Steven L. Wittels is a Founding Partner of the New Jersey and New York offices of Sanford Wittels & Heisler, LLP. Mr. Wittels graduated from The University of California at Berkeley (Boalt Hall) in 1984 with highest honors on his class action thesis.
A practicing trial lawyer for twenty years, Mr. Wittels has achieved success on multiple fronts: from complex, multi-party trials to multi-million dollar class actions. Mr. Wittels is known for his aggressive and innovative litigation strategies and has produced remarkable results for both the class plaintiffs and the individuals he represents. Mr. Wittels currently serves as lead counsel in three class action lawsuits representing AT&T Level One Managers across the country seeking unpaid overtime.
As testament to his versatility as a trial lawyer, Mr. Wittels has tried more than 30 cases and has represented both plaintiffs and defendants. Most recently, he obtained recoveries for individual victims, including a $925,000 plaintiffs’ verdict in New York Supreme Court for a victim assaulted in a building due to negligent security and a $460,000 verdict in Kings County Supreme Court against The City of New York for a victim brutally assaulted by an off-duty police officer.
After graduation from Boalt Hall, Mr. Wittels joined the New York office of a major class action law firm. While there, Mr. Wittels litigated numerous sophisticated class action suits on behalf of plaintiffs, including a $75 million consumer fraud class action against International Gold Bullion Exchange, a Florida-based corporation that defrauded and misled tens of thousands of investors nationwide in a complex pyramid scheme. He also helped spearhead a claim for more than $100 million in damages arising from widespread fraud and securities violations against Fortune Computer Systems. Additionally, Mr. Wittels prosecuted a $150 million claim under international treaties against Reffet, a consortium of Lloyds-based insurance companies that perpetrated a multi-tiered subterfuge on US companies.
Since 1997, as Co-Lead Counsel with Mr. Heisler in nationwide consumer fraud class actions, Mr. Wittels secured more than $40 million in benefits to thousands of victimized class clients. Highlights include benefits of $19.2 million for over 400,000 consumers who leased vehicles from G.E. Capital and were overcharged on late fees. Obtaining benefits totaling $14.2 million for a class of nearly 500,000 lessees who were subjected to Citicorp Vendor Finance, Inc.’s unfair business practices; and nearly $2 million against Washington Mutual Savings Bank, based on the bank’s imposition of interest charges after borrowers fully paid off their loans.
Mr. Wittels is a member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and the National Association of Consumer Advocates.