Stephen P. DeNittis

Stephen P. DeNittis is the managing partner of DeNittis Osefchen Prince, P.C. An experienced consumer fraud class action litigator and catastrophic personal injury litigator, Mr. DeNittis and the firm have recovered over $825 million for victims of severe injury or corporate fraud in federal and state courts across the country. He currently serves as lead or co-lead counsel in many class actions currently pending in federal and state court. Since 1998, Mr. DeNittis has successfully served as lead or co-lead counsel in over two hundred and twenty-five (225) class actions involving consumer fraud, false advertising, food mislabeling, construction defects, wage and hour violations, RESPA violations and mass tort litigation throughout the country.

In 2013, he was designated by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney and in 2018 he was recertified, a high honor of achievement as only 1.5% of attorneys in New Jersey hold such a designation.  He is also rated AV, the highest rating given by Martindale Hubbell, the country’s foremost legal directory. He has also been named to the Super Lawyers List from 2013-2025.

Since 2020, Mr. DeNittis also received two more high honors. He was named as one of America’s Top 100 High Stake Litigators in the State, an honor less than one-half percent of active attorneys in the State of New Jersey has received. In the same year he was also named as one of The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100 Trial Lawyers in the State of New Jersey, again a designation bestowed to less than 1% of attorneys nationally. (See methodology below)

In 2024, Mr. DeNittis was inducted into the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). ABOTA is an invitation only organization requiring members to demonstrate significant experience including at least 10 civil jury trials. Only 7,600 attorneys are inducted nationwide. ABOTA is a leading organization in the fight to preserve and protect American's Seventh Amendment right to a civil jury trial, support judicial independence, and promote civility and professionalism by members of the bar and bench.

Mr. DeNittis’ notable cases include (see disclaimer below):

In the last ten years:

• Esposito v. Cellco' Partnership dba Verizon (2024) where Mr. DeNittis served as lead counsel and secured a $100 million cash settlement on behalf of a class of millions consumers nationwide for the alleged deceptive sales practices of Verizon imposing an alleged non-disclosed Administrative Charge. The settlement is one of the largest ever in the Superior Court of New Jersey ever.  As a result of Mr. DeNittis efforts two published opinions by different courts were issued regarding Verizon's arbitration clause which DeNittis and his team defeated.
• Seale v. Altice (Optimum and Suddenlink)(2023) where Mr. DeNittis served as lead counsel and secured a $15 million cash settlement on behalf of a class of millions of consumers nationwide for alleged deceptive practices of Altice in the sale of its wireless and broadband services.   
• Grillo v. RCN Telecom Services, Inc. (2023) where Mr. DeNittis served as lead counsel and secured a $11.5 million cash settlement on behalf of a class of 1,000,000 in 6 states for the alleged charging of a deceptive undisclosed fee known as Network Access Maintenance fee. 2023
• Reid v. RCN Telcom Services, Inc. et.al (2022) where Mr. DeNittis served as lead counsel and secured a $6.65 million cash settlement on behalf of a class of 836,000 persons in 6 states for the alleged improper charging of late fees in breach of RCN's own terms and conditions. 2022
• Barba et al. v. Old Navy (2021) where Mr. DeNittis served as lead counsel and obtained a class settlement of approximately $340 million on behalf of a class of 50,000,000 consumers. The class alleged that Old Navy stores and website offered products with false reference prices which results in fake discounts and fake sales. 34,000,000 were offered Purchase Certificates to receive free merchandise.  2021
• Andrews et al. v. Gap. (2019) where Mr. DeNittis served as lead counsel and obtained a class settlement of approximately $240 million on behalf of a class of 24,000,000 consumers. The class alleged that Gap Factory Outlet and Banana Factory Outlet stores and website offered products with false reference prices which results in fake discounts and fake sales. Consumers received up to $12 in vouchers to obtain free products or use to receive discounts off products. 2019
• Coladonato v. JCrew (2019) where Mr. DeNittis served as one of the lead counsel and obtained a class settlement of $24 million on behalf of a class of 2.6 million New Jersey, New York and California consumers. The class alleged that JCrew Outlet stores and website offered products with false reference prices which resulted in fake discounts and fake sales. Consumers received up to $16 in vouchers to obtain free products or use to receive discounts off products.  2019
• Sekelew et al. v. Burlington (2018) where Mr. DeNittis served as lead counsel and obtained a class settlement of $9.6 million on behalf of a class of 1,000,000 New Jersey consumers. The class alleged that Burlington stores and website offered products with false reference prices which resulted in fake discounts and fake sales. Consumers received up to $12 in vouchers to obtain free products or use to receive discounts off products.   2018  
• Jones v. Empire Beauty Schools (2014) where Mr. DeNittis served as lead counsel and obtained a $6.75 million common fund settlement on behalf of 300,000 consumers who received services and were allegedly overcharged at one of Empire’s 28 beauty school clinics located in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
• Spector v. TD Bank (2014), where Mr. DeNittis was one of the lead counsel and obtained a $9.4 million settlement on behalf of approximately 3,000,000 account holders of TD Bank. This case involved New Jersey consumer fraud claims against TD Bank’s for its faulty Penny Arcade Coin Counting Machines allegedly undercounting consumers’ money.  2014
• Krivy v. Jean Madeline Beauty Schools (2014), where Mr. DeNittis served as lead counsel and obtained a $1.35 million settlement on behalf of 70,000 consumers who received services and were allegedly overcharged at one of Jean Madeline’s 3 beauty school clinics. 2014
• Anderson v. Redflex and Telliho v. American Traffic Solutions, where Mr. DeNittis served as lead counsel and secured a $6.1 million settlement obtaining partial refunds for over 600,000 persons in New Jersey who received traffic violations by alleged faulty red light camera equipment located in 18 municipalities across the state. As a result of my suits, the red light camera program in New Jersey has been terminated.  2012

Other notable cases in the last 20 years.

• France v. Merrill Lynch, where Mr. DeNittis served as co-lead counsel in a wage an hour violation action and obtained final approval in 2009 of a $43.5 million class action settlement on behalf of a class of 22,000 Merrill Lynch stockbrokers in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon.
• Ingling v. Ryder Truck Rental, where he obtained a $7 million dollar settlement on behalf a client who suffered a devastating brain injury as a result of a slip and fall that occurred in a parking lot in 2005. The settlement was recognized by The New Jersey Law Journal as the largest slip and fall settlement in the State of New Jersey for the year 2007 and still stands as the largest recovery for an individual in the State involving a person injured by a slip and fall;
• DeMarco v. National Collector’s Mint where Mr. DeNittis was lead counsel and obtained a settlement valued at $9 million dollars on behalf of a class of 176,000 class members who were defrauded into purchasing a fake coin allegedly issued by the U.S. Mint to commemorate the “9/11” Terrorist Attack. The case was a matter of first impression in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York under the Hobby Protection Act 15 U.S.C. § 2101(b) and is now a published opinion in the Federal Reporters. 229 F.R.D. 73 (S.D.N.Y. 2005).

Mr. DeNittis was also plaintiffs’ trial counsel in Barkers v. Public Service Electric and Gas (PSEG) where he obtained an order for PSEG to install excess flow valves or place cement protective bollards to approximately 2,800 residential and commercial gas meter sets located throughout the State of New Jersey.  PSE&G negligently placed meters in a dangerous condition, in close proximity to persons’ driveways, garage doors or parking areas. As a result of Mr. DeNittis’ efforts in the case, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities proposed and adopted new rules and regulations in December of 2004 prohibiting any new or existing gas meters from being installed in the State of New Jersey within 3 feet of any garage door, driveway or parking area. Mr. DeNittis was also lead trial counsel in Schmoll v. J.S. Hovnanian, a class action that settled after four days of trial which resulted in J.S. Hovnanian repairing a construction defect found in 995 homes in the Holiday East development in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey.

He is admitted to practice in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and before the United States Supreme Court and many other federal courts.

Aside from his work, Mr. DeNittis financially sponsored and coached his two daughters’ soccer and softball teams. He also is a lifelong rabid Philadelphia Eagles fan and has been a season ticket holder since 1997.  Mr. DeNittis was also an officer of the Board of Directors for the Ronald McDonald House – Southern New Jersey (RMH) charity 2012-2015 and rejoined the RMH Board in 2019. Lastly, Mr. DeNittis loves to golf.

List of Published Cases Achey v. Cellco Partnership et al., 2023 N.J.Super. LEXIS 45 (App.Div. 2023); Robey v. Sparc, 474 N.J.Super. 593 (App.Div. 2023); Nemykina v. Old Navy, LLC, 461 F.Supp. 3d 1054 (W.D.WA 2020); Robey v. PVH Corp., 495 F.Supp.3d 311 (S.D.N.Y. 2020);  Goffe v. Foulke Management Corp., 238 N.J. 191 (2019); Munning v. Gap Inc., et. al., 238 F.Supp. 3d 1195 (N.D.CA 2017); In re Subway Footlong Sandwhich Mktg. & Sales Practices Litig., 316 F.R.D. 240 (E.D.Wis. 2016); Bernetich, Hatzell & Pascu, LLC v. Medical Records Online, Inc., 445 N.J.Super. 173 (App.Div. 2016); In re Whole Foods Mkt., 163 F.Supp.3d 385 (W.D.Tex. 2016); Broederdorf v. Bacheler, 129 F.Supp.3d 182 (E.D.Pa. 2015); In re Subway Footlong Sandwhich Mktg., 949 F.Supp.2d 1369 (MDL 2013); In re Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, LLC Wage & Hour Empl., Practices Litig., 818 F.Supp.2d 1381 (MDL 2011); NAACP of Camden County East v. Foulke Management Corp., 421 N.J.Super. 404 (App.Div. 2011); In re Apple & AT&TM Antitrust Litig., 826 F.Supp. 1168 (N.D.CA. 2011); In re Apple & AT&TM Antitrust Litig., 596 F.Supp.2d 1288 (N.D.CA.2008); Schmoll v. J.S. Hovnanian & Sons, LLC, 394 N.J.Super. 415 (App.Div. 2007); Bruno v. Mark MaGrann Associates, Inc., 388 N.J.Super. 539 (App.Div. 2006); Tax Authority, Inc. v. Jackson Hewitt, Inc., 187 N.J. 4 (2006) W. v. L.R., 325 N.J.Super. 543 (App.Div. 1999)

*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.

Disclaimer:

This web site constitutes an ADVERTISEMENT. Results may vary depending on the particular facts of your case and legal circumstances. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Before making your choice of attorney, you should give this matter careful thought. The selection of an attorney is an important decision. For the comparison standards employed by the various lawyer rating companies, please visit superlawyers.com,  https://www.martindale.com/ratings-and-reviews/, thenationaltriallawyers.org and https://www.top100highstakeslitigators.com/selection-methodology/.  Prior Results do not guarantee a similar outcome, nor does visiting this website create an attorney client relationship. See also Rating Methodology