Utility Company and City Installed Telephone Pole Resulting in $15k+ Worth of Damages

[Nate Keuter]

Hello, my name is Nate and I own a triplex in upstate NY. 

In October 2022 a utility company installed a telephone pole in front of a property I own. This telephone pole was driven through a sewer line and flooded the basement of my property with sewage. In order to stop the leakage of sewage, I had to fix the problem myself by hiring a plumber to excavate the pole and clean up the damage. This accounted for $15k+ in damages.

I initially filed the a claim with the utility company and after continuous follow up they finally got back to me in January 2023. After some back and forth, the utility company claimed city was responsible because they gave the utility company permission to install the telephone pole. 

I was able to connect with the Mayor's office who told me they would be reaching out to their insurance. Today, the mayor's office got back to me and said because of the 90 day requirement insurance cannot reimburse and I will need to get a lawyer. I told this to the utility company who said they left the mayor's office a voicemail 4 days before the 90 days expired telling them about this issue. 

I am obviously frustrated with both the city and utility company and urgently need these funds. It seems I have no choice but to get a lawyer at this point even though the last thing I want in my life right now is a lawsuit.

My questions to y'all:

Have you gone through this or something similar? Any advice would be much appreciated.

What legal recourse do I have? I am obviously going to speak with an attorney about this because I need the money back. However, I do not want to sink the time and the funds into this if I do not have any shot.

What type of attorneys specialize in a case like this?

Thanks in advance for any advice/expertise you may have in this area.