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

In Construing Wills and Trusts, "Plain Meaning" of Language Gives Way to "Testator's Probable Intent"

In re Trust of Violet Nelson, 454 N.J. Super. 151 (App. Div. 2018). As Judge Ostrer stated in his opinion in this case today, the issue was "whether a trial...

Allocation Among Multiple Defendants of Attorneys' Fees Under Fee-Shifting Statutes

Empower our Neighborhoods v. Guadagno, 453 N.J. Super. 565 (App. Div. 2018). This was an election case under the federal and New Jersey civil rights acts, both of which provide...

The Supreme Court Will Re-Visit Health Club Waivers of Liability

The Supreme Court announced that it has granted certification in Pulice v. Greenbrook Sports & Fitness, LLC. The question presented in that appeal, as phrased by the Supreme Court Clerk's...

Absolute vs. Qualified Immunity Under the Tort Claims Act

Lee v. Brown, 232 N.J. 114 (2018). [Disclosure: My firm, Lite DePalma Greenberg, LLC, represented certain defendants in this case who were dismissed from the case on motion prior to...

Foreclosure Defendant May Not Fail to Pursue a Germane Defense and Then Sue for Fraud by Foreclosure

Adelman v. BSI Fin. Services, 453 N.J. Super. 31 (App. Div. 2018). This case, which was the subject of Judge Koblitz's decision today, arose out of a foreclosure action. Plaintiff,...

The First Step Toward Rejection of a Dubious Consumer Fraud Act Defense

All the Way Towing, LLC v. Bucks County International, Inc., 452 N.J. Super. 565 (App. Div. 2018). Today's opinion by Judge Fisher reaffirms a fundamental principle: on summary judgment, a...

A Split Appellate Division Decision About the Charitable Immunity Act: On to the Supreme Court?

Green v. Monmouth University, 452 N.J. Super. 542 (App. Div. 2018). Today's opinion by Judge Leone affirmed summary judgment in favor of defendant Monmouth University under the Charitable Immunity Act,...

Failure to Submit Affidavit of Merit Timely Does Not Always Call for Dismissal With Prejudice

A.T v. M. Cohen, M.D., 231 N.J. 237 (2017). "This was an appeal as of right in a medical malpractice case in which plaintiff was a minor. Due to counsel's...

Advance Disclaimer by Employee of Right to Sue Third Party for Injuries Covered by Workers' Compensation Statutes Violates Public Policy

Vitale v. Schering-Plough Corp., 231 N.J. 234 (2017). Plaintiff was hired as a security guard by a security company. The company required him to agree to waive any claim against...

The Supreme Court Takes Up Accutane Appeals and an Evidence Matter

The Supreme Court announced late last Friday that it has granted review in three more cases. Two of those cases involve the long-running Accutane Multi-County Litigation, which the Court has...

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 212223 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46…Last

"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....