John J. Zefutie, Jr. is a commercial litigator and trial attorney who handles complex commercial disputes, mass tort litigation, financial services litigation, consumer fraud class actions, restrictive covenant cases, and unfair competition litigation.
Mr. Zefutie frequently appears in both federal and state courts. He manages and engages in all facets of litigation. From the early pleadings stage through appellate proceedings, he works proactively with his clients in formulating litigation strategies that both protect the client's legal rights and serve immediate and long-term business objectives. In addition to his trial experience, Mr. Zefutie has obtained and successfully defended against temporary and preliminary injunctive relief. He also has substantial experience in arbitration proceedings.
A seasoned commercial and mass tort litigator, Mr. Zefutie frequently litigates contract disputes, reaching favorable results on behalf of his clients, including a winning jury verdict and substantial counsel fee award on behalf of a supply corporation and importer located in Manhattan. He regularly defends wrongful death and survival cases in state and federal courts across the country, as well as cases alleging traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and physical and mental disability. In the toxic tort area, he was part of a team of attorneys that defended the City of New York and more than 150 contractors against thousands of personal injury actions venued in the Southern District of New York. Those actions arose from the rescue, recovery and debris removal effort following the World Trade Center terrorist attacks.
Mr. Zefutie defends mortgage lenders and servicers facing individual claims and class action cases seeking relief pursuant to the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act, the Truth in Lending Act and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, as well as other federal statutes and common law causes of action. In addition to financial services litigation, he served as part of a team of independent counsel that, pursuant to a consent order issued by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, engaged in a look-back review and analysis of a mortgage servicer's foreclosure practices. Mr. Zefutie also provides litigation advice to toy manufacturers and other large companies defending consumer fraud class actions.
Mr. Zefutie engages in substantial pro bono activity. He currently serves by appointment of the Supreme Court of New Jersey on the District VIII Ethics Committee, where he investigates and, when necessary, prosecutes grievances filed against attorneys who are alleged to have violated the New Jersey Rules of Professional Conduct.
While in law school, Mr. Zefutie was an editor for the Seton Hall Law Review and a member of the Interscholastic Moot Court Board. He was the winner of the Eugene Gressman Moot Court Competition, a Regional Finalist in the National Moot Court Competition and a recipient of the Seton Hall Oral Advocacy Award.
