Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski, P.C. is proud to announce that seven of its attorneys have been selected to the 2025 New Jersey Super Lawyers list in four practice areas: business litigation, criminal defense, medical malpractice and family law.
Super Lawyers is a part of Thomson Reuters and is a research and peer-review rating service. The Super Lawyers selection process comprises hundreds of thousands of statewide or regional surveys supplemented by a comprehensive examination of each nominee’s background and experience, focusing on such criteria as verdicts and settlements, transactions, representative clients, honors and awards, educational background, and any other outstanding achievements. Only 5 percent of the total lawyers in the state are selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers.
The DHD attorneys recognized on the 2025 Super Lawyers List are:
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For more information about the selection process methodology for the awards referenced above, please visit SuperLawyers.com
No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
Craig A. Domalewski represented the Special Investigation Committee and the Medical Executive Committee of a Hospital Medical Staff in holding a physician accountable for breaching medical standards, compromising patient safety, failing to comply with Medical Staff By-Laws, and failing to cooperate in the investigative process. As a result, the physician’s privileges were immediately suspended and his membership on the Medical Staff was revoked by the Medical Executive Committee. The actions of the Medical Executive Committee were unanimously upheld by a Hearing Panel following a contested Fair Hearing. Mr. Domalewski also successfully defeated the physician’s application in the Superior Court for a preliminary injunction to enjoin his suspension.
While the case arose from an alleged negligent surgery and removal of the wrong internal organ, a critical component of the case was the physician’s failure to properly disclose the true surgical outcome to the patient and to provide accurate and complete information to the Special Investigative Committee created by the Medical Staff to investigate the incident.
The Special Investigative Committee found that the physician breached ethical duties, the standard of care, and the Medical Staff By-Laws when he failed to properly disclose the surgical outcome to the patient and failed to fully cooperate in the investigation. As a result, the Medical Executive Committee recommended a permanent revocation of his Medical Staff membership and imposed an immediate suspension of privileges pending any request for a Fair Hearing by the physician. Mr. Domalewski counseled the Special Investigative Committee and the Medical Executive Committee during the investigation and internal consideration of the allegations.
The physician contested the Committee’s findings and requested a Fair Hearing in accordance with the Medical Staff By-Laws. The physician also filed a Complaint in the Superior Court and sought a preliminary injunction to enjoin the immediate suspension of privileges and to litigate the issues in Court. Mr. Domalewski successfully defeated the physician’s application for a preliminary injunction and the Court rejected the physician’s argument to overturn the immediate suspension pending the outcome of the Fair Hearing.
The Medical Executive Committee formed a Hearing Panel of three physicians and a retired Superior Court Judge to conduct the Fair Hearing in accordance with the Medical Staff By-Laws. The Hearing Panel conducted a Fair Hearing over 6 days, involving the testimony of 14 witnesses, dozens of documents, and written and oral summations by counsel. The Hearing Panel unanimously affirmed all findings of the Special Investigation Committee and the decision by the Medical Executive Committee to revoke the physician’s Medical Staff membership and to impose the immediate suspension of privileges pending any further appeals by the physician. Mr. Domalewski represented the Medical Executive Committee before the Hearing Panel in holding the physician accountable, including the preparation and direct examination of the Medical Executive Committee’s witnesses and the cross examination of the physician’s fact and expert witnesses.
Craig A. Domalewski has significant experience representing hospital and hospital medical staffs in a wide variety of cases, including but not limited to disputes over physician privileges, Medical Staff Bylaws and related matters. Scott A. Hall also represented the Medical Executive Committee in this matter and worked closely with Mr. Domalewski during the Fair Hearing and related litigation. Ryan A. Notarangelo also represented the Medical Executive Committee in this matter and worked closely with Mr. Domalewski and Mr. Hall in connection with the preparation of the brief in opposition to the preliminary injunction application.
Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski, P.C. is pleased to announce that Craig A. Domalewski has been included in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® for Commercial Litigation. Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become widely regarded as the one of the most respected guides to legal excellence.
Lawyers on The Best Lawyers in America list are divided by geographic region and practice areas. They are reviewed by their peers based on professional expertise and undergo an authentication process to ensure they are in current practice and in good standing.
Read more about the Best Lawyers selection process.
No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski, P.C. is proud to announce that Craig Domalewski will present a webinar for the New Jersey Hospital Association on the recently enacted Ensuring Transparency in Prior Authorization Act.
The Ensuring Transparency in Prior Authorization Act will take effect on January 1, 2025, and sets forth new standards and procedures for prior authorization that apply to both healthcare providers and payors to assure that all patients receive optimal care and are treated fairly. The new Act makes significant changes to the procedures and guidelines first created under the Health Claims Authorization, Processing and Payment Act for utilization management and treatment authorization decisions, communications and timelines concerning the same.
These changes will require providers to establish clinical criteria and guidelines for medical services and ongoing utilization review. The changes will have a major impact on the practice of medicine, the delivery of medical services to patients and the reimbursement paid to providers. This program is designed specifically for providers to assist them with preparing for the Jan. 1 implementation of the new provisions. The program will explain changes regarding prior authorization standards and timelines, new standards for utilization management policies and procedures, describe how the law applies to different healthcare providers and different health insurance and reimbursement plans and provide guidance on compliance with the new requirements.
The webinar will take place on September 17, 2024, at 1 pm.
You can register here: Ensuring Transparency in Prior Authorization Act: Understanding the Jan. 2025 Changes to HCAPPA
This program has been approved by the Board of Continuing Legal Education of the Supreme Court of New Jersey for 1.5 hours of total CLE credits.
Mr. Domalewski is the managing partner of Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski, P.C. He regularly represents hospitals, physicians, and other entities in connection with commercial disputes, regulatory matters, and compliance issues. His legal experience includes litigating a broad range of complex civil litigation matters involving insurance-coverage, commercial disputes, and healthcare-related issues, providing regulatory advice and guidance to hospitals and other entities subject to regulatory oversight, and negotiating commercial transactions.
Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski, P.C. recently obtained a dismissal of a lawsuit based on the Court’s application of the First-Filed Rule. The case involved complex issues and millions of dollars in alleged damages arising from a merger transaction. The firm’s clients – who were the nominal defendants in the New Jersey action – had previously filed a similar lawsuit in Delaware against substantially the same parties and sought to have the New Jersey action stayed or dismissed in deference to the earlier-filed Delaware action.
Under New Jersey’s First-Filed Rule, in the absence of special equities to retain jurisdiction, a state court will dismiss or stay a lawsuit if there is an already pending, substantially similar lawsuit in another state. In this matter, DHD demonstrated that the prior filed Delaware lawsuit was substantially similar to the subsequently filed New Jersey action and overcame arguments that special equities existed which would justify the New Jersey Superior Court retaining jurisdiction.
This was a very significant outcome for DHD’s client, as it eliminated a costly, two-front legal battle and ensured that the parties’ dispute will be decided in the forum selected by our clients.
Craig A. Domalewski handled this matter and successfully argued the motion to dismiss. Mr. Domalewski was assisted by Ryan A. Notarangelo on the brief.
Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski, P.C. is proud to announce that nine of its attorneys have been selected to the 2024 New Jersey Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists.
Super Lawyers is a part of Thomson Reuters and is a research and peer-review rating service. The Super Lawyers selection process comprises hundreds of thousands of statewide or regional surveys supplemented by a comprehensive examination of each nominee’s background and experience, focusing on such criteria as verdicts and settlements, transactions, representative clients, honors and awards, educational background, and any other outstanding achievements. Only 5 percent of the total lawyers in the state are selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers, while only 2.5% of attorneys under the age of 40 or who have been practicing for ten years or less will be selected as Rising Stars.
The DHD attorneys recognized on the 2024 Super Lawyers List are:
In addition, the firm is also proud to announce that Ryan Notarangelo, Alexa Luzzi and Cara Anan were named to the 2024 New Jersey Rising Stars list.
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For more information about the selection process methodology for the awards referenced above, please visit SuperLawyers.com
No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was enacted on March 29, 2020, to provide emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention through PPP loans for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent and utilities. The PPP allows the interest and principal on loans to be forgiven if the business used the proceeds on eligible expense in accordance with the law.
The Department of Justice is now investigating PPP loans in New Jersey and throughout the country pursuant to the federal False Claims Act, common law theories of overpayment and breach of contract, the equitable theory of unjust enrichment, and other potential causes of action. In addition to potential criminal charges for intentional fraud, the False Claims Act permits the United States to recover treble damages, or three times the amount of its loss. In addition, the United States may recover penalties of over $10,000 per individual false claim or individual document falsified in support of a false claim, to the extent the documentation was falsified.
Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski, P.C. is ready to assist individuals and companies in connection with a federal criminal or civil investigation regarding the Paycheck Protection Program. Each case needs to be examined individually to determine the potential applicable defenses. If you have received a Notice of False Claims Act investigation regarding a PPP loan that you or your company received, please call or email Craig A. Domalewski or Brandon D. Minde for a consultation.
Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski, P.C. is pleased to announce that Craig A. Domalewski has once again been included in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® for Commercial Litigation (a trademark of Woodward/White, Inc.). First published in 1983, The Best Lawyers in America is one of the oldest and most respected peer-review publications in the legal profession.
Lawyers on The Best Lawyers in America list are divided by geographic region and practice areas. They are reviewed by their peers based on professional expertise and undergo an authentication process to ensure they are in current practice and in good standing.
Read more about the Best Lawyers selection process.
No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski, P.C. is proud to announce that seven of its attorneys have been selected to the 2023 New Jersey Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists. Super Lawyers is a part of Thomson Reuters and is a research and peer-review rating service. This is an exclusive list, recognizing no more than five percent of the attorneys in the State of New Jersey.
The DHD attorneys recognized on the 2023 Super Lawyers List are:
In addition, the firm is also proud to announce that Ryan Notarangelo, Alexa Luzzi and Cara Anan were named to the 2023 New Jersey Rising Stars list. Each year, this designation is given to less than 2.5 percent of New Jersey attorneys recognized as the top up-and-coming attorneys who are 40 years old or younger, or who have been practicing for 10 years or less.
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A description of the selection process methodology for the awards referenced is available at SuperLawyers.com
No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
