Daniel S. Sweetser

Partner

Daniel Sweetser

Phone: 609.275.0400
Fax: 609.275.4511
DSweetser@szaferman.com

101 Grovers Mill Road
Suite 200
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648

Dan is a Partner in the firm’s Business Law and Litigation Group and heads the Employment Law Group. For 30 years, Dan has successfully litigated a wide range of cases in the State and Federal Courts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania in the areas of Employment Law, Contracts, Business Disputes, Shareholder and Partnership Disputes, Insurance Law, and Civil Rights Law. In the Employment Law context, Dan also counsels executives and companies on a variety of employment law issues, including employment agreements, severance contracts, internal investigations, and employer policies and handbooks.

New Jersey, 1991
Pennsylvania, 1991
U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, 1991
U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit, 1997
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 2000

American Bar Association – Employment Law Section
New Jersey State Bar Association
Mercer County Bar Association
Bucks County Bar Association
National Employment Lawyer’s Association
New Jersey Employment Lawyer’s Association
Pennsylvania Employment Lawyer’s Association

New Jersey Super Lawyers™ List Issued by Thomson Reuters – Business Litigation, 2010- 2016, 2022
Martindale – Hubbell™ AV Preeminent Rated Attorneys – since 2012

Lozier, Lazzaro & Sweetser – Partner
Pellettieri, Rabstein & Altman – Partner

Plaintiff

  • Summary Judgment in $500,000 Breach of Commercial Lease Case:
    Dan obtained summary judgment for his client, a commercial landlord, in a multi-hundred-thousand-dollar breach of a commercial lease case against an international manufacturer. Dan successfully proved that the defendant tenant agreed to a lease extension and breached the extended lease when it vacated the property prior to the end of the lease term. Shortly after summary judgment was awarded, the defendant agreed to settle with Dan’s client.

  • Victory in Third Circuit Court of Appeals: Dan successfully upheld a jury verdict and $1,085,000 judgment he obtained for his client in a breach of contract case against a Fortune 500 company in New Jersey Federal District Court. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the jury verdict. The defendant ultimately paid Dan’s client $1,167,000 to resolve the case.
  • $1,250,000 Political Discrimination Settlement: Dan obtained a $1,250,000 settlement in Federal Court against the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency on behalf of several employees who were fired shortly after a new administration took office. Dan’s clients alleged that they were fired for political reasons. The case settled just before trial.
  • Jury Verdict in Favor of Employer Client in Wrongful Discharge Case: Dan obtained a jury verdict in New Jersey Federal District Court for his employer client in a lawsuit filed by a former employee who alleged that he was wrongfully discharged in retaliation for reporting sexual harassment. The jury found no wrongdoing by Dan’s client.
  • Multi-Hundred Thousand Dollar Settlement for Oppressed Shareholder: Dan obtained a multi-hundred thousand dollar recovery for a shareholder in a small company who was forced out of the Company. Dan argued that his client was treated unfairly by the Company and paid less than what he was entitled to for his shares. Dan prevailed on a summary judgment motion and after doing so, the Company agreed to settle with Dan’s client.
  • $200,000 Settlement for Potential Employee in Handicap Discrimination Case: Dan recently obtained a $200,000 settlement during trial for his client who claimed that he was unlawfully refused a job by a police department due to a perceived handicap.
  • Confidential Six Figure Settlement of Sexual Harassment Retaliation Claim: Dan obtained a six figure settlement for his client in a Mercer County lawsuit where Dan’s client claimed that she was fired for complaining about sexual harassment by her boss. After Dan obtained a jury verdict on the issue of liability, the defendant employer settled the case while the jury was deliberating on the issue of punitive damages.
  • $200,000 Settlement of Student’s Civil Rights Claim During Trial: Dan obtained a $200,000 settlement for his client after three days of trial in New Jersey Federal Court. Dan’s client alleged that she was sexually abused whil-e a student in a local high school by an employee. The high school settled the case after Dan presented his client’s case to the jury.
  • Multi-Hundred Thousand Dollar Age Discrimination Settlement: Dan obtained a multi-hundred thousand dollar confidential settlement for a securities industry executive during a securities’ industry arbitration. Dan’s client alleged that he was discharged due to his age.
  • Jury Verdict in Sexual Harassment Retaliation Claim: Dan obtained a jury verdict in Pennsylvania Federal Court which resulted in a $300,000 settlement. The jury found that Dan’s client was unlawfully fired by her employer after reporting that a co-worker was being sexually harassed. The employer settled the case prior the damages phase of the trial.

Defendant

  • Trial Victory in Breach of Contract Case in Pennsylvania State Court: Dan obtained a verdict in favor of a prominent New Jersey personal injury law firm that was sued by a Philadelphia lawyer who alleged that he was contractually entitled to a $150,000 referral fee from Dan’s client. Dan successfully proved during a multi-day trial that his client did not agree to pay a referral fee to the plaintiff, and the Court entered judgment in favor of Dan’s client.
  • Trial Victory in National Labor Relations Act Trial: Dan successfully defended a large clinical medical laboratory against a claim by a discharged employee who alleged that he was fired for union activities. After a three-day trial, the United States Administrative Law Judge who presided over the case held that Dan’s client did not discharge the employee for his union activities and entered a verdict for Dan’s client.
  • Jury Trial Victory in $1 Million Breach of Partnership Contract Case in New Jersey State Court: Dan successfully defended family members and their company in India against a breach of contract claim and fiduciary duty claim by a former family friend who alleged that Dan’s clients agreed to be 50% partners with him in a New Jersey scrap metal business. After a seven-day jury trial, the jury returned a unanimous verdict in favor of Dan’s client, finding that Dan’s client did not have a contract with the plaintiff and therefore did not owe him any money.
  • Trial Victory in Franchise Law and Consumer Fraud Case: Dan obtained a verdict for his two clients, a restaurant franchisor and its franchising company, in a lawsuit brought by a franchisee seeking $1,000,000 in damages. After a five-day non-jury trial in Atlantic County, the Court ruled that Dan’s clients did not violate the law and entered judgment in their favor.
  • Trial Verdict for Employer in Contract Case: Dan obtained a trial verdict in State Court for an employer who was sued by its former National Sales Manager for a multi-hundred thousand dollar bonus. Dan proved at trial that the employee’s contract did not entitle her to the claimed bonus due to the circumstances of her separation. The court ruled in favor of Dan’s client on all counts.
  • Dismissal for Employer Client in Wrongful Discharge Case: Dan successfully had a claim of handicap discrimination dismissed in favor of his employer client. Dan’s client was sued by a former employee who was discharged. The case was dismissed by a Camden County Judge on summary judgment.
  • Jury Verdict in Favor of Employer in Pregnancy Discrimination case: On January 25, 2012, Dan obtained a jury verdict in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Mercer County, for a corporate client in a lawsuit filed by a former employee. The employee alleged that she was fired due to her pregnancy. After a five day jury trial before Judge Darlene Pereksta, the jury returned a unanimous verdict if favor of Dan’s client finding that the former employee’s discharge was not due to her pregnancy.