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

The Supreme Court Will Review Three Published Appellate Division Decisions, and One Unpublished One

The Supreme Court announced that it has granted review in four more cases. In three of those appeals, the Court granted petitions for certification. In the fourth case, the Court...

A Busy Few Weeks for the Appellate Division

In the last several weeks, this blog has largely focused on Supreme Court decisions and grants of review. That was not meant to slight the Appellate Division, whose judges have...

The Supreme Court Decides Docket No. A-1-2018, Based on Plain Language of the Check Cashers Regulatory Act of 1993

Garden State Check Cashing Service, Inc. v. New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance, 237 N.J. 482 (2019). As discussed here, this was the very first appeal of the current...

Conflict Resolved: The Supreme Court Applies the Unemployment Compensation Law in Favor of Benefit Claimants

McClain v. Board of Review, 237 N.J. 445 (2019). This appeal actually involved two consolidated cases, each of which was the subject of a published opinion in the Appellate Division....

The Local Government Ethics Law and Super Storm Sandy

Mondsini v. Local Finance Board, 458 N.J. Super. 290 (App. Div. 2019). This opinion by Judge Messano deals with an issue under the Local Government Ethics Law, N.J.S.A. 40A:9-22.1 to...

Courts Can Consider Arguments Not Raised Below in Order "To Accomplish a Just Result"

In re Robert Brown, Police Sergeant (PM0622N), City of Salem, 458 N.J. Super. 284 (App. Div. 2019). As discussed here, in general, appellate courts will not review issues that were...

The Meaning of "Is Violating" or "Is About to Violate the Law" Does Not Cover Past Violations

Federal Trade Commission v. Shire Viropharma, Inc., 917 F.3d 147 (3d Cir. 2019). A former President of the United States famously uttered the statement that, in interpreting his testimony under...

Volunteer Firefighter Injured in the Line of Duty Need Not Have Other Employment in Order to Receive Disability Payments

Kocanowski v. Bridgewater Tp., 237 N.J. 3 (2019). As discussed here, the Appellate Division in this case held that in order for a volunteer firefighter to receive temporary disability payments...

After a Lull, The Supreme Court Grants Review in Six Cases

It had been nearly one month, since January 18, 2019, since the Supreme Court last added cases to its docket. However, the Court has now announced grants of certification in...

Legislative Silence About Statute of Limitations When Amending Statute Did Not Effect Reduction of Prior Limitations Period

The Plastic Surgery Center, PA v. Malouf Chevrolet-Cadillac, Inc., 457 N.J. Super. 565 (App. Div. 2019). This opinion today by Judge Fisher was so legal issue-intensive that he found that...

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"Hot Fun in the Summertime": Appellate Division Summer Parts

In an Order available here, Chief Justice Rabner announced the lineup for the Appellate Division's summer Parts. As has been customary, the "summer" runs not between the meteorological start and end dates for summer, nor from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but from June 16 through September 7....

The Supreme Court Confirms That Municipalities Can be Subjected to Sanctions for Frivolous Litigation

Borough of Englewood Cliffs v. Trautner, ___ N.J. ___ (2025). This appeal presented the question of whether municipalities can be liable to pay sanctions for frivolous litigation, under the Frivolous Litigation Statute, N.J.S.A. 2A:15-59.1 ("the FLS"). In a 5-0 opinion written by Justice Fasciale (Chief Justice Rabner and Justice Hoffman did not participate), the Court affirmed, as modified, the decision of the Appellate Division that upheld the Law Division's imposition of FLS sanctions against the Borough....

The "Castle Doctrine"

State v. Bragg, ___ N.J. ___ (2025). A jury found defendant guilty of twelve charged counts, including attempted murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault, terroristic threats, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, endangering, and two lesser-included offenses of harassment. Some of those charges involved the use of deadly force. Persons may not use deadly force if the can retreat with complete safety. But under the "castle doctrine," an exception to the general rule, a person "is not obliged to retreat from his dwelling, unless he was the initial aggressor." N.J.S.A. 2C:3-4(b)(2)(b)(i). That doctrine derives from the common law....

No Arbitrariness in Rejection of Public Construction Bid That Failed to Include a Properly Signed, Required Consent of Surety

In the Matter of Protest Filed by El Sol Contracting and Construction Corp., Contract T100.638, ___ N.J. ___ (2025). This public bidding case resulted in a 5-2 split at the Supreme Court, the first non-unanimous ruling of the current Term. Justice Hoffman wrote the majority opinion, while Justice Fasciale authored the dissent for himself and Justice Pierre-Louis....