Trial- Limited Posting This Month

I have been involved in a trial that began in early June and will continue until nearly the end of the month. As a result, posts have been, and will continue to be, intermittent at best until trial concludes.

A Colossal Inter-Municipality Contract Dispute for the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court announced that it has granted certification in Jersey City Municipal Utilities Auth. v. Town of Dover. The question presented, as phrased by the Supreme Court Clerk's office, is "Do the 1971 settlement agreement and the 1984 amendment to that settlement agreement constitute an unlawful perpetual municipal contract without a finite endpoint, are they void as against public policy and the Clean Water Act, and are they terminated if the capacity of the Rockaway Valley Regional Sewerage Authority treatment plant expands beyond twelve million gallons per day?"...

Are Insurance Brokers Exempt From Liability Under the "Learned Professionals" Exception to the Consumer Fraud Act? The Supreme Court Will Decide

The Supreme Court announced that it has granted leave to appeal in Lowe v. Audet. The question presented, as phrased by the Supreme Court Clerk's office, is "Are insurance brokers exempt from liability under the ‘learned professionals' exception to the Consumer Fraud Act?" The Law Division granted a defense motion to dismiss. A two-judge Appellate Division panel affirmed in an unpublished per curiam opinion....

"A Child in Common"- Jurisdiction for Protective Orders Under the Victim's Assistance and Survivor Protection Act or the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act

C.J.S. v. A.S., 2025 N.J. Super LEXIS _______ (App. Div. Nov. 18, 2025). [Disclosure: I represented the successful plaintiff in this appeal.] The Victim's Assistance and Survivor Protection Act, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-13 to -21 ("VASPA"), was enacted to protect against, among other things, cyber-harassment. Only someone "who is not eligible for a restraining order as a ‘victim of domestic violence' as defined by . . . [the Protection of Domestic Violence Act , N.J.S.A. 2C:25:17-35 ("PDVA"]" may invoke VASPA protection....

Appellate Division Oral Argument of the (Upcoming) Week: A $55 Million Tort Verdict

On Tuesday, November 18, judges on Part D will hear oral argument in Rider v. Jersey City Transfer, Inc. The case arose out of an auto accident in Maryland, in which plaintiff, after striking one vehicle with her own car and getting out of the car, was hit by a tractor-trailer owned by defendant. Plaintiff suffered grisly injuries, sued, and obtained a judgment of over $59 million once the $55 million jury verdict was molded. Defendants appealed....