Paul J. Hanly Jr., Top Litigator in Opioid Cases, Dies at 70

“Paul was a man of few words and a commanding presence,” said David Nachman, who recently retired from the New York attorney general’s office, where he was the lead lawyer on the state’s opioid case and was working with Mr. Hanly to bring the case to trial in Suffolk County.

“When he entered a room, everyone noticed,” Mr. Nachman said by email. “When he spoke, everyone listened, and when he smiled, you knew things would be OK.”

Paul James Hanly Jr. was born in Jersey City, N.J., on April 18, 1951. His father held various government posts, including deputy warden of the Hudson County Penitentiary and hospital administrator. His mother, Catherine (Kenny) Hanly, was a homemaker.

His family was rather notorious in New Jersey; some members had been indicted on corruption charges and had served time in jail. These included his maternal grandfather, John V. Kenny, a former mayor of Jersey City and a powerful Hudson County Democratic boss known as “the pope of Jersey City,” who was jailed in the 1970s after pleading guilty to charges of income tax evasion.

Mr. Hanly took a different path. He went to Cornell, where his roommate was Ed Marinaro, who went on to play professional football and later became an actor (best known for “Hill Street Blues”). Mr. Hanly, who played football with him, graduated in 1972 with a major in philosophy and received a scholar-athlete award as the Cornell varsity football senior who combined the highest academic average with outstanding ability.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/22/us/paul-j-hanly-jr-top-litigator-in-opioid-cases-dies-at-70.html