NJ Appellate Law Blog – NJ Appellate Lawyer Bruce D. Greenberg blogs about Appeals and Appellate Law Practice

Ban on Discrimination Against the Unemployed in Job Advertisements is Constitutional

New Jersey Dept' of Labor & Workforce Development v. Crest Ultrasonics, 434 N.J. Super. 34 (App. Div. 2014). N.J.S.A. 34:8B-1 "bars employers seeking to fill job vacancies in this State...

"Capable of Repetition Yet Evading Review": A Mess Involving Referendum Statutes

Finkel v. Hopewell Tp. Committee, 434 N.J. Super. 303 (App. Div. 2013). This case involves the principle of "capable of repetition yet evading review" to defeat a mootness argument. That...

"Mode-of-Operation" Liability for Negligence

Arroyo v. Durling Realty, LLC, 443 N.J. Super. 238 (App. Div. 2013). Judge Sabatino may be best known for his lengthy, scholarly published opinions in complex cases such as this one or...

The Appellate Division Applies the Restatement (Third) of Property- Mortgages

Sovereign Bank v. Gillis, 432 N.J. Super. 36 (App. Div. 2013). This opinion by Judge Sabatino is an example of how a brief introduction can encapsulate an entire, highly detailed opinion. Here...

Frustration of Purpose and Impossibility of Performance Must be Pleaded as Affirmative Defenses

JB Pool Management, LLC v. Four Seasons at Smithville Homeowners Ass'n, Inc., 431 N.J. Super. 233 (App. Div. 2013). Plaintiff, a pool management company, contracted with defendant condominium association to supply lifeguards...

The Passive Voice (and Persuasive Legislative History) Makes the Difference in Statutory Interpretation

Cologna v. Board of Trustees, Police & Firemen's Retirement Syst., 430 N.J. Super. 362 (App. Div. 2013). By statute, a former member of the Police and Firemen's Retirement System ("PFRS") normally has two...

Non-Conforming Structure That is More Than "Partially" Destroyed Cannot be Rebuilt Without a Variance

Motley v. Seaside Park Bd. of Adj., 430 N.J. Super. 132 (App. Div. 2013). N.J.S.A. 40:55D-68 allows a non-conforming use or structure to be "restored or repaired in the event of partial...

Res Ipsa Loquitur

Mayer v. Once Upon a Rose, Inc., 429 N.J. Super. 365 (App. Div. 2013). An employee of defendant, a florist, who was setting up floral arrangements for an engagement party, allegedly gripped a...

Draft Agency Report is Absolutely Protected From Disclosure Under Open Public Records Act; Government Records Council May Not Decide Common Law Right of Access Claims

Ciesla v. New Jersey Dep't of Health & Senior Services, 429 N.J. Super. 127 (App. Div. 2012). This was an appeal of a decision of the Government Records Council ("GRC"), the state...

The Appellate Division Limits DEP's Powers

Des Champs Laboratories, Inc. v. Martin, 427 N.J. Super. 84 (App. Div. 2012). This opinion by Judge Sabatino, for a unanimous Appellate Division panel, may lead to one of the most important Supreme Court decisions in years in the...

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The Term's Penultimate Week: Two Published Appellate Division Decisions

The 2024-25 Term ends on August 29. In this penultimate week of the Term, there were no Supreme Court opinions. There were, however, two published decisions from the Appellate Division, one a civil case involving "the latest development in the ongoing controversy surrounding black bear hunting in New Jersey" and the other a criminal appeal centering on constitutional rights associated with a cellphone passcode. Here are summaries of those opinions:...

The Week Just Ending: Three Criminal Law Decisions

This week saw one case decided by the Supreme Court and two published opinions of the Appellate Division. The Supreme Court case, decided by a 6-1 vote, presented an ex post facto issue arising out of amendments to the statute governing parole. The two Appellate Division decisions entailed more "core" criminal law issues. Here are summaries of those cases:...

The 2025 Omnibus Court Rule Amendments and Other Changes

The Supreme Court announced amendments to Court Rules and appendices, as well as certain other procedural changes. That announcement is embodied in an Omnibus Rule Amendment Order that is available here....

"Abuse of Discretion" vs. "Patent and Gross Abuse of Discretion"

State v. Taylor, ___ N.J. ___ (2025). N.J.S.A. 2C:43-6(c), a part of the Graves Act, makes the use or possession of a firearm during the commission, attempted commission, or flight from the commission of certain designated offenses a sentencing factor that triggers the imposition of a mandatory term of imprisonment. A later-added section of the Graves Act, N.J.S.A. 2C:43-6.2, creates an "escape valve," under which a prosecutor may seek from the court a waiver of the imposition of a mandatory minimum sentence where the prosecutor believes that such a sentence would not serve the interest of justice....