Buffalo News and NYC Attorney Sued by Buffalo Biodiesel
Buffalo, New York Feb 13, 2026 (Issuewire.com) - In what it portrays as an effort to remedy reputational harm rather than seek a payday, Buffalo Biodiesel, Inc. (BBD), a Buffalo-based company that collects used cooking oil from more than 28,000 restaurants across the Northeastern United States, has filed suit in Erie County Supreme Court against The Buffalo News (BN) and Manhattan-based attorney Michael Collesano. BBD claims its seeking to restore its reputation and confront a coordinated smear campaign against its business, stating it will dedicate any proceeds to initiatives supporting a free and independent press and to environmental projects.
The 76-page legal filing outlines a sweeping set of allegations aimed at defendants BN, Collesano, and BN reporter Mackenzie Shuman, who is not named specifically but is referenced throughout. The complaint is written in the companys voice and repeatedly frames the dispute as an existential threat to its businessa reputational and commercial attack carried out in court papers and then echoed in newsprint.
Plaintiff plans to dedicate all proceeds from this action to efforts that restore its reputation and demonstrate that the litigation is not being pursued for financial gain, the complaint states. These funds will be directed toward initiatives that support a free and independent press and toward environmental projects designed to reduce carbon and methane emissions."
COLLESANOS CLASS ACTION FALSEHOODS?
For Context, Michael Collesano filed a lawsuit against Buffalo Biodiesel, making various allegations in 2024, and sought class action certification. He was denie,d and the lawsuit was dismissed.
The complaints narrative begins with what it calls Collesanos attempted class action against BBD.
That on or about August 14th, 2024, Defendant Collesano filed a Summons and Complaint against Plaintiff requesting certification for a class action lawsuit, the complaint says. It contends that the lawsuit, which it notes is publicly accessible, contained dozens of claims, it says were designed to damage BBDs standing in the community and the industry, including allegations of fraud, tax evasion, anti-trust violations, victimizing our suppliers, and operating a criminal enterprise.
Defendant Collesano has no personal knowledge of these claims yet has made statements NOT made upon information and belief, the complaint says. Even when prefacing a statement upon information and belief, Defendant is making personal accusations against Plaintiff. He has no information to base these statements upon, yet has done so anyway.
A central theme of the complaint is that the class action label which court records show was never established was used unethically by Collesano. BBD asserts that while the lawsuit was ongoing and Collesano was seeking class action certification, he was telling third parties and potential clients that he was counsel in a class action lawsuit.
Upon information and belief, during the pendency of motion practice which spanned months Defendant Collesano told third parties, including prospective clients for his own legal practice that he found on NYSCEF, that he was counsel for a class action lawsuit despite the fact that the class action was never certified, the complaint alleges.
The company claims those representations were then used by competitor businesses to take away existing clients and damage their reputation to prevent BBD from signing new ones.
This lie that Defendant Collesano had a class action lawsuit, which was NEVER certified, was used by competitors of Plaintiff namely Lifecycle Renewables, Inc. (Lifecycle) and Baker Commodities Inc. (Baker) to tarnish our reputation in the oil collection industry, poach existing suppliers, and deter future ones, the complaint states.
The complaint even alleges a relationship between Collesano and one or both of these competitors.
Upon information and belief, Defendant Collesano has worked with Lifecycle to tarnish Plaintiffs reputation and financially harm the business, the filing says, and adds a similar allegation regarding Baker.
This allegation turned out to be true. In a separate report done by Niagara Action on January 8th, this publication confirmed that during an on-the-record argument on December 23rd, 2025, Attorney Collesano stated that he was hired and being paid by a competitor of Buffalo Biodiesel. However, at this time, it is unknown which competitor.
BBD also highlights statements it characterizes as inflammatory and intended for public impact.
Defendant has threatened to sue an unknown number of small businesses using uniform doctored letters originally sanctioned by the New York State Attorney General and letters implying these potential plaintiffs are either committing crimes, will be committing one if they do business with BBDs competitor, or are responsible for preventing them, one excerpt says. (These are comments made by Collesano about BBD in his failed class action lawsuit)
Another excerpt quoted in the complaint alleges that BBD uses litigation not to resolve disputes but to pressure settlements: The Defendant is not using the Court system to litigate these claims, but to serve complaints, and then cherry pick the most vulnerable who choose to 1) settle for a sum less than a legal defense, 2) Default (which can be due to business failure and abandonment), and 3) hire counsel in which case the matters stagnate. (these are comments made by Collesano about BBD in his failed class action lawsuit)
The complaints broader point is that Collesanos filings do not merely accuse the company but rather read as a list of personal grievances describing the business model as predatory, criminal, and dishonest. It quotes language such as: BBD uses the existence of theft of their property as a bludgeon to intimidate anyone and everyone in its orbit, and, BBD uses misrepresentation and fraud to entice these businesses into contract. (these are comments made by Collesano about BBD in his failed class action lawsuit)
From there, the complaint claims Collesano did not keep those claims within the four corners of the pleadings. Buffalo Biodiesel alleges that he told judges and others that a class action existed in order to affect ongoing discovery disputes.
Upon information and belief, Defendant Collesano had told Erie County Supreme Court Judges that there is an existing class action suit as a reason to delay answering discovery demands in cases where he is defense counsel to parties sued by Plaintiff, the filing says. It also alleges he repeated the same claim to prospective and current clients, telling them that there is a class action lawsuit that they could join against Buffalo Biodiesel.
COLLESANO SOLICITING CLIENTS UNETHICALLY?
The complaint then spends considerable time outlining what they consider unethical advertising and solicitation practices by Collesano, asserting he is using court dockets to identify and contact defendants in BBD cases. The complaint cites New Yorks Rule 7.3 governing solicitation.
