Scheeler v. Atlantic County Municipal Joint Insurance Fund, 454 N.J. Super. 621 (App. Div. 2018).  This  opinion by Judge Reisner was yet another case (actually, consolidated cases, which reached different results at the trial court level) under the Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 to -13 (“OPRA”).  The issue was whether non-New Jersey citizens can invoke OPRA to obtain public records.  Applying de novo review of this pure legal issue, the panel concluded that non-New Jerseyans have standing to seek records under OPRA. The issue arose because N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1, which...

The Supreme Court announced that it has granted review in three more cases.  One of them is yet another case under the Open Public records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq. (“OPRA”).  The two others are criminal cases. The OPRA appeal is Ganzweig v. Lakewood Tp.  The question presented there, as phrased by the Supreme Court Clerk’s Office, is “Is this police dash-cam video subject to disclosure under [OPRA]?”  In an unpublished 2-1 decision, the Appellate Division affirmed a Law Division decision that plaintiff was entitled to the video under OPRA.  Judge Reisner...

Yesterday and today, the Supreme Court did what it does not often do: affirm a decision of the Appellate Division substantially for the reasons expressed by the Appellate Division, rather than writing its own fully-expressed opinion. Yesterday’s ruling, in Granata v. Broderick, 231 N.J. 135 (2017), affirmed a decision by Judge Guadagno that was reported at 446 N.J. Super. 449 (App. Div. 2016).  As the Supreme Court summarized it, the Appellate Division ruled that “an attorney’s pledge of anticipated attorneys’ fees can be considered an account receivable and secured...