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

The Smoke-Free Act Does Not Preempt A Municipal Ordinance Limiting Smoking in Retail Tobacco Establishments

Sparroween, LLC v. Township of West Caldwell, 452 N.J. Super. 329 (App. Div. 2017). Plaintiffs operated the Cigar Emporium in West Caldwell. In that business, they sell tobacco products, but...

The Supreme Court Will Decide an Administrative Law Standard of Review Issue and a Ruling Involving PIP Benefits

The Supreme Court announced that it has granted review in two new cases. The first is In re William R. Hendrickson, Jr. The question presented there, as phrased by the...

A Marijuana Case Likely Headed for the Supreme Court

Kadonsky v. Lee, 452 N.J. Super. 198 (App. Div. 2017). In this appeal, plaintiff petitioned the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs ("the Division") to have marijuana rescheduled from a...

One Win for Plaintiffs and One for Defendants in Companion Class Certification Cases Today

Dugan v. TGI Friday's, Inc., 231 N.J. 24 (2017). In these two closely-watched consumer class action decisions, each of which involved claims regarding defendants' alleged failure to disclose the price...

A Square Conflict in Recent Appellate Division Decisions Regarding the Unemployment Statute

Blake v. Board of Review, 452 N.J. Super. 7 (App. Div. 2017). In McClain v. Board of Review, 451 N.J. Super. 461 (App. Div. 2017), discussed here, a panel of...

Volunteer Fireman is Not an "Employee" of His Volunteer Fire Company for Purposes of CEPA

Sauter v. Colts Neck Volunteer Fire Co. No. 2, 451 N.J. Super. 581 (App. Div. 2017). The Conscientious Employee Protection Act, N.J.S.A. 34:19-1 to -14 ("CEPA") protects "employees who report...

Election Law Enforcement Commission Can Pursue Complaint Against Essex County Executive

New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission v. DiVincenzo, 451 N.J. Super. 554 (App. Div. 2017). In 2011, the New Jersey Election Law Commission ("ELEC"), an independent four-member body that enforces...

A 2015 Amendment to the Unemployment Insurance Statute is Construed Favorably to a Claimant

McClain v. Board of Review, 451 N.J. Super. 461 (App. Div. 2017). In general, employees who leave work voluntarily are disqualified from obtaining unemployment benefits. In 2015, the unemployment statute,...

Defendant Who Fails to Timely Serve Notice of Tort Claim Cannot Sue Public Entity for Contribution or Common Law Indemnification

Jones v. Morey's Pier, Inc., 230 N.J. 142 (2017). Under the New Jersey Tort Claims Act, N.J.S.A. 59:8-8, a tort plaintiff who fails to timely serve a notice of tort...

The New Jersey False Claims Act Does Not Apply to Claims Made in Connection With State Tax Laws

State ex rel. Campagna v. Post Integrations, Inc., 451 N.J. Super. 276 (App. Div. 2017). The New Jersey False Claims Act, N.J.S.A. 2A:32C-1 to -18 ("NJFCA"), encourages lawsuits by private...

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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....