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

Shareholder Quorum Requirement Cannot be Altered by Changing the Bylaws

Sterling Laurel Realty, LLC v. Laurel Gardens Co-Op, Inc., 444 N.J. Super. 470 (App. Div. 2016). A majority of the board of the defendant residential co-op development became frustrated that...

"Appeal" Procedure to Same Judge Who Already Ruled "Below" Was Impermissible

In re Application for a Retail Firearms Dealer's License Renewal by Cayuse Corp. LLC, ___ N.J. Super. ___ (App. Div. 2016). This decision, issued by Judge Ostrer for the Appellate...

Allegedly No Goodness to be Thankful for at TGI Friday's for Drink Consumers, But Class Certification Gets Reversed

Dugan v. TGI Fridays, Inc., 445 N.J. Super. 59 (App. Div. 2016). This putative consumer class action has a long procedural history, including a previous appeal to the Appellate Division,...

(Likely) Coming Soon to the Supreme Court: When Does the Involvement of DNA Evidence Toll the Criminal Statute of Limitations?

State v. Twiggs, 445 N.J. Super. 23 (App. Div. 2016). In this conspiracy to commit robbery case, the Law Division dismissed the indictment because the State began the prosecution beyond...

PERC Cannot Unilaterally Abandon the "Dynamic Status Quo Doctrine"

In re County of Atlantic, 445 N.J. Super. 1 (App. Div. 2016). The Public Employment Relations Commission ("PERC") is a state agency that is charged by the Legislature with implementing...

Attorney General May Not Enforce Subpoenas Related to False Claims Act Case in Which Attorney General Previously Declined to Intervene

In re Enforcement of New Jersey False Claims Act Subpoenas, 444 N.J. Super. 566 (App. Div. 2016). The New Jersey False Claims Act, N.J.S.A. 2A:32C-1 to -15, -17, and -18...

By What Means Can a Creditor Seize Certificated Securities Held by a Debtor?: A UCC Article 8 Decision

Wolverine Flagship Fund Trading Limited v. American Oriental Bioengineering, Inc., 444 N.J. Super. 530 (App. Div. 2016). This opinion, issued today by Judge St. John, involved the denial of injunctive...

Changes in Alimony Upon the Retirement of the Spouse Who Must Pay It

Landers v. Landers, 444 N.J. Super. 315 (App. Div. 2016). This opinion by Judge Lihotz addresses when alimony can be changed due to the retirement of the spouse obligated to...

Does a Homeowners Insurance Policy That Covers Losses from "Hidden Decay" Protect Against Loss From "Hidden Defects"?

Bardis v. Stinson, 444 N.J. Super. 448 (App. Div. 2016). This insurance coverage matter is a case with an unusual sequence of appellate events. The case was argued before the...

Insurer Under "Claims Made" Policy Issued to Sophisticated Insured Need Not Show Prejudice From Late Notice of Claim in Order to Disclaim Coverage

Templo Fuente De Vida Corp. v. Nat'l Union Fire Ins. Co., 224 N.J. 189 (2016). Insurance policies normally require insureds to provide timely notice of claims against them to their...

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The Last Seven Days

The last seven days, an especially busy period for me, featured one Supreme Court opinion and two published Appellate Division decisions. Here are summaries of those rulings:...

No Ethics Violation in Attorney Purchasing Another Attorney's Name as a Keyword for Internet Searches, the Supreme Court Says, With a Caveat

In re Opinion No. 735 of the Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Professional Ethics, ___ N.J. ___ (2025). [Disclosure: I represented an amicus curiae in this appeal]. As Justice Noriega said in his opinion for a 5-1 majority (Justice Pierre-Louis did not participate), this appeal "presents the narrow question of whether it is permissible under the Rules of Professional Conduct (RPC) for an attorney or law firm to purchase a competing attorney's or law firm's name as a keyword." The Court found it permissible, with a caveat. Justice Fasciale dissented....

Four Criminal Law Cases, and a Qui Tam Appeal, for the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court announced today that it has granted review in five new appeals. One of them is before the Court on leave to appeal, while in the others the Court granted certification....

The "Limited Attorney Exemption" of the Debt Adjustment and Credit Counseling Act is Held Unconstitutional as Violative of the Separation of Powers and Void for Vagueness

Anchor Law Firm, PLLC v. State of New Jersey, ___ N.J. Super. ___ (App. Div. 2025). The Debt Adjustment and Credit Counseling Act, N.J.S.A. 17:16G-1 et seq. ("DACCA"), prohibits debt adjusters in New Jersey from operating for a profit. There is an exception for attorneys not "principally engaged" (a term not defined in the statute) in debt adjustment. That exception, adopted in a 1986 amendment, replaced a prior version of the DACCA that had exempted all attorneys from its scope....