Richard D. Catenacci

Richard Catenacci has over 40 years of litigation experience in diverse areas of law, with a focus on federal trial practice. Rich is considered a fierce appellate advocate, having argued more than 200 appeals. With more than 100 jury and bench trials in the state and federal courts, he was among the first lawyers to be Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney.

For more than 30 years, Rich has been an active member and has held numerous leadership positions in the American Bar Association, having chaired five different committees of the Litigation Section. He also served in various leadership roles in the Federal Bar, New Jersey State Bar, and Essex County Bar Associations.

Rich was a member of the Board of Editors and Case Editor of the Notre Dame Law Review. Thereafter, he served as an Assistant United States Attorney from 1966-1968, when he joined Connell Foley LLP. He has served the firm as a member of the Executive Committee, a Managing Partner and as Chairman. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Notre Dame Law Association for almost 30 years, having served in various positions, including President.

Representative Experience
Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.

• Represented Bethlehem Steel for more than 25 years in a wide variety of litigated matters ranging from building collapses to alleged underground pollution of municipal water supply. Under Rich’ s supervision, the firm served as national counsel for Bethlehem’s asbestos and toxic tort cases
• Represented A&P suits over the disposition of $400 million surplus in pension trust
• Served as defense liaison counsel In Re Corn Derivatives in an antitrust case involving allegations of national price-fixing conspiracy in the corn derivatives industry with damages alleged to be $700 million
• Represented Package Shop v. Anheuser Bush antitrust, restraint of trade, geographical beer distribution system
• Litigation Counsel for Chase Manhattan Bank having successfully headed a team of eight attorneys in litigation of more than $200 million of Chase claims, including a lengthy bench trial before a federal judge
• Lead Counsel in the Global Landfill cases (1,000 plaintiffs v. the owner-operator and more than 50 other defendants) where the initial demands of settlement exceeded $100 million
• Represented IFA Insurance Co., supervising defense of more than 1,000 personal injury lawsuits over the past 25 years including all major jury trials
• Represented NJM Insurance Co., in NJM v. Comm., a dispute between the entire automobile insurance industry and the Commissioner of Insurance (State of New Jersey) over the liability for payment of a $3.14 billion deficit of the MTF (a state run insurance facility)
• Represented Wakefern (Shop Rite) suit by cooperative in Chancery to restrain sales of five (Shop Rite) supermarkets to its competitor (Pathmark) and enforce the oral contract to sell Wakefern
• Anthony M. Geracitano and John B. Carnett, III v. Microsoft Corp., Docket No. A-0646-05T1. Successful defense of Microsoft against anti-trust class actions
• Caspi, et al. v. MSN and Microsoft Corporation, 323 N.J. Super. 118, 732 A. 2d 528 (1999). Successfully defended Microsoft in class action suit
• In The Matter of Estate of Cantor, represented the daughter of a decedent in a $100M+ estate litigation. The matter was tried over 5 months in Morris County

Professional and Community Affiliations

• Founder, John A. Pindar Memorial Scholarship Fund (1970 - present) (last annual report Fund was in excess of $2.2 million in corpus and distributes $80,000 per year in scholarships)
• Lifeties Inc.
  • Board of Trustees, (2011- 2022)
  • Chair, Event Committee (2017-2020)
  • Vice President
  • Chair, Executive Director Search Team
• East Amwell Historical Society
  • Member (2016-2021)
  • President, Board of Trustees (2018-2021)
• Life Fellow, American Bar Foundation
• Chancellor, Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey (1994-2000)
•  Notre Dame Law Association
  • Committee on Diversity and Inclusion
  • LGBTQ Board  Representative
  • National Representative of LGBTQ
  • Board Student Liason to LGBTQ Law Forum
  • National Board of Directors (1980-2013)
  • National President (1999-2000)
• Notre Dame University
  • President, Notre Dame Alumni Association of New Jersey (1975-1979)
• Member, American Bar Association, Litigation Section
  • Young Lawyers Division, Board of Fellows (1986-2013)
  • Resource Development (1991-1994)
  • Chair, Task Force on Excessive Litigiousness (1988-1989)
  • Chair, Program Evaluation and Utilization (1988-1989)
  • Chair, Committee of Communications (1986-1989)
  • Chair, Constitution-By-Laws (1981-1985)
  • District Representative, Young Lawyers Division, Executive Council (1976-1977)
• Federal Bar Association
  • Vice President (1988-1992)
• Trustee, Essex County Bar Association (1982-1985)
• New Jersey State Bar Association
  • Trustee, Young Lawyers Section (1973-1976)
  • Member, Judicial Selection
• Essex County Bar Association
• Master, John J. Gibbons American Inn of Court, Intellectual Property Law
• Adjunct Professor for more than ten years, Uniform Commercial Code (Sales and Secured Transactions, Banking and Commercial Paper), Seton Hall Law School

Best Lawyers in America (2005-2025)

• Appellate Practice
• Commercial Litigation
  

New York's Best Lawyers, Appellate Practice and Commercial Litigation (2013)

"New Jersey's Top Rated Lawyers" (2012), a list compiled by Martindale-Hubbell.

New Jersey Super Lawyers (2005, 2006, 2009-2013)

_{Please see Honor and Award Methodology. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.}