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

A New Third Circuit Chief Judge

As of October 1, Judge Smith has succeeded Judge McKee as Chief Judge of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge McKee has been Chief Judge since 2010, succeeding Judge Scirica in...

No Waiver of Arbitration Clause Even After Years of Litigation, Because Arbitration Demand, Pre-AT&T v. Concepcion, Would Have Been Futile

Chassen v. Fidelity Nat'l Financial, Inc., 836 F.3d 291 (3d Cir. 2016). [Disclosure: I was an expert witness for plaintiffs in this case, but my Declaration and deposition testimony was...

Failure to Recreate the District Court Record as Ordered Leads to a Loss on Appeal

Roberts v. Ferman, 826 F.3d 117 (3d Cir. 2016). Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 10(c) deals with the circumstance in which a transcript of a District Court hearing or trial...

Weakness of State Action Argument in Civil Rights Act Nude Entertainment Case is Laid Bare and Exposed

PRBA Corp. v. HMS Host Toll Roads, Inc., 808 F.3d 221 (3d Cir. 2015). Plaintiff, which does business as Bare Exposure, operates a "gentleman's club" in Atlantic City. The club...

A Turning Point for the Carrera v. Bayer Ascertainability Doctrine?

Byrd v. Aaron's Inc., 784 F.3d 154 (3d Cir. 2015). In this case under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. §2511, there were "objective records" that could "readily identify"...

Preliminary Approvals of Class Action Settlements Cannot be Appealed Under Rule 23(f)

In re National Football League Players Concussion Injury Litigation, 775 F.3d 570 (3d Cir. 2014). Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(f) states that "[a] court of appeals may permit an...

Ignorance of the Rules Does Not Constitute Excusable Neglect

Eastman v. First Data Corp., 736 F.3d 675 (3d Cir. 2013). Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(f) permits the losing party on a motion to certify a class, whether plaintiff...

The "Narrowest Grounds" Doctrine

B.H. v. Easton Area School District, 725 F.3d 293 (3d Cir. 2013). The majority opinion in this en banc case, written by Judge Smith, begins as follows. "Once again, we...

The Third Circuit Speaks About Rule 404(b) "Prior Bad Act" Evidence

Here is another guest post from Jeffrey A. Shooman, who was then my colleague at Lite DePalma Greenberg, LLC, on an important criminal law decision of the Third Circuit: United...

Administratively Closing a Case is Not the Same as Dismissing the Case

Freeman v. Pittsburgh Glass Works, LLC, 709 F.3d 240 (3d Cir. 2013). This appeal involved plaintiff's assertion that an arbitration award should be vacated because the arbitrator was biased. The district court rejected that...

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Appellate Division Published Opinions During and After Its Recess

The final day of the Appellate Division's two-week recess was April 25. On that date, the Appellate Division issued a published opinion. Two more published opinions followed during the current week. Here are summaries of those opinions....

"Ethics in Appellate Practice" Seminar at the NJSBA Annual Meeting on May 15

I will be moderating a panel titled "Ethics in Appellate Practice" that will help kick off Day 2 of the New Jersey State Bar Association Annual Meeting on May 15. The presentation will be from 8:45-10 AM. It will feature Judge Gummer of the Appellate Division and distinguished appellate practitioners with experience in and perspectives on ethics in the appellate context from both the plaintiffs' and the defendants' sides....

With the Appellate Division's Recess Over, The Appellate Division Oral Argument of the Week is Another Waiver of Arbitration Case

On Tuesday, April 29, judges on Part F of the Appellate Division will hear oral argument in Newport Associates Development Co. v. Chubb Ins. Co. The appeal arises out of the denial by the Law Division of the motion of defendant AIG Specialty Insurance Company ("ASIC") to compel arbitration of plaintiffs' claim for indemnity in connection with underlying litigation with Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. and Public Service Electric and Gas Company. The Law Division held that ASIC had waived its contractual right to demand arbitration....

Another Quartet of New Cases for the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court announced that it has granted certification in four new appeals. Three are from unpublished opinions of the Appellate Division, while the fourth is from a published decision in a criminal case....