November 02, 2020
Licensed as Attorney in New Hampshire. Verified with New Hampshire Bar Association.	November 02, 2020

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