Craig S. Hilliard is a Shareholder in the Commercial Litigation Group and Chair of the Intellectual Property Litigation Group. He also serves as General Counsel to the law firm.
Mr. Hilliard concentrates his practice in the area of federal civil litigation, including class actions, fraud, securities, employment, copyright/trademark, and other complex civil litigation. Prior to joining Stark & Stark, he served as a law clerk for United States District Court Judge Garrett E. Brown, Jr. and then practiced law at a large international law firm in New York City. Mr. Hilliard is a certified mediator with the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and has successfully mediated dozens of cases for the Court.
Mr. Hilliard has served as trial counsel in some of the largest class actions in the country, including, In re Bennett Funding Group Securities Litigation and Scheck Investments v. Kensington Management, Inc. Mr. Hilliard has tried dozens of jury trials, bench trials, and arbitration proceedings throughout his career, handling cases as lead counsel in both federal and state courts in over 25 states. He has also argued appeals in state supreme courts and federal appeals courts, including the Second, Third, and Ninth Circuits.
Mr. Hilliard has litigated copyright and trademark cases for some of the largest apparel manufacturers and designers in the world, and he is counsel to the largest trade association in the formalwear industry. In that capacity, he has focused his practice most recently on the challenges posed by the global growth of internet-based counterfeiting and unfair competition. His work for his clients has included intensive lobbying activities at the state and federal levels, along with successful litigation in a number of federal courts.
For well over a decade, Mr. Hilliard has been a Certified Mediator for the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. He is also a frequent lecturer and author of materials for ICLE, Lorman Education Services, and The National Business Institute. Additionally, Mr. Hilliard is an adjunct Professor of Law for Rutgers University for Trial Advocacy.
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
- U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
- U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois
- Supreme Court of the U.S.
- J.D., Rutgers Law School, 1988
- Cum laude; Articles Editor, The Rutgers Law Journal; Member, National Moot Court Team
- B.A., Economics, Rutgers College,
- Cum laude; Phi Beta Kappa
Representative Experience
*Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances*
Among the matters Mr. Hilliard has handled are the following:
- The successful prosecution of trademark infringement and unfair competition claims against over 1,500 internet websites selling counterfeit wedding and prom dresses. Mr. Hilliard led the team which secured over $2 million* in judgments and federal court orders shutting down the websites and securing permanent injunctive relief.
- Won a jury verdict for compensatory and punitive damages on behalf of an apparel manufacturer for copyright and trademark infringement against a competitor. The verdict was upheld on appeal by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the matter settled shortly thereafter.
- Won a jury verdict for compensatory and punitive damages on behalf of employees for discrimination against a cable television network and its top executive. The matter settled shortly after trial.
- Won a trial in U.S. Bankruptcy Court on behalf of a group of investors for fraud against an investment professional, recovering a judgment of $500,000* in damages and attorney’s fees.
- Won a trial in New Jersey Superior Court on behalf of an executive, recovering a judgment of $1 million* against his employer for breach of contract.
- Won a trial in New Jersey Superior Court on behalf of investors in a franchise, recovering a $500,000* judgment against the owner of the franchise for fraud and breach of contract.
- Won summary judgment for copyright infringement on behalf of a software designer against the State of Illinois’ second-largest school district.
- Won dismissal of a class action in New Jersey Superior Court brought against a national finance company by a group of New Jersey consumers. The case was dismissed during the class certification phase.
- Hilliard successfully represented a Fortune 100 luxury homebuilder in several consumer fraud cases.
- Won summary judgment in an antitrust case against scuba diving equipment manufacturers, which alleged a group boycott. Mr. Hilliard successfully argued the appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
- Won reversal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit of a judgment which had been entered against a company. Mr. Hilliard successfully argued that the judgment had been entered improperly without due process.
- Successfully represented the Resolution Trust Corporation in securing a trial verdict for damages against commercial loan borrowers of a failed savings and loan association.
- Successfully represented the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in securing summary judgment against commercial loan borrowers of a failed bank.
- Won dismissal on summary judgment of claims brought by an actor against a casting company for discrimination.
- Successfully secured the appointment of his client as the judgment creditor receiver for a hotel complex in upstate New York.
- Successfully defended one of the country’s largest advertising agencies on claims of fraud and wrongful termination by a former executive of the agency, following a lengthy bench trial.
- Secured a favorable settlement of claims against the owners of a New Jersey radio station after a 9-month long trial in New Jersey Superior Court, Chancery Division.
- Represented a partner of a staffing company in the defense of claims brought in U.S. District Court by another partner for fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and theft of trade secrets.
- Successfully defended a Fortune 50 company at trial on claims for breach of a long-term real property lease.
*Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances*
Notable Matters & Decisions
- Luxliner P.L. Export Co. v. RDI/Luxliner, Inc., 13 F.3d 69 (3d Cir. 1993)
- Photopaint Technologies, LLC v. Smartlens Corporation, 335 F.3d 152 (2d Cir. 2003)
- Fox v. Tanner, 101 P.3d 939 (Wyo. 2004)
- Blue Sky MLS, Inc. v. RSG Systems, LLC, 2002 WL 1065873 (D.N.J. 2002)
- Fleming Companies, Inc. v. Thriftway Medford Lakes, Inc., 913 F. Supp. 837 (D.N.J. 1995)
- Sussman v. Bank of Israel, 801 F. Supp. 1068 (S.D.N.Y. 1992)
- Technology Based Solutions, Inc. v. Electronic College, Inc., 168 F. Supp. 2d 375 (E.D. Pa. 2001)
- Coleman & Company Securities, Inc. v. The Giaquinto Family Trust, 236 F. Supp. 2d 288 (S.D.N.Y. 2002)
- McGinley v. Cardinal Publishing Co., 1994 WL 114914 (E.D. Pa. 1994)
- Mid-State Securities Corp. v. Edwards, 309 N.J. Super. 73 (App. Div. 1998)
- Cowen & Company v. Petersen, 246 A.D.2d 458, 669 N.Y.S.2d 19 (First Dep’t 1998)
- Moderator, How to Handle and Mitigate a Crisis — Preparing for and Responding to What’s Next, Including Emergent and Expedited Litigation. NJICLE Webinar. March 30, 2023.
- Panelist, Top 10 Ethics Tips for Family Lawyers. MCBA Family Bench Bar Meeting. March 9, 2023.
- Author, Contributory Infringement Liability: An Increasingly Potent Weapon for Apparel Manufacturers. New York Law Journal. August 26, 2019.
- Author, Contributory Infringement Liability: An Increasingly Potent Weapon in the Arsenal of Apparel Manufacturers. Law.com. August 23, 2019.
- Featured, Plaintiffs Atty Group Sues Upstart Over Look-Alike Name. Law 360. June 28, 2019.
- Featured, Winery Sues NJ Turnpike Authority to Defend Right to Use Highway Sign in Logo. New Jersey Law Journal. November 8, 2016.
- Co-Author. Trademark Due Diligence — USPTO Registration Is a Key to Craft Brewery Success. NJ.com. October 24, 2016.
- Trademark Tacking and the Landscape of Priority Disputes. The Legal Intelligencer. April 14, 2015.
- What To Do When Your Case Is ‘Removed’ to Federal Court. New Jersey Law Journal. May 27, 2013.
- Co-Author, Trademark Infringement in Keyword Advertising. New Jersey Law Journal. September 26, 2011.
- Copyright Law Protection for Fashion Designs. New Jersey Law Journal. September 27, 2010.
- A Case Study on the Importance of Forum Selection in Mass Tort Litigation. New Jersey Law Journal. May 17, 2010.
- New Jersey Super Lawyers List issued by Thomson Reuters (Methodology)
- 2005 – 2007, 2012 – 2025; Business Litigation, Class Action/Mass Torts, Intellectual Property Litigation
* No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
Professional Organizations
- Trial Attorneys of New Jersey – President (2016 – 2017)
- Supreme Court of New Jersey – Civil Practice Committee
- New Jersey State Bar Association
- New York State Bar Association
- Mercer County Bar Association
- Litigation Counsel of America – Senior Fellow
