NJ Appellate Law Blog

The Meaning of "Is Violating" or "Is About to Violate the Law" Does Not Cover Past Violations

Federal Trade Commission v. Shire Viropharma, Inc., 917 F.3d 147 (3d Cir. 2019). A former President of the United States famously uttered the statement that, in interpreting his testimony under...

Filing a Criminal Complaint as a Means of Collecting on an Invoice is an Unconscionable Commercial Practice That Warrants Attorneys' Fees Under the Consumer Fraud Act

Jacobs v. Lindsay and Son Plumbing and Heating, Inc., 458 N.J. Super. 194 (App. Div. 2019). The defendant in this appeal, Mark Lindsay and Son Plumbing & Heating, Inc. ("MLSP")...

Volunteer Firefighter Injured in the Line of Duty Need Not Have Other Employment in Order to Receive Disability Payments

Kocanowski v. Bridgewater Tp., 237 N.J. 3 (2019). As discussed here, the Appellate Division in this case held that in order for a volunteer firefighter to receive temporary disability payments...

The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority Cannot Condemn Land for Potential Use in the Indefinite Future

Casino Reinvestment Development Authority v. Birnbaum, 458 N.J. Super. 173 (App. Div. 2019). On January 7, 2019, the Appellate Division decided Borough of Glassboro v. Grossman, 457 N.J. Super. 416...

Barring Owner of Two-Family Home From Leasing Both Units to Renters is Unlawful

Tirpak v. Borough of Point Pleasant Beach, 457 N.J. Super. 441 (App. Div. 2019). This per curiam opinion, issued today by a panel consisting of Judges Sabatino, Haas, and Sumners,...

Fee for Filing Documents Electronically in a County Register's Office Was Not Authorized by Statute or Otherwise

New Jersey Land Title Association v. Rone, 458 N.J. Super. 120 (App. Div. 2019). May a County Register or Clerk charge a surcharge or convenience fee when a document is...

The Appellate Division Confesses Error

State v. Berisha, 458 N.J. Super. 105 (App. Div. 2019). None of us likes to admit our mistakes. That includes judges, of course, though judges sometimes do change their minds,...

A New Test for Defining "Merchandise" Under the Consumer Fraud Act

All the Way Towing, LLC v. Bucks County International, Inc., 236 N.J. 431 (2019). Plaintiffs (an individual and his company, treated as one plaintiff here) purchased a customized tow truck...

The Supreme Court Grants Certification in Five Cases

Late last Friday, the Supreme Court announced that it has granted certification in five more cases. There are four civil appeals and one criminal matter. The criminal case is actually...

Legislative Silence About Statute of Limitations When Amending Statute Did Not Effect Reduction of Prior Limitations Period

The Plastic Surgery Center, PA v. Malouf Chevrolet-Cadillac, Inc., 457 N.J. Super. 565 (App. Div. 2019). This opinion today by Judge Fisher was so legal issue-intensive that he found that...

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Appellate Division Oral Argument of the Week: What Effect Does the Federal Ending Forced Arbitration Act Have in a Hostile Work Environment Case?

Tomorrow, September 16, judges on Part B of the Appellate Division will hear oral argument in Cintron v. Brink's, Incorporated. That is a hostile work environment case brought under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, N.J.S.A. 10:5-1 et seq....

Two Criminal Appeals and Two Eminent Domain Cases for the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court announced that it has granted review in four new cases. Two of them are criminal matters. The other two involve eminent domain issues. One of the criminal appeals is before the Court on leave to appeal, the second grant of leave to appeal in the current Term. The Court granted certification in the other three matters....

Appellate Division Oral Argument of the Week: Can the Borough of Caldwell Recoup Payment for Professional Services That it Previously Made?

Tomorrow, September 11, a panel of judges on the Appellate Division's Part B will hear oral argument in Borough of Caldwell v. Cozzarelli-Cirminiello Architects, LLC. The case is before the Appellate Division following the grant of defendant's motion for leave to appeal the denial of its motion to dismiss the Complaint....

The First Published Appellate Division Opinion of the 2025-26 Term

Alcantara v. Moro, ___ N.J. Super. ___ (App. Div. 2025). Judge Smith authored this opinion for the Appellate Division, that court's first published opinion of the new Term. The appeal was from a final decision of the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education that the School Funding Reform Act, N.J.S.A. 8A:7F-43 et seq. ("SFRA"), was constitutional as applied to the Township of Lakewood....