Ralph G. Cretella, IV is lead trial attorney with Garces, Grabler & LeBrocq, P.C. with the firm’s Personal Injury department.
Ralph specializes in all aspects of personal injury law. Ralph is a litigator who is committed to exceeding client expectations and providing the highest level of representation in every matter he handles. Every client that walks through his office door becomes an immediate part of his family here at GGL. He prides himself on his professionalism and strong courtroom presence.
After graduating summa cum laude from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, Ralph earned his law degree from Rutgers University School of Law, where he was on the Dean’s List.
Upon graduation from law school, Ralph served as a judicial law clerk in the Family Division of the Superior Court, Middlesex County, New Jersey. At that time, he also served as a New Jersey Supreme Court Certified Trained Mediator handling landlord/tenant and small claims actions.
Ralph began practicing plaintiff’s personal injury and civil rights law in Ocean County, New Jersey where he litigated cases in both state and federal court. Ralph has handled employment law actions including advocating for victims of discrimination, sexual harassment, and wrongful termination. He has protected the rights of whistleblowers as well as victims of sexual abuse.
Prior to joining GGL, he worked in Monmouth County, New Jersey practicing insurance defense litigation specializing in automobile and general liability accidents. His experience working in insurance defense made him realize the side of the law in which he wanted to be on. With tort reform and insurance companies attempting to change the laws of the civil justice system so that tort litigation and damages are reduced, making it harder for injured people to file a lawsuit or receive just compensation for their injuries in a lawsuit, Ralph has pledged his advocacy solely to victims who have been injured due to the negligence of others.
Ralph dedicates 100% of his practice to representing individuals who have been injured in motor vehicle collisions, commercial truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, wrongful death actions, premises liability actions, slip and falls, construction accidents, and products liability cases. Ralph prepares each and every case with the expectation of proceeding to a jury trial. As a trial lawyer, Ralph has successfully handled and won multiple jury trials ending with favorable verdicts for his clients and obtained multimillion dollar settlements.
ACCOLADES
Selected and named as a Top 100 National Trial Lawyer in the State of New Jersey
The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 is an invitation-only professional organization composed of premier trial lawyers from each state or region meeting precise qualifications as civil plaintiff trial lawyers. Selection is based on a thorough multi-phase objective and uniformly applied process which includes peer nominations as well as third-party research, and membership is extended only to a select attorneys who demonstrate superior qualifications of leadership, reputation, influence, stature, and public profile. This is measured by equitable and uniformly applied standards in compliance with state bar and model rule.
Named to the Top 25 Motor Vehicle Trials Lawyers Association
The Top 25 Motor Vehicle Trials Lawyers Association is an invitation-only professional organization composed of and limited to the Top 25 attorneys from each state or region who serve individuals and families who need attorneys to represent them regarding Motor Vehicle claims.
Member of the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40
This is a professional organization composed of the top trial lawyers from each state or region who are under the age of 40. Membership into The National Trial Lawyers Top 40 under 40 is by invitation only and is extended exclusively to those trial lawyers practicing civil plaintiff and/or criminal defense law.
Ralph is also an active member and has lectured at the New Jersey Association of Justice Seminar, an organization dedicated to advocating for the rights of the injured.
Past Settlement Results
2,600,000.00 Settlement – A man who was a tanker truck operator was in the course of his employment, completing a pre-trip inspection on top of his tanker, when he was caused to fall over ten feet from the top of the tanker without any fall protection. Despite legal challenges such as the workers compensation bar, limiting the ability to sue one’s employer, along with other highly contested liability issues, Mr. Cretella prepared the case for trial. After three private mediations which were unsuccessful, the matter settled the day of trial for 2,600,000.000 along with his future medical care to be covered and paid for.
2,000,000.00 Settlement – As a result of the motor vehicle crash, a client sustained serious injuries to her neck and back. The client underwent a number of procedures including cervical and lumbar fusion surgeries. Liability was strongly contested by the defense. The parties agreed and entered into non-binding mediation with a retired former presiding civil judge. The case presented many challenges including piercing the limitation on lawsuit threshold, establishing liability, causation and resolving outstanding medical liens. Following intense negotiations, the client’s lawsuit was resolved at mediation for $2,000,000.
$850,000.00 – As a result of a very unfortunate and tragic motorcycle wreck, a young 24-year-old man lost his life due to the negligence of another driver. Mr. Cretella filed a wrongful death lawsuit on the families’ behalf. Due to the nature of the wreck, liability and damages were strongly contested. After conducting challenging depositions of fact witnesses and first responders and establishing liability and damages through liability and medical experts, the case resolved for $850,000.00
$810,000.00 – Client was the operator a vehicle that was on an active rideshare transport when the client’s vehicle was struck head on by another vehicle that improperly crossed a double yellow line in an attempt to bypass a long line of traffic. As a result of his injuries, the client underwent a back surgery to address a herniated disc that he sustained as a result of the car crash. The case presented many challenges including piercing the limitation on lawsuit threshold, causation and resolving outstanding medical liens. It was contended by the defense that the client’s injuries were the result of a prior work related accident that had occurred before the motor vehicle crash. Following intense negotiations, the client’s lawsuit was resolved for $810,000.00
$750,000.00 – Clients were driving in Ocean County when another vehicle failed to observe a third vehicle which was stopped in front of him, causing a rear end impact that catapulted the stopped vehicle into the clients’ car resulting in the clients sustaining severe and permanent injuries requiring hospitalization. It was discovered that the defendant was intoxicated and had consumed several alcoholic beverages at an establishment prior to the crash. Mr. Cretella sued both the negligent driver and the establishment which had served the defendant alcohol prior to the crash and was able to recover a settlement in the amount of $750,000.00
$750,000.00 – Ralph G. Cretella, IV lead trial attorney with Garces Grabler & LeBrocq obtained a $750,000.00 verdict for a 47-year-old women who sustained permanent injuries when her motor vehicle was rear-ended. As a result of the collision, the plaintiff alleged that she sustained multiple level disc herniations in her cervical and lumbar spine that required her to undergo six pain management procedures, including two epidural injections. The defense argued that plaintiff’s alleged injuries were the result of degeneration and were not causally related to the motor vehicle collision, despite the fact that plaintiff had no prior complaints of neck or back pain. Ralph was able to demonstrate through the objective credible medical evidence that the motor vehicle collision was the sole cause of the plaintiff’s permanent injuries. After a week and a half of trial, the Middlesex County jury returned a unanimous verdict in favor of the plaintiff in the amount of $750,000.00
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Education
Professional Associations and Membership
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