The Appellate Division does not issue many opinions in August, as the judges clean up remaining inventory. But there have been some significant published opinions in the last two weeks. Here are summaries of some of those rulings: Harvard v. State, ___ N.J. Super. ___ (App. Div. 2019). Plaintiff in this appeal was a Special Civil Part Officer in the Atlantic/Cape May County vicinage. The vicinage learned of numerous violations of directives of the Administrative Office of the Courts upon an investigation of plaintiff’s financial record. The Assignment Judge of the vicinage terminated...

Chief Justice Rabner has issued the general Assignment Order for 2019-2020. It is available here. As occurs every year, the eight Appellate Division Parts have been reshuffled. But some things remain the same. Judge Messano continues as Presiding Judge for Administration, and Judge Sabatino as Deputy Presiding Judge for Administration. Those two judges, as well as Judges Koblitz, Alvarez, Fisher, Yannotti, and Fuentes remain as Presiding Judges of their respective Parts. Judge Fasciale has become the Presiding Judge of Part B, a position previously held by Judge Simonelli. There are two...

On most days, the Appellate Division issues a significant number of opinions. But on many of those days, there are no published opinions among them, or only one or two such opinions. Yesterday, however, the Appellate Division issued four published opinions, more than on any other day in recent memory. Here are summaries of those decisions: Branch v. Cream-O-Land Dairy, ___ N.J. Super. ___ (App. Div. 2019). In this class action case under the Wage and Hour Law, N.J.S.A. 34:11-56a to -56a38, the Appellate Division reversed a summary judgment that the Law Division had granted to the defendant...