Today’s seminar, which was sponsored by the NJSBA Appellate Practice Committee, took up the important topic of the record on appeal.  Judge Messano, who headed up the panel, began by stating that the panel hoped actiually to make this topic interesting.  He and the other presenters, who included Judges Lihotz and Cuff (Ret.), as well as representatives of the Supreme Court and Appellate Division Clerk’s offices, succeeded. Aided by a PowerPoint presentation, the panel began from Rule 2:5-4, which generally defines the appellate record.  They went on to address the statement of...

E&J Equities v. Franklin Tp. Bd. of Adj. , 226 N.J. 549 (2016).  Billboards are not everyone’s favorite thing.  Many view them as a blot on the landscape (and not humorous at all, unlike the 1980’s British comedy “Blott on the Landscape“).  Here, after plaintiff had applied to the defendant Board for a variance allowing it to install a digital billboard on its land along I-287, Franklin Township adopted an ordinance that permitted “static” (conventional) billboards in the zone where plaintiff’s property was located, but banned digital billboards...

In the last ten days, the Supreme Court, nearing the end of its term, has issued a number of opinions.  It has been hard to keep up with them all.  To catch up, here are brief summaries of the Court’s recent rulings: Meehan v. Antonellis, 226 N.J. 216 (2016).  In an opinion by Judge Cuff, a unanimous Court reversed the dismissal of a complaint in a dental malpractice case.  That dismissal was based on a ruling that plaintiff was required to submit an affidavit of merit from a practitioner with like credentials to that of defendant, as called for by the Patients First Act, N.J.S.A....