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

The Appellate Division in the Second Half of April- A Partial Recap

Until yesterday, when the Supreme Court issued this opinion, the Court did issue any decisions in the time following the last post on this blog on April 13. The Appellate...

Public Bidding Was Required to Select a Redeveloper for the Bergen County Courthouse

Dobco, Inc. v. Bergen County Improvement Authority, ___ N.J. ___ (2022). In its first opinion in several weeks, the Supreme Court today affirmed, in a per curiam opinion substantially for...

A Court Rules-Based Attorneys' Fee Appeal for the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court announced today that it has granted certification in Hansen v. Rite Aid Corp. The issue presented, as phrased by the Supreme Court Clerk's office, is "When a...

Where Did Last Week Go?

Last week was a hectic week. So much so that two particularly significant Appellate Division opinions did not get covered here. Belatedly, here are summaries of those two opinions (shamelessly...

The 2,000th Post on This Blog: The Anniversary of Campbell v. Department of Civil Service

On this date in 1963, the Supreme Court decided Campbell v. Department of Civil Service, 39 N.J. 556 (1963). The opinion, by Justice Jacob s for a unanimous Court, has...

Denial of Summary Judgment on Qualified Immunity is Not Immediately Appealable

Harris v. City of Newark, ___ N.J. ___ (2022). [Disclosure: My firm, Lite DePalma Greenberg & Afanador, LLC, represents the City of Newark in certain cases, including cases in which...

Judge Smith Discusses When the Third Circuit Will Certify a Question to a State's Highest Court

United States v. Defreitas, ___ F.4th ___ (3d Cir. 2022). This case came out of the Virgin Islands. Its subject matter was the conviction of defendant, an enforcement officer for...

Grapes Turn Sour for "Mode of Operation" Plaintiff

Jeter v. Sam's Club, ___ N.J. ___ (2022). Writing for a 4-2 majority, Justice Solomon began his opinion for the Court today as follows: "Under the ‘mode of operation' rule,...

With Judge Alvarez Retiring and Returning on Recall, Judge Haas Becomes Presiding Judge of the Appellate Division's Part D

Chief Justice Rabner issued two orders that affect Part D of the Appellate Division. One of those orders notes that Judge Alvarez is to retire on pension on March 27...

The Supreme Court Takes Up a Redevelopment Law Case and a Child Sexual Abuse Act Case

The Supreme Court announced that it has granted review in two new cases. One of them involved a grant of leave to appeal, while the other is before the Court...

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A Municipal Court Administrator is Employed by the Township, Not the Administrative Office of the Courts

Palmisano v. State of New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts, ___ N.J. Super. ___ (App. Div. 2025). The opening paragraph of Judge Marczyk's opinion for the Appellate Division well encapsulates what the appeal was about and what the result was. "Plaintiff Lindsay Palmisano appeals from the trial court's April 1, 2024 order dismissing her complaint with prejudice against defendant State of New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts and Municipal Division (AOC) pursuant to Rule 4:6-2(e). The primary issue on appeal is whether plaintiff, a municipal court administrator, is an employee of the AOC, thereby allowing her to assert a claim against the AOC under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD), N.J.S.A. 10:5-1 to -49. Based on our review of the record and the applicable legal principles, we conclude plaintiff was employed by Vernon Township (Township), not the AOC, and, therefore, we affirm."...

Supreme Court to Take Up Two Published Appellate Division Opinions

The Supreme Court announced that it has granted review in two new appeals. One is before the Court on leave to appeal. The Court granted certification in the other matter....

South Seaside Park Can Detach Itself From Berkeley Township

Whiteman v. Township Council of Berkeley Township, ___ N.J. ___ (2025). South Seaside Park is a small (490 year-round residents) barrier island community that has been annexed to the Township of Berkeley ("the Township"). South Seaside Park sought to deannex itself from the Township and to be annexed instead to the Borough of Seaside Park. South Seaside Park followed a statutory petitioning procedure in doing so. The Township refused consent. South Seaside Park went to court and won a ruling from the Law Division that rejected the Township's refusal. The Appellate Division affirmed. Yesterday, in a unanimous opinion by Justice Patterson, the Supreme Court affirmed as well....

Megan's Law "Not Likely to Pose a Threat to the Safety of Others" Extends to Non-Sexual as Well as Sexual Re-Offenses

In re Registrant S.O., ___ N.J. Super. ___ (App. Div. 2025). This appeal presented a pure legal issue relating to the "public safety prongs" contained in the termination provisions of Megan's Law, N.J.S.A. 2C:7-2(f), and the Community Supervision for Life statute ("CSL"), N.J.S.A. 2C:43-6.4(c). Judge Vanek crystallized that "novel" issue as "whether, on a registrant's application to terminate Megan's Law and CSL obligations, the phrase ‘not likely to pose a threat to the safety of others' should be broadly interpreted with the trial court considering threats to safety from subsequent non-sexual and sexual offenses or whether the inquiry should be limited to the threat of sexual re-offense only." The panel held that the broader view was the correct one....