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 has recovered millions of dollars 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 (200) class actions involving consumer fraud, false advertising, food mislabeling, construction defects, wage and hour violations, RESPA violations and mass tort litigation throughout the country.
Mr. DeNittis’ notable cases include: (Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances)*
Barba et al. v. Old Navy, where Mr. DeNittis served as lead counsel and obtained a class settlement wherein Old Navy offered $380 million in Purchase Certificates to a class of 34,000,000 consumers for free merchandise. The class alleged that Old Navy stores and website offered products with false reference prices which results in fake discounts and fake sales.
Andrews et al. v. Gap. where Mr. DeNittis served as lead counsel and obtained a class settlement wherein Gap offered $240 million in Purchase Certificates to a class of 24,000,000 consumers for free merchandise. 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. C
Coladonato v. JCrew where Mr. DeNittis served as one of the lead counsel and obtained a class settlement wherein JCrew offered $24 million on Purchase Certificates to a class of 2.6 million New Jersey, New York and California consumers for free merchandise. 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.
Sekelew et al. v. Burlington 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.
Jones v. Empire Beauty Schools, 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, 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.
Krivy v. Jean Madeline Beauty Schools, 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.
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.
Other notable cases in the last 15 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).
* Prior Results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances
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. In 2013, he was designated by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney, 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 selected to the following recognized rating lists: Super Lawyers list for the years 2013-2022; The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Lawyers in the State List – 2021, 2022; and the Top 100 High Stake Litigators in the State List – 2021, 2022. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. For the selection standards employed by the various lawyer rating companies please visit Rating Methodology.
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.
List of Published Cases 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)
Classes/Seminars Taught
Faculty Member, “Personal Injury Case Management for Seasoned Litigators”, National Business Institute Seminar, November 29, 2007
Lecturer, “Personal Injury Trials: Getting the Most Out Of Your Evidence”, National Business Institute Seminar, October 13, 2008
Lecturer, “Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Collective Actions”, Camden County Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Committee, November 12, 2008
Lecturer, “Private Practice Professional Development Symposium- Class Action Litigation”, Rutgers-Camden University School of Law, February 28, 2009
Lecturer, “Anticipating Class Actions”, Camden County Bar Association Class Action Practice Committee, March 23, 2010
Lecturer, “Opposing Perspectives on the Tort Settlement Process – Legal and Practical Considerations” , The Sharper Lawyer, Continuing Legal Education, December 14, 2010
Lecturer, “The Impact of Recent Developments in Class Action Law in the Interests of Plaintiffs and Defendants – New Jersey and Beyond”, Camden County Bar Association Class Action Committee, April 19, 2011
Lecturer, “Challenges for Plaintiffs & Defendants Posed By Recent NJ Class Action Decisions”, Camden County Bar Association Class Action Practice Committee, May 16, 2012
Lecturer, “Consumer Fraud Product Labeling Class Actions: One Label, Very Different Perspectives – Plaintiffs, Defendants and the Government” Perrin Conferences, November 15, 2012
Lecturer, “Litigating Medical Negligence Claims: Similarities and Differences Between New Jersey and Pennsylvania” Cape Institute, December 10, 2012
Lecturer, “Ascertainable Loss Under the NJ CFA – More than Just Out-of-Pocket Damages” New Jersey Association for Justice, Meadowlands Seminar November 15, 2013
Lecturer, “Identifying Consumer Class Action,” New Jersey Association of Justice, Boardwalk Seminar, April 9, 2015
Co-author, “A Plaintiff’s Perspective of the New “Ascertainability” Requirement in Federal Class Actions,” New Jersey Lawyer Magazine, March 2015
Lecturer, “Insights into Federal Practice: Perspectives of the Bench and Bar”, The United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, in conjunction with the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey, February 24, 2017
Lecturer and Co-Chair, “Consumer Law – Boardwalk Seminar 2017 – Update on Arbitration Decisions and Aspects of the TCPA”, NJAJ Educational Foundation, Inc.’s Boardwalk Seminar, April 26, 2017
Moderator and Co-Chair, “Consumer Law – Boardwalk Seminar 2018”, NJAJ Educational Foundation, Inc.’s Boardwalk Seminar, May 9 & 10, 2018
Lecturer, “Class Action Litigation in 2020: What You Need to Know”, New Jersey Bar Association CLE, February 10, 2020
Moderator and Co-Chair, “Consumer Law – Boardwalk Seminar 2021”, NJAJ Educational Foundation, Inc.’s Boardwalk Seminar, June 29 & 30, 2021
Lecturer, “Mass Torts Law – Boardwalk Seminar 2022 – PFOA Litigation”, NJAJ Educational Foundation, Inc.’s Boardwalk Seminar, April 28, 2022
Professional Associations
Board Member – Vice-President, Ronald McDonald House Charities – Southern New Jersey 2012 – present
Board Member – Secretary, Moorestown Soccer Club, 2013 – 2018
Board of Governors, New Jersey Association of Justice, 2012 – present
Co-Chair of the Consumer Section, Board of Governors, New Jersey Association for Justice 2014-present
New Jersey Association for Justice
American Association for Justice
New Jersey State Bar Association
Burlington County Bar Association: Personal Injury Committee
Burlington County Bar Association: Civil Practice Committee
Camden County Bar Association: Class Action Practice Committee
Camden County Bar Association: Personal Injury Committee
Camden County Bar Association: Civil Practice Committee
American Bar Association
Philadelphia Bar Association
New Jersey State Bar Association: Class Action Law Committee
New Jersey State Bar Association: Products Liability Law Committee
