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

Party Who Litigated for 21 Months Waived Right to Compel Arbitration

Cole v. Jersey City Medical Center, 215 N.J. 165 (2013). In Cole v. Jersey City Medical Center, 425 N.J. Super. 48 (App. Div. 2012), discussed here, the Appellate Division ruled that defendant,...

Governor Christie Will Not Re-Nominate Justice Hoens to the Supreme Court

Governor Christie announced today that he will not re-nominate Justice Hoens to the Supreme Court once her initial seven-year term expires later this year. Instead, he is nominating Judge Faustino J....

The Supreme Court Rejects "Jury Homework"

State v. Morgan, 217 N.J. 1 (2013). In State v. Morgan, 423 N.J. Super. 453 (App. Div. 2011), discussed here, the Appellate Division found no bar to a trial judge...

"Intertwinement of Issues" Cannot Compel Non-Party to Arbitration Agreement to Arbitrate Claims

Hirsch v. Amper Financial Services, LLC, 215 N.J. 174 (2013). Arbitration is a matter of contract. The issue in this case was whether non-parties to an arbitration agreement could be compelled to...

Potential Drainage Issues Do Not Defeat Right to a Variance for Frontage

Ten Stary Dom Partnership v. Mauro, 216 N.J. 16 (2013). Less than two weeks after issuing an opinion about conditional use variances, the Supreme Court today turned to bulk variances...

"Courting Justice: 10 New Jersey Cases That Shook the Nation"

Yesterday's Star-Ledger contained a review of this book, which is edited by Paul L. Tractenberg and published by Rutgers University Press. That review is available here. According to the review, the...

40 Years Since Berzito v. Gambino

On this date in 1973, the Supreme Court decided Berzito v. Gambino, 63 N.J. 460 (1973). Berzito was the third in a series of Supreme Court decisions that modernized residential...

"Upper Management" Jury Instruction is Required for Punitive Damages Claims Under CEPA

Longo v. Pleasure Productions, Inc., 215 N.J. 48 (2013). A plaintiff under the Conscientious Employee Protection Act, N.J.S.A. 34:19-1 to -8 ("CEPA"), can recover punitive damages against an employer, under the doctrine...

Relaxed Standard of Coventry Square, Not Stricter Standard of Medici, Applies to Proof of Negative Criteria for Conditonal Use Variances

TSI East Brunswick, LLC v. East Brunswick Bd. of Adj., 215 N.J. 26 (2013). The Municipal Land Use Law ("MLUL"), N.J.S.A. 40:55D-70(d)(3), authorizes applications for conditional use variances. A conditional use is...

"In But Not Of" (Or Just "Of") is Dispositive of Clash Over COAH

In re Plan for the Abolition of the Council on Affordable Housing, 214 N.J. 444 (2013). The Council on Affordable Housing ("COAH") was established as part of the Legislature's response to the...

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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....