NJ Appellate Law Blog

Appellate Court's View That Merits of a Case Are Weak Does Not Justify Abandoning Deferential Standard of Review of Trial Level Discovery Rulings

Capital Health System, Inc. v. Horizon Healthcare Services, Inc., 230 N.J. 73 (2017). These two consolidated cases involved rulings on discovery disputes, a subject that rarely reaches the Supreme Court....

A Statute of Limitations Issue of First Impression in a Privacy Case

Smith v. Datla, 451 N.J. Super. 82 (App. Div. 2017). This opinion by Judge Geiger was his first published opinion since his elevation to the Appellate Division. It involved the...

Despite Girsh v. Jepson, A District Court Need Not Always Determine the Best Potential Recovery in Order to Approve a Class Action Settlement

Halley v. Honeywell International, Inc., 861 F.3d 481 (3d Cir. 2017). This was an environmental contamination class action involving lands in Jersey City, New Jersey. After "five years of extensive...

State Comptroller Need Not Give Reasons for Auditing Local Government Units

Larkins v. Solter, 450 N.J. Super. 519 (App. Div. 2017). The Office of the State Comptroller ("OSC") was established by the Legislature in 2007, in order to subject governmental financial...

Four New Supreme Court Grants of Review: Criminal Law, OPRA, and Self-Critical Analysis Privilege

The Supreme Court announced this morning that it has granted review in four more cases. Two of them address discovery issues, and two involve criminal matters. In Brugaletta v. Garcia,...

The Supreme Court and the Hospital/Horizon OMNIA Two-Tiered Provider Network Dispute

The Supreme Court announced that it has granted review in Saint Peter's University Hospital, Inc. v. Horizon Healthcare Services, Inc. That case, and related litigation involving hospitals and Horizon, has...

A Sanctions Anniversary

On this date in 2003, the Appellate Division decided Seacoast Builders Corp. v. Rutgers, 358 N.J. Super. 524 (App. Div. 2003). This was a relatively rare case in which the...

Rulings on Lack of Personal Jurisdiction and Forum Non Conveniens Normally Require a Discovery Record

Rippon v. Smigel, 449 N.J. Super. 344 (App. Div. 2017). This opinion by Judge Haas today reverses a dismissal that was based on lack of personal jurisdiction, forum non conveniens,...

The Supreme Court Will Review a UCC Case, an Important Discovery Issue, and Another Criminal Case

The Supreme Court announced that it has granted review in three more cases. In Granata v. Broderick, the question presented, as phrased by the Supreme Court Clerk's Office, is "Among...

A New Test for Statute of Limitations Choice of Law Decisions: Restatement Section 142

Scheeler v. Office of the Governor, 448 N.J. Super. 333 (App. Div. 2017). In these consolidated appeals, plaintiffs each sent requests under the Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 to...

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 91011 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19…Last

"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....

Liability of a General Contractor for Injuries to a Subcontractor's Employee: The Supreme Court Will Decide the Applicable Standard

The Supreme Court announced that it has granted certification in Campoverde v. NY-NJ Link Developer, LLC. The question presented, as phrased by the Supreme Court Clerk's office, is "What is the applicable standard under New Jersey law for determining whether a general contractor owes a duty to a subcontractor's employees for the purpose of determining liability for the injuries sustained by a subcontractor's employee?"...

Proposed New Supreme Court Briefing Procedures

The Supreme Court issued a Notice, available here, that proposes to revolutionize the process for briefing in the Supreme Court. If adopted, the new procedures would require substantial revisions to Rule 2:12, which currently governs Supreme Court briefing....