When he is not faithfully serving his hometown or dutifully coaching his son’s sports teams, Craig Ollenschleger counsels, represents, and defends 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 mediations and arbitrations. Craig’s thirty years of experience run 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. Alongside his robust litigation practice, Craig has decades of experience in local government matters by virtue of his having held various elective and appointed offices, including as the elected, two-term mayor of Bloomingdale, New Jersey.
Honed during three decades 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 Bloomingdale Planning Board 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., Summa cum laude, 1995, Valedictorian, Law Review
- The American University, B.A., magna cum laude, 1992, Distinguished University Honors
- New Jersey, 1995
- United States District Court, District of New Jersey
- United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
- Appellate practice in federal and state courts
- Alternative dispute resolution, including arbitration and mediation
- Business torts, such as fraud, tortious interference, unfair competition, and restrictive covenants
- Class action defense in regulated and unrelated industries
- Contract actions involving real estate and business-to-business transactions
- Defense against consumer claims, such as fraud, breach of contract, and product mislabeling
- Fiduciary and probate litigation on behalf of trustees, executors, beneficiaries, and creditors
- Intellectual property disputes involving trademark and trade dress infringement
- Land use litigation
- Professional malpractice defense
- Shareholder, partnership, and limited liability membership disputes, including those arising in family-owned and closely-held businesses
PUBLICATIONS
- Comment, Another Failing Grade: New Jersey Repeats School Funding Reform, 25 Seton Hall L. Rev. 1074 (1995)
- Survey, 25 Seton Hall L. Rev. 1669 (1995)
PRESENTATIONS
- Strafford Publications, Inc., Trust Decanting: Recent State Law and Challenges for Estate Planners (Online presentation on February 13, 2020)
- New Jersey Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Decanting in New Jersey & Beyond (Live presentation on February 28, 2018)
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
- Member, The Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey
- Member, American Bar Association
- Member, New Jersey State Bar Association
- Member, Essex County Bar Association
- Member, Morris County Bar Association
- Member, Passaic County Bar Association, Bench & Bar Committee
- Graduate, Arthur T. Vanderbilt Inn of Court
CIVIC ACTIVITIES AND COMMUNITY SERVICE
- Mayor, Borough of Bloomingdale (1999-2006)
- Member, Bloomingdale Board of Education (2022-present, 1992-95)
- Member, Bloomingdale Planning Board (2012-present, 1999-2006)
- Committeeman, Passaic County Democratic Committee (various terms and presently)
- Vice Commander, Sons of the American Legion Post 154, Butler, N.J. (2025-present)
- Umpire, USABL (2025-present)
- Coach, Bloomingdale Recreation, Bloomingdale, N.J. (2021-present)
- Coach, Triboro Little League, Bloomingdale, N.J. (2019-present)
- Member, Elder & Deacon, West Side Presbyterian Church, Ridgewood, N.J. (2015-present)
- Patrons, Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue, Inc., Reinholds, Pa. (2015-present)
- Member, Bloomingdale Centennial Anniversary Committee (2016-20)
- Member & Chair, Chilton Hospital Neighbors for Better Health Committee (2004-06)
- Candidate, Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders (2001)
- Candidate, Bloomingdale Borough Council (1993)
- Member, Bloomingdale 75th Anniversary Committee (1992-93)
- Defending nationally-leading bottled-water manufacturer against multi-million-dollar, multi-state fraud, breach of contract, and consumer fraud claims in eight-year-old, federal class action lawsuit
- Successfully defended nationally-leading bottled-water manufacturer against multiple, multi-million-dollar consumer fraud class action lawsuits in federal, New Jersey state, and other state courts, including dismissal and affirmance of dismissal of $50 million federal consumer fraud class action lawsuit
- Won summary judgment for nationwide telemarketing firm against Telephone Consumer Protection Act class action lawsuit in federal court
- Secured dismissal of $5 million tort and contract claims against multi-family housing developer after five-week, federal court bench trial
- Defeated multi-million-dollar trade dress infringement and breach of contract claims against nationally-leading bottled-water manufacturer after two-week, federal court jury trial
- Pursued contractual and fiduciary claims on behalf of oppressed minority shareholder and limited liability member, leading to favorable, multi-million-dollar settlement
- Jointly-represented nationwide telemarketing firm in five-week, state court bench trial, culminating in the entry of a nearly $2 million judgment for breach of contract
- Trial counsel in successful defense of $1 million legal malpractice claim against leading New Jersey law firm
- Obtained summary judgment against $500,000 claim for breach of real estate purchase contract
- Enforced rights of contract purchaser against one of New Jersey’s largest municipalities
- Patane v. Nestlé Waters N. Am., Inc., 786 F. Supp. 3d 474 (D. Conn. 2025)
- Patane v. Nestlé Waters N. Am., Inc., 761 F. Supp. 3d 424 (D. Conn. 2024)
- Stonington Cap. Advs. v. Southfield Cap., LLC, 2022 WL 3030514 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 1, 2022)
- Patane v. Nestlé Waters N. Am., Inc., 583 F. Supp. 3d 341 (D. Conn. 2022)
- Patane v. Nestlé Waters N. Am., 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. Nestlé Waters N. Am., Inc., 369 F. Supp. 3d 382 (D. Conn. 2019)
- Patane v. Nestlé Waters N. Am., Inc., 314 F. Supp 3d 375 (D. Conn. 2018)
- Schiavone v. Dragados, S.A., 729 F. App’x 160 (3d Cir. 2018)
- Evans v. Nat’l Auto Div., L.L.C., 2016 WL 4770033 (D.N.J. Sept. 13, 2016), and 2016 WL 885050 (D.N.J. Mar. 8, 2016)
- Wengle v. DialAmerica Mktg., Inc., 132 F. Supp. 3d 910 (E.D. Mich. 2015)
- Ciser v. Nestle Waters N. Am., Inc., 596 F. App’x 157 (3d Cir. 2015), aff’g 2013 WL 396139 (D.N.J. Jan. 31, 2013)
- Bleeker v. Boro. of N. Haledon, 2014 WL 4745544 (N.J. App. Div. Sept. 25, 2014)
- IVF Inv. Co., LLC v. Estate of Natofsky, 2014 WL 3743366 (N.J. App. Div. July 31, 2014), certif. den., 220 N.J. 41 (2014), and 2012 WL 1813429 (N.J. App. Div. May 21, 2012)
- Pinnacle Ins. Solutions v. Kolbe, 2014 WL 1272212 (D.N.J. Mar. 27, 2014)
- Faucet Shoppe, Inc. v. Nestle Waters N. Am., Inc., 24 F. Supp 3d 750 (N.D. III. 2014)
- Kuzian v. Electrolux Home Prods., Inc., 937 F. Supp. 2d 599 (D.N.J. 2013)
- Cargill Global Trading v. Applied Dev. Co., 706 F. Supp. 2d 563 (D.N.J. 2010)
- Papergraphics Int’l. Inc. v. Correa, 389 N.J. Super. 8 (App. Div. 2006)
- Kean v. C.I.S., 407 F.3d 186 (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.), certif. den., 184 N.J. 212 (2005)
- Sullivan v. Aslanides, 374 N.J. Super. 68 (App. Div.), certif. den., 183 N.J. 218 (2005)
- Roselink Invs., 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. v. Perrier Grp. of Am., Inc., 269 F.3d 114 (2d Cir. 2001), and 164 F.3d 736 (2d Cir. 1998)
- Apfel v. Budd Larner et al., 324 N.J. Super. 133 (App. Div.), certif. den., 162 N.J. 485 (1999)
- Belfer v. Merling, 322 N.J. Super. 124 (App. Div.), certif. den., 162 N.J. 196 (1999)
- In re Trust Created by J. Seward Johnson, etc., 299 N.J. Super 415 (App. Div. 1997)