Jonathan D. Elliot

Practice Areas
Consumer Law Defense
  Family Law
  Litigation


Phone: (203) 332-5727
Email: jelliot@znclaw.com

Jonathan D. Elliot became Of Counsel to Zeldes, Needle & Cooper in 2006.  Mr. Elliot has practiced in Connecticut since 1980, representing individuals and corporate clients in matters before state and federal courts at the trial and appellate levels.  

Mr. Elliot has extensive experience in the defense of creditors, collection agencies, and consumer reporting agencies in individual and class actions brought under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act and related state consumer protection laws.  He is a frequent speaker on the subject of credit and collection law and related subjects.  He also is a founding member of the Member Attorney Program of the American Collectors Association, an organization dedicated to the promotion of compliance with consumer collection laws and the defense of the collection industry. 

Mr. Elliot has significant experience representing title insurance companies and their insureds in foreclosure matters, boundary or easement disputes, adverse possession cases and other real estate litigation. 

Mr. Elliot also has extensive experience in family law matters, including those involving marital dissolutions and legal separations, child custody and support, alimony and equitable distribution, and post-judgment enforcement and modification.  The matters range from simple uncontested proceedings to complex, multi-million dollar cases at both the trial and appellate levels. 

Mr. Elliot also counsels and represents employers in administrative matters before the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities and the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and in state or federal litigation concerning wages, employment contracts, wrongful discharge, sexual harassment and other discrimination matters. 

Mr. Elliot has been active throughout his career in complex business litigation involving shareholder disputes, lender liability, federal tax claims, insurance bad faith claims, trademark law, bankruptcy, professional malpractice, ERISA and RICO. 

Mr. Elliot serves as a Special Master in family matters in the Fairfield Judicial District and in custody matters pending at the Regional Family Trial Docket in Middletown. 

Earlier in his career, Mr. Elliot served on the Task Force for Foster Children, charged with making recommendations about reforms to Connecticut's child abuse and neglect laws, and the Connecticut Bar Association’s Juvenile Justice Committee and Committee Regarding the Representation of Children in Family Matters.

Education

• Yale University (B.A. 1977)
• University of Michigan School of Law (1980)

• Connecticut (1980)
• U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut (1980)
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (1984)
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York (1986)
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit (1997)
• U.S. Tax Court

• Greater Bridgeport Bar Association
• Connecticut Bar Association
• American Bar Association
• American Inns of Court
• Member Attorney Program of ACA International (f/k/a the American Collectors Association) 

• ACA seminars
• Commercial Law League seminars
• National Association of Retail Collection Attorneys ('NARCA") seminars

• RAL Management, Inc. v. Valley View Associates, 278 Conn. 672, 899 A.2d 586 (Conn. 2006)
• City of New Haven v. Bonner, 272 Conn. 489, 863 A.2d 680 (2005)
• Niehaus v. Cowles Business Media, Inc., 66 Conn. App. 314, 784 A.2d 426 (2001)
• In re Ashley E., 62 Conn. App. 307, 771 A.2d 160, (2001), cert. denied,  256 Conn. 910, 772 A.2d 601 (2001)
• Olympia Mortgage Corp. v. Klein, 61 Conn. App. 305, 763 A.2d 1055 (2001)
• First Constitution Bank v. Harbor Village Ltd. Partnership, 37 Conn. App. 698, 657 A.2d 1110 (1995), cert. denied, 235 Conn. 902, 665 A.2d 901 (1995)
• Citytrust v. Steele, 33 Conn. App. 947, 638 A.2d 1099 (1994)
• First Constitution Bank v. Harbor Village Ltd. Partnership, 226 Conn. 906, 625 A.2d 1376 (1993)
• First Constitution Bank v. Harbor Village Ltd. Partnership, 31 Conn. App. 15, 622 A.2d 1063 (1993), cert. denied, 230 Conn. 807, 646 A.2d 812 (1994) 
• W.G. Glenney Co. v. Bianco, 27 Conn. App. 199, 604 A.2d 1345 (1992)
• Eversman v. Eversman, 4 Conn. App. 611, 496 A.2d 210 (1985)
• Solo v. Solo, 2 Conn. App. 290, 478 A.2d 255 (1984)
• Goins v. Brandon, 367 F.Supp.2d 240 (D. Conn. 2005)
• Goins v. JBC & Associates, P.C., 352 F.Supp.2d 262 (D. Conn. 2005)
• Kimbro v. I.C. System, Inc., 336 F.Supp.2d 188 (D. Conn. 2004)
• Spector v. Experian Information Services Inc., 321 F.Supp.2d 348 (D. Conn. 2004)
• U.S. ex rel Cosens v. Yale-New Haven Hosp., 233 F.Supp.2d 319 (D. Conn.  2002)
• Plummer v. Gordon, 193 F.Supp.2d 460 (D. Conn. 2002)
• Yale-New Haven Hosp., Inc. v. Thompson, 162 F.Supp.2d 54 (D. Conn. 2001)
• Blue Cross of California v. SmithKline Beecham Clinical Laboratories, Inc., 62 F.Supp.2d 544 (D. Conn. 1998)
• Sun City Taxpayers' Ass'n v. Citizens Utilities Co., 847 F. Supp. 281 (D. Conn. 1994)
• Manson v. Stacescu, 823 F. Supp. 76 (D. Conn. 1993)
• University Savings Ass'n v. Bank of New Haven, 765 F. Supp. 35 (D. Conn. 1991)