Marc S. Gaffrey

For more than three decades, Marc has been at the forefront of environmental and toxic tort litigation, managing high-stakes matters for major corporations, utilities, and well-known brands nationwide. He serves and has served as National Coordinating Counsel to companies across the country, overseeing litigation strategy and trial teams by retaining and directing local counsel, engaging experts, and ensuring consistency in defense approaches. Marc is also trusted as General Counsel to one of his national clients, reflecting the depth of his relationships and the confidence clients place in his judgment.

Marc is among the few attorneys in the nation who holds membership in the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), giving him a distinctive scientific and technical perspective that informs his practice. With an academic background in biochemistry, he combines legal acumen with scientific insight to resolve complex disputes involving toxic exposures, product liability, and environmental contamination. His work has spanned virtually every major toxic tort concern of the last generation, including asbestos, lead, silica, talc, benzene, PCBs, pesticides, and industrial chemicals.

Nationally recognized in the field, Marc has defended thousands of toxic and mass tort cases, as well as environmental matters involving hazardous waste, Superfund remediation, fuel discharges, and landfill cleanups. Even opposing counsel commend his fairness, preparation, and effectiveness as a formidable adversary.

As Chair of the Environmental & Toxic Tort Litigation Practice, Marc was instrumental in driving the growth of Hoagland Longo’s environmental practice during a period when toxic tort cases were at an all-time high, helping establish the firm as an important player in this space. He also serves on the firm’s Executive Management Committee, where he contributes to the broader strategic direction and governance of Hoagland Longo.

Marc is a frequent lecturer and educator in the field, presenting at leading industry and legal conferences, including the Defense Research Institute (DRI), Perrin Conferences, HB Litigation Conferences, HarrisMartin, and the New Jersey Institute of Continuing Legal Education. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Political Science Department at Rutgers University, sharing his extensive knowledge with the next generation of environmental law professionals.

His clients benefit from his strategic vision, his ability to navigate litigation on a national scale, and his unwavering commitment to ethical advocacy. In addition to his professional contributions, Marc is actively involved in bar associations and legal committees, continuing to shape the evolving landscape of environmental and toxic tort law.

Areas of Focus

Environmental & Toxic Tort Litigation

• Decades of experience defending high-stakes environmental and toxic tort matters nationwide, including claims involving hazardous substances, groundwater contamination, Superfund remediation, and site cleanups.

National Coordinating Counsel

• Serves and has served as National Coordinating Counsel for corporate clients, overseeing litigation strategy, selecting and managing local counsel, and ensuring consistent defense approaches across multiple jurisdictions.

Asbestos, Lead, Silica, Talc, and Benzene Litigation

• Handles and has long experience defending thousands of toxic tort and mass tort claims across major exposure categories, with extensive trial and appellate experience in cases that have shaped New Jersey precedent.

Environmental Compliance & Enforcement

• Advises clients on environmental regulatory compliance, enforcement defense, permitting, and liability issues, with a focus on aligning litigation strategy with business and operational needs.

Product Liability

• Represents manufacturers, distributors, and insurers in product-related toxic tort claims, leveraging scientific expertise and trial experience to dismantle causation theories and achieve favorable resolutions. Marc’s product liability practice is not limited to toxic torts; he also handles catastrophic injury cases, including matters involving industrial accidents such as a hand amputation and forklift incidents.

 

Notable & Precedent-Setting Cases

• Rowe v. Bell & Gossett Company – Argued as amicus on behalf of the New Jersey Defense Association in a unanimous New Jersey Supreme Court decision that reversed the Appellate Division and set a lasting precedent in toxic tort litigation. The Court permitted the use of evidence from within and outside the case—including in other jurisdictions—to prove cross-claims, establishing a key evidentiary standard that continues to guide multi-defendant toxic tort trials in New Jersey. Although the case arose in the asbestos context, the decision has widespread applicability to all complex litigation involving multiple defendants, which was the reason the NJDA sought Marc’s involvement as amicus counsel.
  
  
• NJDEP v. Dimant – Tried one of the most cited environmental cases in New Jersey, where the Supreme Court clarified the evidentiary standard under the Spill Act, requiring a direct link between the discharge, the discharger, and the site contamination.
  
  
• Ayers v. Township of Jackson – Assisted in landmark environmental litigation involving claims of groundwater contamination, shaping the application of medical monitoring and damages recovery under New Jersey law.
  
  
• Whelan v. Johnson Controls – Key toxic tort litigation addressing product liability and exposure claims, contributing to the development of defense strategies in asbestos and related toxic tort matters.
  
  
• Coordinated and managed the defense of large-scale mass tort dockets for national corporations and utilities, providing strategic oversight across multiple jurisdictions in some of the country’s most challenging toxic tort matters.

 

Publications

• Is New Jersey Now a Daubert Jurisdiction – Middlesex Advocate, 2018.
• New Jersey Mass Torts & Class Action Treatise – NJCLE, Contributing Editor, 2015. Published by the Bar Association, this nationally recognized treatise reflects the collective work of over 50 distinguished judges and leading lawyers from across the country.
• Residential Environmental Contamination from Underground Storage Tanks: What Every Lawyer Should Know – Middlesex Advocate, 2012.
• Stretching the Measure of Foreseeability: The Rastelli and Berkowitz Controversy – Defense Research Institute, 2012.
• Impact of the NJDEP’s New Guidelines for No. 2 Fuel Oil and Diesel Oil Releases – New Jersey Law Journal, 2009.

 

Affiliations

• American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA)
• Appointed Representative – New Jersey Asbestos Steering Committee, overseeing statewide asbestos litigation management on behalf of peripheral defendants
• Immediate Past President (2024–2025) – Middlesex County Bar Association
• Trustee (2016–2019) – Middlesex County Bar Association
• Executive Board Member (2019-2025) – Middlesex County Bar Association
• Co-Chair – Environmental Law Committee, Middlesex County Bar Association
• Chair – Nominating Committee, Middlesex County Bar Association
• Chair – Sponsorship Committee, Middlesex County Bar Association
• Member – Middlesex County Judicial & Prosecutorial Appointments Committee (JPAC)
• Vice-Chair – Environmental Section, New Jersey Defense Association
• Chairman – Monroe Township Planning Board
• Ad Hoc Committee Member – Middlesex County Bar Association, reviewing the ABA’s proposed Resolution on Guidelines for the Use of a Special Master
• Member – Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM)

Awards

• Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review AV®-Rated
• Best Lawyers in America (2012–2026), “Lawyer of the Year” in Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Plaintiffs (2017)
• National Law Journal’s “Litigation Trailblazers” (2021)
• New Jersey Super Lawyers (2005–2007, 2009–present)
• New Jersey State Certified in Land Use and Planning

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