Bruce H. Nagel
Education
  • New York University School of Law, New York, New York, J.D. – 1977
  • Cornell University, B.S. – 1974
Bar Admissions
  • New Jersey
  • U.S. District Court District of New Jersey
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 1st Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit
  • United States Supreme Court
Certified Legal Specialities
  • Trial Attorney, Supreme Court of New Jersey, Board on Trial Attorney Certification

Bruce H. Nagel is widely regarded as one of the leading trial attorneys in the New York metropolitan area. A graduate of Cornell University and New York University School of law, Bruce has devoted his practice to complex litigation including serious personal injury, class actions, medical and legal malpractice, business and partnership disputes, and estate litigation.

He has tried over 200 cases to verdict , the vast majority of which were jury trials. His clients include the State of New Jersey, Fortune 500 companies, Hollywood celebrities, sports figures, prominent families throughout the world, and the guy next door. Bruce prides himself in representing many of the leading law firm in New York and New Jersey, as well as numerous Judges in a variety of matters. 

His many high profile cases have been featured on Nightline, Good Morning America, Today Show, CNN, CNBC and every major network. Among his headline cases are the Short Hills Mall carjacking death case, the cyberbullying suicide of a middle schooler, sexual abuse cases against the Boy Scouts of America, Catholic Church, Rockefeller University Hospital, and many other institutions, Paramus Bus crash, class actions against leading insurance companies establishing eating disorder medical coverage for 3.5 million insureds, and Amtrak 33 train derailment.

The New Jersey Law Journal have listed his settlements and verdicts as the highest in New Jersey for many years, including many which are the highest in New Jersey history.  These include $225 million settlement in natural resource damage litigation; $200 million class action settlement against Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey for out of network insurance reimbursement; $49 million jury verdict in auto/motorcycle accident; $24 million jury verdict in medical malpractice case; $21 million settlement in workplace accident; $19.5 million settlement in bus accident case; $14.2 million jury verdict in breach of fiduciary duty case; $13 million settlement in premises liability case; and $10.25 million settlement in sexual abuse case.

Bruce has the distinction of garnering nearly $2 billion in settlements and verdicts. In addition to his trial accomplishment, Bruce has appeared before the New Jersy Supreme Court 16 times and the Delaware Supreme court, en banc, and has significantly molded the law of trial practice, class action, consumer fraud, and medical malpractice.

Bruce has received many accolades for his significant impact on the legal profession including being named a Top 10 Super Lawyers in New Jersey many years, and named in Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers in New York City, and Best Lawyers in New York Metropolitan area. His litigation prowess has been publicly noted by a former White House counsel, the national legal correspondent for a major network, and the chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

  • The Evolving Law of Informed Consent, New Jersey Law Journal, 2019
  • The Scafidi Quagmire and the 3% Solution, New Jersey Law Journal, 2017.
  • Exxon Mobil Created Public Nuisance 9-15-08, New Jersey Law Journal, Sep. 15, 2008
  • Griggs Settlements: Dead or Alive? New Jersey Law Journal, April 18, 2008
  • Health Care Law, Small Board Contemplates Big Changes for Out of Network Providers, Dec. 12, 2005
  • Critical Pattern Requirement under RICO, (Co-Author), New Jersey Law Journal, September 1, 1988
  • The Evolving Torts of Wrongful Life and Wrongful Birth, New Jersey Lawyer, October, 1997
  • Settlements and Jury Verdicts of over $400 million in complex personal injury and medical malpractice actions, including the recent $39 Million jury verdict, cited by the New Jersey Law Journal as the largest jury verdict of 2018-2019.
  • $225 Million settlement, including $50 million in legal fees, on behalf of the State of New Jersey in natural resource damage litigation against Exxon-Mobil. Bruce co-counselled this landmark litigation for over 7 years and established strict liability for damages to the habitat. This is one of the largest settlements in New Jersey history and is the second largest fee award in New Jersey history.
  • $180 Million class action settlement against Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey on behalf of out of network surgery centers for underpayment of insurance claims.
  • Successful defense of class actions filed in New York and California against manufacturer of Quick-Trim Weight Loss System® and the Kardashians claiming interaliadeceptive advertising and seeking tens of millions in damages. Bruce negotiated a nationwide class action settlement and successfully argued the California appeal which rejected the objectors’ challenge to the settlement.
  • Recovery of over $50 million in wrongful birth actions including failure to detect genetic diseases including Tay-Sachs, Canavans, Nieman-Pick, Wolf-Hirschhorn, Trisome 18.
  • Landmark class actions against Horizon, Aetna and AmeriHealth establishing medical coverage for eating disorders as biologically based mental disorders and the payment of millions in denied claims. Over 3.5 million class members benefitted by these settlements. The federal judge who approved these settlements observe that Nagel Rice provided class members with “very valuable relief” and the firm represented the “lofty side” of class action practice. Drazin v. Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ, 832 F. Supp. 432 (D.N.J. 2011).
  • New Jersey RICO action on behalf of publicly traded insurance company against short-selling hedge funds which targeted their stock. Settlement and jury verdict of $30 million, including punitive damages.
  • $16 Million Jury Verdict against a division of Goldman Sachs on behalf of a former CEO of a major telecom company for breach of fiduciary duties in connection with the sale of variable life insurance policies.
  • Court appointed member of settlement committee in multi-district litigation pending in Louisiana involving the drug Taxotere. In re Taxotere (Docetaxel) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No.: 2740.
  • Confidential settlement against the Short Hills Mall in case involving the carjacking wrongful death of a mall patron.
  • In re Volkswagen “Clean Diesel” Marketing, Sales Practices, and Product Liability Litigation, 914 F.2d 623 (9th 2019)
  • Donnenfeld v. Petro, Inc., 333 F.Supp. 3d 208 (E.D.N.Y. 2018)
  • Serico v. Rothberg, 234 N.J. 168 (2018)
  • Fairfax Fin. Holdings Ltd. v. S.A.C. Capital Mgmt., L.L.C., 450 N.J. Super. 1(App. Div. 2017)
  • Finkelman v. Nat’l Football League, 877 F.3d 504 (3d Cir. 2017)
  • NAF Holdings, LLC v. Li & Fung (Trading) Ltd., 118 A.3d 175 (Del. 2015)
  • Franco v. Conn. Gen. Life Ins., 299 F.R.D. 417 (D.N.J. 2014)
  • Clark v. Prudential Ins. Co. of Am., 940 F.Supp. 2d 186 (D.N.J. 2013)
  • Kuzian v. Electrolux Home Prod., Inc., 937 F.Supp. 2d 599 (D.N.J. 2013)
  • Newmark-Shortino v. Buna, 427 N.J. Super. 285 (App. Div. 2012)
  • Drazin v. Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, 832 F.Supp. 2d 432 (D.N.J. 2011), aff’d, 528 F.App’x 211 (3rd 2013)
  • Newmark-Shortino v. Buna, 427 N.J. Super. 285 (App. Div. 2012)
  • DeVito v. Aetna, 536 F. Supp. 2d 523 (D.N.J. 2008)
  • New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection v. Exxon Mobil Co., 393 N.J. Super. 388 (App. Div. 2007)
  • New Jersey Eye Center v. Princeton, Ins. Co., 394 N.J. Super. 557 (App. Div. 2007)
  • Rosen v. Smith Barney, 3 N.J. Super. 578 (App. Div. 2007)
  • Brodsky v. Grinnell Haulers, Inc., 181 N.J. 102 (2004)
  • Macedo v. Dello Russo, 178 N.J. 340 (2004)
  • Howard v. UMDNJ, 172 N.J. 537 (2002)
  • Myers v. Epstein, 282 F. Supp. 2d 151 (S.D.N.Y. 2003)
  • Lodato v. Kappy, 353 N.J. Super. 439 (App. Div. 2002)
  • In re Citigroup, Inc., Capital Accumulation Plan Litigation, 150 F. Supp. 2d 274 (D. Mass. 2001)
  • In re Citigroup, Inc., Capital Accumulation Plan Litigation, 2001 WL 1423721 (D. Mass. 2001)
  • Moscatello v. UMDNJ, 342 N.J. Super. 351 (App. Div. 2001)
  • RFE Industries, Inc. v. SPM Corp., 105 F.3d 923 (4th Cir. 1997)
  • Caputa v. Antiles, 296 N.J. Super. 123 (App. Div. 1996)
  • National Property Investors VIII v. Shell Oil Co., 917 F. Supp. 324 (D.N.J. 1995)
  • Ladner v. Mercedes-Benz of North America, Inc., 266 N.J. Super. 481 (App. Div. 1993)
  • Hummel v. Reiss, 129 N.J. 118 (1992)
  • Town of Kearny v. Hudson Meadows Urban Renewal Corp., 829 F.2d 1263 (3rd Cir. 1987)
  • Jacobs v. Great Pacific Century Corp., 104 N.J. 580 (1986)
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