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

Is an Appellate Division Merits Panel Bound by One-Judge Appellate Division Rulings Limiting the Scope of the Appeal?

Devers v. Devers, ___ N.J. Super. ___ (App. Div. 2022). This was a matrimonial appeal. The issue centered around whether a particular financial account ("the Gauss account") was marital property....

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...

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...

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...

The Balancing Test for the Common Law Right of Access to Public Records

Rivera v. Union County Prosecutor's Office, ___ N.J. ___ (2022). Employees of the Elizabeth Police Department complained to the Union County Prosecutor's Office that the Police Director, James Cosgrove, had...

Disqualification of Counsel Reversed on Leave to Appeal, Due to Trial Court's Failure to Apply the Trupos Test

Dental Health Assocs. South Jersey, P.A. v. RRI Gibbsboro, LLC, ___ N.J. Super. ___ (App. Div. 2022). Trial court decisions disqualifying counsel are often cited as the type of ruling...

Statutory Requirement That Parties to a Written Palimony Agreement Get Advice of Counsel is Unconstitutional

Moynihan v. Lynch, ___ N.J. ___ (2022). Plaintiff and defendant had what Justice Albin, in his opinion for a unanimous Supreme Court, called "a long-term ‘marital-style' relationship." Anticipating that they...

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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....