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

If Your Employer Tells You That You "Have to Resign," And You Do Resign, You Have Not Left Your Job "Voluntarily"

Lord v. Board of Review, 425 N.J. Super. 187 (App. Div. 2012). Did an employee who accepted his employer's directive that he "had to resign" leave his job "voluntarily" so as to disqualify...

Some Instruction About How to Apply the 10-Year Construction Statute of Repose to a Multi-Phase Project

State v. Perini Corp., 425 N.J. Super. 62 (App. Div. 2012). N.J.S.A. 2A:14-1.1a establishes a ten-year statute of repose for actions involving alleged deficiencies "in the design, planning, surveying, supervision or construction...

DePascale v. New Jersey (Judges' Pension Case) Argued

The oral argument in the Supreme Court of the United States today about the Affordable Care Act, a/k/a "Obamacare," has drawn so much attention that it has overshadowed the nearly...

The Effect of the Product Liability Act's Presumption of Labeling Adequacy on the Statute of Limitations in Products Cases

Kendall v. Hoffman-LaRoche, Inc.., 209 N.J. 173 (2012). In this case, the 5-1 majority opinion by Justice Long offers a comprehensive tutorial about New Jersey's "discovery rule," which mitigates the strict statute...

Even a Non-Citizen May Change Her Name

In re Application of Xiangjing Zhan, 424 N.J. Super. 231 (App. Div. 2012). A permanent resident alien sought to invoke New Jersey's name change statute, N.J.S.A. 2A:52-1 to -4, to change his...

Citizens of Walsh Act Municipalities Have the Same Right to a Referendum on Authorizing Indebtedness as Citizens of Other Types of Municipalities Do

In re Petition for Referendum to Repeal Ordinance 2010-27 of Margate City, 424 N.J. Super. 242 (App. Div. 2012). The Home Rule Act, N.J.S.A. 40:49-27, establishes the right to a public referendum...

Public Agency Supervisor May be Individually Liable Under Family Medical Leave Act

Haybarger v. Lawrence County Adult Probation & Parole, 667 F.3d 408 (3d Cir. 2012). Plaintiff Debra Haybarger worked for defendant, an agency of the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas. Plaintiff has several...

"What's in a Name?"

Emma v. Evans, 424 N.J. Super. 36 (App. Div. 2012). The title of this post is, unsurprisingly, not my own creation. It is the first line of this opinion by Judge Fisher,...

Statute That Does Not Afford Jury Trial for Negligent Property Damage Claim is Unconstitutional

Jersey Central Power & Light Co. v. Melcar Utility Co., 212 N.J. 576 (2013). Article I, paragraph 9 of the New Jersey Constitution provides that "the right to trial by jury shall...

An Easy One for the Supreme Court: Plain Statutory Language Controls; Retroactivity Issue Deferred

Selective Ins. Co. v. Rothman, 208 N.J. 580 (2012). The issue in this case, which arose out of the plaintiff insurance company's denial of personal injury protection ("PIP") claims for payment of...

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The Week Just Ending: Three Criminal Law Decisions

This week saw one case decided by the Supreme Court and two published opinions of the Appellate Division. The Supreme Court case, decided by a 6-1 vote, presented an ex post facto issue arising out of amendments to the statute governing parole. The two Appellate Division decisions entailed more "core" criminal law issues. Here are summaries of those cases:...

The 2025 Omnibus Court Rule Amendments and Other Changes

The Supreme Court announced amendments to Court Rules and appendices, as well as certain other procedural changes. That announcement is embodied in an Omnibus Rule Amendment Order that is available here....

"Abuse of Discretion" vs. "Patent and Gross Abuse of Discretion"

State v. Taylor, ___ N.J. ___ (2025). N.J.S.A. 2C:43-6(c), a part of the Graves Act, makes the use or possession of a firearm during the commission, attempted commission, or flight from the commission of certain designated offenses a sentencing factor that triggers the imposition of a mandatory term of imprisonment. A later-added section of the Graves Act, N.J.S.A. 2C:43-6.2, creates an "escape valve," under which a prosecutor may seek from the court a waiver of the imposition of a mandatory minimum sentence where the prosecutor believes that such a sentence would not serve the interest of justice....

A "Swan Song" for a False Light Invasion of Privacy Claim on Statute of Limitations Grounds

Chipola v. Flannery, ___ N.J. ___ (2025). As discussed here, this case was one of two that the Supreme Court agreed to review in its first grants of review of the current Term. The question presented was "Does a claim alleging false light invasion of privacy have a one-year statute of limitations, see Swan v. Boardwalk Regency Corp., 407 N.J. Super. 108 (App. Div 2009)?" Today, agreeing with the Law Division and the Appellate Division, the Supreme Court answered "yes."...