When he is not faithfully serving his hometown or dutifully coaching his son’s sports teams, Craig Ollenschleger is counseling, representing and defending the interests of individuals, business owners and corporate entities in a wide range of litigated and mediated matters before both Federal and State courts, as well as in private arbitrations.
Craig’s broad experience runs the gamut of complex commercial and business litigation, covering contractual and fiduciary claims; business torts; partnership, shareholder and limited liability member disputes; equity jurisprudence; appellate practice; professional liability actions; and class action and consumer fraud defense.
Honed during more than 25 years of private practice, Craig’s strategy is simple: he listens to his clients, learns their goals and objectives, and labors collaboratively with his colleagues to lead his clients through the trials and tribulations of the litigation process to achieve their desired outcomes. Time and again, Craig’s dedication and dependability have proven effective for his clients.
Craig was a law clerk to the Hon. James J. Petrella, P.J.A.D., Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division, from 1995-1996.
Craig was Mayor of the Borough of Bloomingdale, 1999-2006. He has served as a member of the Planning Board for Bloomingdale from 1999-2006 and from 2012 to the present. He has been a Trustee of the Board of Education of Bloomingdale from 1992-1995 and 2022 to the present.
- Seton Hall University School of Law, J.D., 1995, Valedictorian, Law Review
- The American University, B.A., magna cum laude, 1992
- New Jersey, 1995
- United States District Court, District of New Jersey
- United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
- Commercial litigation and arbitration, including disputes arising under the Uniform Commercial Code
- Contract actions, including real estate disputes
- Appellate practice
- Business torts, including unfair competition and restrictive covenant litigation
- Shareholder, partnership and limited liability membership disputes, including representation of minority members
- Disputes relating to acquisitions and dispositions of businesses
- Chancery jurisprudence, including fiduciary litigation
- Professional malpractice litigation
- Defense of class action and consumer fraud lawsuits
- Land use litigation
- Intellectual property litigation
- Arthur T. Vanderbilt Inn of Court, member
- Successfully defended nationally leading bottled water manufacturer against multiple, multi-million-dollar consumer fraud class action lawsuits in federal and state courts.
- Won five-week, Federal Court trial of $5 million claim against multi-family housing developer
- Litigated contractual and fiduciary claims on behalf of minority shareholder and limited liability member, leading to favorable, multi-million-dollar settlements
- Jointly represented national telemarketing firm in five-week, state-court trial, obtaining $2 million judgment for breach of contract
- Co-tried successful defense of $1 million legal malpractice claim against one of New Jersey’s largest law firms
- Secured summary judgment for buyers against $500,000 claim for breach of real estate contract
- Co-counsel on dismissal and affirmance of dismissal of $50 million consumer fraud class action lawsuit
- Co-trial counsel for multi-family housing developer in five-week, Federal court trial resulting in successful defense of $5 million claim
- Litigated claims on behalf of minority shareholder and limited liability member, leading to favorable, multi-million-dollar settlements
- Jointly represented national telemarketing firm in five-week trial leading to entry of nearly $2 million judgment for breach of contract
- Co-trial counsel in successful defense of $1 million legal malpractice claim against leading New Jersey law firm
- Jointly represented buyers in obtaining summary judgment against $500,000 claim for breach of real estate contract
- Patane v. Nestle Waters North America, Inc. 478 F. Supp. 3d 318 (D. Conn. 2020)
- Shuckett v. DialAmerica Mktg., Inc., 2019 WL 3429184 (S.D. Cal. Jul. 30, 2019)
- Patane v. Nestle Waters North America, Inc., 369 F. Supp. 3d 382 (D. Conn. 2019)
- Patane v. Nestle Waters North America, Inc., 314 F. Supp 3d 375 (D. Conn. 2018)
- Schiavone v. Dragados, S.A., 729 F. App’x 160 (3d Cir. 2018)
- Wengle v. DialAmerica Mktg., Inc., 132 F. Supp. 3d 910 (E.D. Mich. 2015)
- Ciser v. Nestle Waters North America, Inc., 596 F. App’x 157 (3d Cir. 2015), aff’g 2013 WL 396139 (D.N.J. Jan. 31, 2013)
- Bleeker v. Borough of N. Haledon, 2014 WL 4745544 (N.J. App. Div. Sept. 25, 2014)
- Chicago Faucet Shoppe, Inc. v. Nestle Waters North America, Inc., 24 F. Supp 3d 750 (D. N.D. III. 2014)
- Kuzlan v. Electrolux Home Prods., Inc., 937 F. Supp. 2d 599 (D.N.J. 2013)
- Cargill Global Trading v. Applied Dev. Co., 706 F. Suppl. 2d 563 (D.N.J. 2010)
- Papergraphics Int’l. Inc. v. Correa, 389 N.J. Super. 8 (App. Divi. 2006)
- Kean v. C.I.S., 407 F.3d Cir. 2005), aff’g 2013 WL 21278331 (Tax. Ct. Jun. 4, 2003)
- DialAmerica Mktg., Inc. v. KeySpan Energy Corp. 374 N.J. Super. 502 (App. Div.), certify. Den., 184 N.J. 212 (2005)
- Sullivan v. Aslanides, 374 N.J. Super. 68 (App. Div.), certify. Den., 183 N.J. 218 (2005)
- Roselink Investors, L.L.C. v. Shenkman, 386 F. Supp. 2d 209 (S.D.N.Y. 2004)
- Main Events Prods., LLC v. Lacy, 220 F. Supp. 2d 353 (D.N.J. 2002)
- Nora Beverages, Inc., vs. Perrier Group of America, Inc., 269 F.3d 114 (2d Circ. 2001)
- Apfel v. Budd Larner et al., 324 N.J. Super. 133 (App. Div.) certify., den., 162 N.J. 485 (1999)
- Belfer v. Merling, 322 N.J. Super. 124 (App. Div.) certify den., 162 N.J. 196 (1999)
- Nora Beverages, Inc. v. Perrier Group of America, Incl., 164 F. 3d 736 (2d Cir. 1998)
- In re Trust Created by J. Seward Johnson, etc., 299 N.JU. Super 415 (App. Div. 1997)