Christopher B. Fontenelli

Christopher Fontenelli's practice focuses on two distinct but related areas of law: complex commercial litigation in the areas of products liability, class actions, mass tort, and commercial contractual disputes, and labor and employment law and internal corporate investigations.

In the area of complex commercial litigation, Christopher has broad and extensive experience drafting and filing pleadings, motions, and substantive briefs in both state and federal courts throughout the country, as well as with the judicial panel for multi-district litigation. He also has taken and defended over three dozen depositions and regularly participates in discovery, conducting privileged and internal document reviews and responding to discovery requests.

In the area of labor and employment law, Christopher has handled an array of New York and New Jersey discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful discharge claims as well as class / collective actions involving claims under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.

Since the inception of his legal career, Christopher has provided pro bono services to KIND, a leading organization founded by Angelina Jolie and the Microsoft Corporation dedicated to providing compassionate and quality legal counsel to unaccompanied refugee and immigrant children in the United States. During that time, he has appeared in state and federal court to represent numerous unaccompanied children who enter the U.S. immigration system alone to help advance their best interests, safety and well-being.

Before joining the Firm, Christopher was associated with an international, Am Law 100 law and public policy firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. Prior to that, Christopher graduated from Seton Hall University School of Law, where he was a member of the Seton Hall University School of Law Interscholastic Moot Court Board and served on the editorial board of the Seton Hall Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law. While pursuing his law degree, Christopher interned with the Honorable Madeline Cox Arleo, United States District Judge, of the District of New Jersey and the Honorable Donald H. Steckroth (Ret.), United States Bankruptcy Judge, of the District of New Jersey.

• Counseled one of the nation’s foremost Universities and Medical Centers in connection with more than a year-long intensive internal investigation in response to Congressional inquiries and a Pulitzer Prize winning investigative report, which accused the university and hospital’s doctor of over 20 years improper expert consulting work
• Defended a division of the largest private snack food company in the U.S. in a class / collective action in Florida and Alabama alleging misclassification of route sales persons as exempt from overtime
• Defended one of the nation’s largest dialysis providers against a putative class action alleging consumer fraud and product liability causes of action in federal court (and in related federal multi-district litigation) for injuries and deaths allegedly resulting from use of prescription medical device
• Defended a global manufacturer of organic and specialty foods against multi-million dollar claims arising from a nationwide product recall
• Obtained summary judgment in a CEPA matter in New Jersey State Court
• Settled a threatened litigation in a sexual harassment and retaliation claim under New York law