Areas of Concentration
Wilfred P. Coronato is a litigation partner and the partner in charge of the Jersey City office of Hughes Hubbard. He also co-chairs the firm’s Consumer Product Safety Practice Group. He focuses on civil litigation, with a particular interest in product liability, toxic tort, professional liability, and general commercial litigation.
Mr. Coronato has extensive experience in state and federal courts, successfully trying numerous cases before juries and winning a number of appeals. One of his appellate victories established legal precedent in New Jersey that a blood bank had no duty as a matter of law to implement screening for HIV in January 1982.
In addition to his trial and appellate work, Mr. Coronato has managed mass tort litigation in various state and federal courts. He led the national affirmative discovery effort on behalf of a major pharmaceutical company in litigation involving one of the company's drugs. In doing so, Mr. Coronato developed and implemented efficient procedures relating to the discovery of over 60,000 claimants, saving the client millions of dollars in the process.
Mr. Coronato has also served as New Jersey counsel in pharmaceutical litigations designated pursuant to New Jersey court rules as a "mass tort".
From January 2000 to July 2002, Mr. Coronato served as Borough Attorney for Fanwood, New Jersey. As Borough Attorney, he was responsible for overseeing the bidding of all contracts for public works, reviewing and negotiating all contracts for professional services and leasing of public property, advising the Borough on personnel matters, guiding the Mayor and Council in their efforts to redevelop the Borough's downtown and preparing the redevelopment plan pursuant to New Jersey's Local Redevelopment and Housing Law.
Mr. Coronato also serves on a pro bono basis as the attorney for St. Bartholomew the Apostle Church and St. Bartholomew Academy in Scotch Plains, New Jersey.
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
Professional Activities
- Member, American Bar Association
- Master, Richard J. Hughes Chapter, American Inns of Court
- Member, New Jersey State Bar Association
- Member, Union County Bar Association
- Member, Defense Research Institute
- Member, New Jersey Defense Association