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

Last Week

Late last week, the Supreme Court and the Appellate Division each issued two published opinions. Neither court has issued any published opinions this week (nor is either court slated to...

The Supreme Court Takes Two New Criminal Appeals and Agrees to Answer a Certified Question From the Third Circuit

The Supreme Court announced that it has granted review in three new cases. Two are criminal appeals and the third involves two questions certified by the Third Circuit. The Supreme...

The Latest on Equitable Subrogation, From Judge Geiger

New York Mortgage Trust v. Deely, ___ N.J. Super. ___ (App. Div. 2021). Every few years, the Appellate Division publishes an opinion about equitable subrogation. Equitable subrogation, "rooted in principles...

A Cook Injured While Working at Her Employer's "Family Fun Day" Qualifies for Workers' Compensation

Goulding v. NJ Friendship House, Inc., ___ N.J. ___ (2021). This opinion by Justice Fernandez-Vina today, for a unanimous Supreme Court, dealt with a claim under the Workers Compensation Act....

Employment Discrimination Based on an Employee's Youth: An Anniversary

Most of us think that age discrimination in employment claims are limited to plaintiffs who allege discrimination based on their advanced age. But on this date in 1999, the Supreme...

Bank of New York Mellon Wins a New Trial in Foreclosure Case Where Mortgagors Alleged Forgery of Their Signatures

The Bank of New York Mellon v. Corradetti, ___ N.J. ___ (2021). As discussed here, this case came before the Supreme Court on an appeal as of right, based on...

Paid "Release Time" for Certain Jersey City Teachers to Handle Union Business Such as Resolving Labor Disputes is Allowed by Statute and is Constitutional

Rozenblit v. Lyles, ___ N.J. ___ (2021). This case involved the question of whether a bargained-for "release time" provision in a collective bargaining agreement between the Jersey City School District...

Getting Current With the Appellate Division

The past few days have been especially busy ones in my practice. The Appellate Division has likewise been quite busy issuing published opinions as January turned to February. Here are...

Attorneys' Fees Improper Where Neither Contract, Statute, Court Rule, Nor the Equities Supported a Fee Award

Tarta Luna Properties, LLC v. Harvest Restaurants Group, LLC, ___ N.J. Super. ___ (App. Div. 2021). In summary, the parties entered into a long-term lease of a restaurant space, to...

The Supreme Court Upholds a Big Win for New Jersey Transit

New Jersey Transit Corp. v. Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's London, ___ N.J. ___ (2021). As summarized here, this was an insurance coverage dispute arising out of Superstorm Sandy. New Jersey...

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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....