Atty. Thomas A. Abbate
Thomas A. Abbate is an Equity Partner at DeCotiis.
Profile Summary
About Thomas A. Abbate at a glance
Thomas A. Abbate is an Equity Partner based in Paramus, New Jersey, practicing at DeCotiis, FitzPatrick, Cole & Giblin, LLP. They have 24+ years of legal experience, licensed to practice since 2002. Their practice focuses on business and litigation. Admitted to practice in New Jersey (2002), U.S. District Court District of New Jersey (2002), New York (2003), and U.S. Supreme Court (2009). Educated at Fordham University School of Law (J.D. Honors, 2002) and University of Miami, Frost School of Music (B.A. Music, 1999). Recognitions include AV Preeminent. Active member of Professional Associations • Mr, •Additionally, Mr, and Abbate has previously served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Seton Hall University School of Law, where he taught Appellate Advocacy. Serands clients in Paramus, NJ and the surrounding metropolitan area.
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About
- Thomas A. Abbate is an Equity Partner at DeCotiis
- He joined the Firm in 2002 and became a partner in 2007
- He is a member of the litigation practice group and serves on the Firm’s Executive Committee
- A seasoned litigator and practice leader, Mr. Abbate’s practice focuses on complex civil and commercial litigation on behalf of both businesses and government entities at the trial and appellate levels of the state and federal courts
- Mr. Abbate has represented businesses in a diverse array of commercial litigation matters with a particular focus on health care and regulatory litigation, but which also extends to administrative law, commercial and business disputes, RICO, commercial real estate and financing, insurance coverage, construction, and environmental, among others
- Representative matters include: (1) the successful representation of a for-profit healthcare system in a multi-jurisdictional legal dispute simultaneously litigated in the New Jersey Superior Court and Delaware Court of Chancery relating to the acquisition of a failing hospital system, ultimately resulting in an eight-figure judgment and acquisition of the adversary
- (2) successful representation of a health care system in a “bet the company' litigation against competing health care systems which resulted in the client successfully acquiring the assets and regulatory approvals to open a new acute care hospital, the first such approval granted in decades
- Mr. Abbate also handles a variety of litigation matters on behalf of state and local government entities, and in this capacity also has extensive experience in prosecuting and defending claims involving public entities
- He has particular experience in litigation matters relating to public entity governance, procurement and public records access, regulatory law, transportation law, prerogative writ actions and challenges to governmental authority, labor and employment, civil rights, First Amendment and constitutional law, public works construction, law enforcement liability, environmental regulation, legal ethics, public officials’ ethics and conflict of interest law, education law and insurance coverage
- Representative public entity matters include a complex environmental litigation arising under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act in which Mr. Abbate successfully brought to a conclusion, on summary judgment, a suit of first impression and of national import that was brought against a state transportation agency
- Plaintiffs sought to advance a novel claim of liability premised upon an interpretation of federal law which would have potentially exposed the State to tens of millions of dollars in future environmental compliance costs
- The federal court found that the claims had no merit, and dismissed the case
- Additionally, Mr. Abbate represented a government entity in a commercial litigation against a national health insurance carrier in federal district court in which he successfully recovered a multi-million dollar amount in insurance premium overcharges which had been charged contrary to the governing policy documents
- Mr. Abbate is also an experienced appellate litigator and his practice has a particular emphasis on preparing and arguing appeals on behalf of the firm’s institutional and public entity clients
- He has taught appellate advocacy to law students and appeared in the appellate courts numerous times, including two successful appearances in the New Jersey Supreme Court
- Some representative published cases include:
Practice Areas Explained
Thomas A. Abbate's Areas of Practice
Each practice area below reflects the types of cases Thomas A. Abbate handles, with a brief overview of what that area of law covers.
Business attorneys advise founders and growing companies on entity formation, contracts, financing, M&A, and dispute resolution.
Thomas A. Abbate is one of 501,317 business attorneys indexed nationally. Browse business attorneys in New Jersey →
Civil litigation attorneys for breach of contract, business disputes, civil rights, and class action lawsuits.
Thomas A. Abbate is one of 454,532 litigation attorneys indexed nationally. Browse litigation attorneys in New Jersey →
Jurisdictional Context
Why local counsel matters in New Jersey
Practicing law in New Jersey. Legal matters in New Jersey are governed by state-specific rules of civil and criminal procedure, statutes of limitations, and substantive law. Cases originating in Paramus are typically filed in the local municipal court or the appropriate New Jersey state district court, depending on subject matter and amount in controversy. An attorney licensed in New Jersey brings working knowledge of local procedural deadlines, judicial practices in this andnue, and the substantive law that applies to cases brought here. Out-of-state attorneys generally cannot represent clients in New Jersey courts without local counsel or pro hac vice admission.
Looking for additional New Jersey attorneys? Browse all attorneys in Paramus or all attorneys in New Jersey.
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