Bruce H. Nagel is widely recognized as one of the premier trial attorneys in the country, having been named by the National Law Journal as one of America’s Top 50 Elite Plaintiff’s Attorneys. He specializes in complex litigation, including serious personal injury, tort, class actions, medical malpractice, and business disputes, and has obtained over $1 billion in settlements and verdicts for his clients, including the most recent $225 million settlement with ExxonMobil on behalf of the State of New Jersey. Many of his high-profile cases have been featured on Nightline, Good Morning America, 60 Minutes, The Today Show, and in print media throughout the world. The national legal correspondent for a major network called Bruce “a well-known New Jersey lawyer with an excellent reputation for creative litigation.”
Bruce is currently handling some of the highest profile cases in the country: Short Hills Mall carjacking death action; cyberbullying suicide action against the school district; sexual abuse of boy scouts against the Boy Scouts of America; and class action against NFL for unlawful sale of Superbowl tickets.
Bruce has achieved many accolades for his trial expertise, including being named a Top 10 Super Lawyer for many years, included in the New Jersey Personal Injury Hall of Fame, and recognition in The Best Lawyers in America, The Best Lawyers in New York City, and The Best Lawyers in the New York Metropolitan area. The New Jersey Law Journal recently recognized him with the highest tort settlement and jury verdict of 2016 and named him a Distinguished Leader of the Bar. In addition to his extensive experience in the trial courts throughout the country, Bruce has appeared 10 times before the New Jersey Supreme Court and has molded the law of torts, medical malpractice, class actions, and consumer fraud and trial practice.
Bruce represents a broad range of clients, including Fortune 500 companies, sports and entertainment figures, and the guy next door.
Notable Representations
• A $225 million settlement on behalf of the State of New Jersey in natural resource damage litigation against ExxonMobil. Bruce co-counseled this landmark litigation for more than seven years and established strict liability for damages to the habitat. This is one of the largest settlements and the second largest fee award in New Jersey history.
• Settlements and verdicts of over $300 million in complex personal injury and medical malpractice actions, including the recent $18.5 million medical malpractice settlement, cited by the New Jersey Law Journal as the largest tort settlement of 2015–16.
• Successful defense of class actions filed in New York and California against the manufacturer of Quick-Trim Weight Loss System® and the Kardashians claiming inter alia deceptive 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.
• Won $37 million in jury verdicts in 2016, including $16 million verdict against a unit of Goldman Sachs on behalf of former CEO of major telcom.
• 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 observes 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).
• Confidential settlement against the company that provided security services for Short Hills Mall in a case involving the carjacking wrongful death of a mall patron.
