In the last several weeks, this blog has largely focused on Supreme Court decisions and grants of review. That was not meant to slight the Appellate Division, whose judges have made some important rulings as well. Here are summaries of some of the most significant published rulings of the Appellate Division during that period: Sosa v. Massachusetts Bay Ins. Co., ___ N.J. Super. ___ (App. Div. 2019). In an opinion by Judge Ostrer that focused on the language and effect of a water damage exclusion in the subject homeowner’s insurance policy, the Appellate Division reversed a summary...

...

The Supreme Court announced today that it has granted certification to review three cases.  Two of them are criminal appeals.  The third is another case involving an arbitration agreement. The first of the two criminal cases is State v. Jones.  The question presented there, as phrased by the Supreme Court Clerk’s office, is “In this trial for attempted murder, did recorded phone conversations in which defendant discussed the victim’s death satisfy the State’s burden to show that he took a substantial step toward causing the victim’s death?”  The Appellate Division upheld...