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Donald A.
Ottaunick

Member

Office 201.525.6229
Email dottaunick@coleschotz.com
Debbie Melamed |Legal Practice Assistant
201.489.3000 ext. 5013
dmelamed@coleschotz.com
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Donald A. Ottaunick is a member of the firm’s Litigation Department and is certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey Board on Attorney Certification as a Civil Trial Attorney.

 

Experience

Don is experienced in a wide variety of litigation matters and has tried more than 100 cases in the state and federal courts of New Jersey and New York. In addition to handling commercial litigation matters, Don handles complex medical malpractice and catastrophic injury cases on behalf of plaintiffs. He also represents businesses in significant liability matters where those companies are either self-insured or when they have been denied coverage by their insurance carriers. Don also handles the related coverage disputes against the insurance carriers.

Don acts as personal counsel to physicians and health care practices who have been named as defendants in medical malpractices cases where the damages claimed are in excess of their insurance limits and works to protect their personal assets from settlement or judgment. He also represents life sciences companies in mass tort, products liability and other matters on a national level.

A former Essex County assistant prosecutor, Don also represents health care professionals in the defense of insurance fraud claims brought by the Centers for Medicare Services, the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance, the New Jersey Insurance Fraud Prosecutor and private insurance companies. He also handles a wide range of insurance coverage matters for health care professionals, large and small businesses and individuals, including property and casualty, healthcare, ERISA matters and disability claims.

Don has extensive experience in the area of professional negligence, successfully litigating legal and accounting malpractice matters on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants. Don also represents and counsels professionals in coverage disputes with their insurance carriers.

Representative Matters

A Member of the firm since 1995, Don has achieved a high level of success in his litigation practice, including:

  • Representing a large health science company in a national mass tort litigation involving more than 700 cases alleging injuries related to a popular dietary supplement
  • Obtaining multiple seven-figure verdicts and settlements in complex medical malpractice and catastrophic injury claims, including a $6.5 million verdict in a Monmouth County medical malpractice case involving an extensive bowel perforation following a cesarean section delivery and, most recently negotiating a $5.5 million dollar settlement in a substantial medical malpractice matter in Essex County involving significant bowel related injuries and a $2.5 million dollar settlement in a wrongful death case in Bergen County
  • Representing a publicly traded health science company in the defense of hundreds of employee injury and illness claims following a plant closing
  • Representing a trucking company in bankruptcy in the defense of approximately 100 personal injury claims filed across the United States

 

Networks & Affiliations

Don is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and often lectures on topics of professionalism in the law, trial techniques and health insurance fraud. He is also a member of St. John’s University School of Law’s Alumni Board of Directors.

 

Honors & Awards

Don has been awarded an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell for the quality of his legal work. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

See Award Methodology.

Areas of focus

    Practices
  • Litigation
  • Appeals
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution
  • Surety and Insurance
  • White Collar Litigation
  • Environmental Litigation & Cost Recovery
  • White Collar Criminal Defense & Government Investigations
  • Litigation

Education

St. John’s University School of Law, J.D.
Rutgers University, B.A.

Bar & Court Admissions

New Jersey
New York
U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey

Honors & Awards

New Jersey Super Lawyers
  • Blogs
  • Firm News

Blogs

  1. 01

    Pennsylvania Senate Attempts to Help Business Interruption Policyholders

    May 6, 2020
  2. 02

    Readying for the Return: Employers Should Review Insurance Policies for These Protections

    May 4, 2020
  3. 03

    Readying for the Return: Reopening the Workplace

    May 1, 2020
  4. 04

    Federal Class Action Suits Filed Against Six Insurance Companies Over Business Income Coverage

    April 20, 2020
  5. 05

    Pennsylvania Supreme Court Deals Potential Blow to Insurance Carriers’ Basis For Denial of Business Income Claims

    April 17, 2020
  6. 06

    Business Interruption Insurance: Fed’s Propose Legislation

    April 15, 2020
  7. 07

    Business Income Insurance Update: Not All Policies Have A Virus Exclusion

    April 9, 2020
  8. 08

    Business Interruption Insurance: The Ongoing Case for Coverage

    March 31, 2020
  9. 09

    Business Interruption Insurance Update: State Legislatures Taking Steps to Protect Businesses Impacted by COVID-19 Losses

    March 27, 2020
  10. 10

    COVID-19 Business Interruption Insurance Update

    March 20, 2020
News + Insights

Firm News

  1. 01

    A Two-Week Haul of Litigator of the Week Runners-Up and Shout Outs

    July 15, 2022 | AmLaw Litigation Daily, Law360
  2. 02

    Penn. High Court Deals Potential Blow To Carriers’ Denial Of Business Income Claims

    May 1, 2020 | Insurance Journal
News + Insights

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