Craig A. Domalewski, Business Attorney in Cranford, New Jersey

Mr. Domalewski is the managing partner of Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski, P.C. He focuses primarily on complex-dispute resolution and has been involved in some of the largest, most complicated litigation matters in the state of New Jersey.

Representing both privately held and publicly traded companies, non-profits, individuals, and government entities, Mr. Domalewski serves as counsel in multi-million-dollar civil litigation, including insurance-coverage, product liability, commercial disputes, securities fraud, and environmental matters. He has represented clients in several matters in which the amount in controversy has exceeded $100 million. He has also negotiated numerous, multi-million-dollar commercial transactions and regularly provides strategic advice and guidance to hospitals, physicians, and other individuals and entities in connection with commercial disputes, regulatory matters, and compliance issues.

Mr. Domalewski has been awarded the prestigious AV Preeminent® rating from Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™, the gold standard in attorney ratings, which have recognized lawyers for their strong legal abilities and high ethical standards for more than a century. The AV Preeminent rating, the highest peer-rating standard, signifies that a large number of lawyers rank Mr. Domalewski at the highest level of professional excellence for his legal knowledge, communication skills, and ethical standards.

From 2015 to the present, Mr. Domalewski has annually been named a “Super Lawyer,” by New Jersey Super Lawyers magazine, an honor bestowed on no more than five percent of attorneys in the state. In addition, Mr. Domalewski has been included in Best Lawyers in America, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession, from 2019 to the present.

He has also been recognized for his professional achievements by NJBIZ, the leading publication covering New Jersey’s business community. In 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2016, NJBIZ ranked Mr. Domalewski on its influential “Power 100” list of the 100 most powerful people in New Jersey business. Mr. Domalewski was also recognized in 2012 by NJBIZ for his work in the healthcare industry, when he was ranked in the publication’s “Power 50” list of the most powerful people in New Jersey healthcare.

Mr. Domalewski served as senior counsel to Governor Chris Christie from January 2010 through December 2011, during which time he provided advice and counsel to the Governor on a wide array of legislative, legal, regulatory, and policy initiatives. In 2012, Mr. Domalewski was appointed by Governor Christie to serve as Chairman of the Task Force on the Closure of State Developmental Centers, which was established by state legislation to perform a comprehensive evaluation of the state’s developmental centers. The Task Force completed its work in 2012, and shortly thereafter Mr. Domalewski received the Public Leadership Award from the New Jersey Association of Community Providers for his work on the Task Force.

In 2013, Mr. Domalewski served as special counsel to Governor Christie’s campaign for reelection and was responsible for the legal side of Election Day operations for the Governor.

Mr. Domalewski’s practice spans several industries and areas of law, including the following:

• Litigating complex insurance-coverage matters

• Litigating complex-commercial disputes, including claims based on breach of contract, tortious interference, misappropriation, and breach-of-fiduciary duty

• Litigating matters before the chancery court, representing clients seeking or opposing injunctive, equitable, or declaratory relief

• Litigating insurance-coverage bad-faith disputes

• Litigating major product-liability suits

• Litigating professional-liability cases

• Litigating healthcare-related issues and disputes

• Providing regulatory advice and guidance to hospitals and other entities subject to regulatory oversight, including compliance with governmental investigations and resolution of actions brought by regulators

• Structuring, negotiating, and closing significant commercial transactions, including professional-service agreements between hospitals and physician-practice groups, asset-purchase agreements for the purchase and sale of medical practices and other businesses, buy-out agreements between business partners, and transactions relating to the acquisition, disposition, leasing, and development of commercial property

• Representing companies in numerous environmental disputes and litigation concerning claims under federal and state law for remediation, cost recovery, and natural-resource damages

Among Mr. Domalewski’s successes are the following case examples:

• Mr. Domalewski successfully defended a governmental agency against contractual and tortious interference claims asserted by multiple real-estate developers seeking in excess of $200 million.

• Mr. Domalewski successfully defended a major hospital in a lawsuit filed by an insurance company seeking reimbursement of $9 million based on alleged claims of bad faith arising from a $30 million verdict against the hospital and other defendants in a wrongful-birth case. The case was dismissed with prejudice and without payment shortly after Mr. Domalewski filed a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss.

• Mr. Domalewski served as lead counsel for the defendant in a lawsuit filed by a plaintiff claiming permanent injury and seeking over $1 million in damages allegedly arising from the use of a major pharmaceutical company’s over-the-counter product. The case was dismissed without payment based on the investigation conducted by Mr. Domalewski and his team, which found evidence proving that the plaintiff’s claims pre-existed her alleged use of the defendant’s product.

• Mr. Domalewski filed a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim and successfully obtained a dismissal of a multi-million-dollar legal-malpractice claim against a well-respected national law firm. The decision was appealed, and the dismissal was upheld by the Appellate Division.

• Mr. Domalewski led of a team of lawyers in prosecuting a major legal-malpractice action on behalf of two governmental agencies against their former law firm, which resulted in a settlement recovery of over $20.8 million.

• Mr. Domalewski successfully secured the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by a government payor against a major hospital seeking the denial of hundreds of thousands of dollars in claims for health care services provided by the hospital.

• Mr. Domalewski successfully represented a major financial company which was sued in federal court for allegations of fraud. The alleged damages in the mortgage-backed securities case exceeded $450 million and was resolved for a tiny fraction of the demand to avoid litigation costs.

• Mr. Domalewski led a team of lawyers in defending a major lawsuit filed by a municipality against a governmental agency seeking over $400 million in alleged property taxes. The case was thoroughly investigated and, after a motion for summary was fully briefed and argued, it was settled on very favorable terms for the firm’s client which fully upheld the client’s legal position.

• Mr. Domalewski led a team of lawyers in defending a lawsuit filed by a municipality against a governmental agency seeking over $10 million in alleged property taxes. The case was thoroughly investigated, and the claims were fully withdrawn after discovery was completed and prior to argument on a motion for summary judgment.

• Mr. Domalewski successfully obtained a dismissal of a lawsuit that was filed by a former resident against a nursing home. The former resident alleged negligence and fraud resulting from an improper referral to a home healthcare company. Following a thorough investigation, which refuted liability, the case was dismissed with prejudice and without payment.

Mr. Domalewski has served on several panels sponsored by the State Bar Association, where he has lectured on insurance coverage, crisis management, high-profile litigation, economic development, and regulatory matters. A member of both the American Bar Association and the New Jersey State Bar Association, Mr. Domalewski, is admitted to practice in New Jersey and in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Mr. Domalewski serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Trinitas Health Foundation and is a member of the Audit and Compliance Committees for New Meadowlands Racetrack, LLC.