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

The Anniversary of Sinclair v. Merck

On this date in 2008, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Sinclair v. Merck & Co., Inc., 195 N.J. 51 (2008). In that case, a majority of the Court,...

Nobody's Perfect

In re Petition of Fishermen's Atlantic City Windfarm, LLC, 2015 N.J. Super. Unpub. LEXIS 1265 (App. Div. May 29, 2015). This not precedential decision, issued last Friday, May 29, addresses...

Damages for Defamation, and a Statute of Limitations Issue

NuWave Investment Corp. v. Hyman Beck & Co., 221 N.J. 495 (2015). This short per curiam opinion, issued today, affirmed the ruling of the Appellate Division, which was reported at...

The Anniversary of the Sham Affidavit Doctrine

On May 22, 2002, the Supreme Court decided Shelcusky v. Garjulio, 172 N.J. 185 (2002). That was a personal injury case in which a forklift driver at a plant where...

"Trustworthiness" of Testimony Under a Hearsay Exception, and the Need for a Rule 104 Hearing

Estate of Grieco v. Schmidt, 440 N.J. Super. 557 (App. Div. 2015). Today's decision by Judge Fisher is another example of an appellate ruling involving hearsay rules. In this wrongful...

"Extraordinary Circumstances" Justifying Late Notice of Tort Claim

Beyer v. Sea Bright Borough, 440 N.J. Super. 424 (App. Div. 2015). The New Jersey Tort Claims Act, N.J.S.A. 59:8-8, requires anyone who wants to bring a tort claim against...

Towns Can't Impose Additional Requirements, Even Redundant Ones, on Gun Applications

In re Denial of Application of Z.K. for a New Jersey Firearms Purchaser Identification Card and Permit to Purchase, 440 N.J. Super. 394 (App. Div. 2015). Yesterday, while many of...

The Appellate Division Rejects Ascertainability as a Class Action Criterion, and Changes the Rules for Interlocutory Appeals of Class Certification Decisions

Daniels v. Hollister Co., 440 N.J. Super. 359 (App. Div. 2015). Readers of this blog have gotten their fill (including, most recently, here and here) of discussion and analysis of...

Another Step Forward for Electronic Filing in the Appellate Division

Electronic filing in the New Jersey appellate courts has been on the way for several years. Previous steps toward that end were discussed here and here. Today, attorneys and firms...

Motions for Reconsideration, and "Little Used" Statutes Protecting the Priority of Employees' Wages Against Creditors of the Employer

The Pitney Bowes Bank, Inc. v. ABC Caging Fulfillment, 440 N.J. Super. 378 (App. Div. 2015). There are not many published appellate opinions that discuss the rules for levying or...

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South Seaside Park Can Detach Itself From Berkeley Township

Whiteman v. Township Council of Berkeley Township, ___ N.J. ___ (2025). South Seaside Park is a small (490 year-round residents) barrier island community that has been annexed to the Township of Berkeley ("the Township"). South Seaside Park sought to deannex itself from the Township and to be annexed instead to the Borough of Seaside Park. South Seaside Park followed a statutory petitioning procedure in doing so. The Township refused consent. South Seaside Park went to court and won a ruling from the Law Division that rejected the Township's refusal. The Appellate Division affirmed. Yesterday, in a unanimous opinion by Justice Patterson, the Supreme Court affirmed as well....

Megan's Law "Not Likely to Pose a Threat to the Safety of Others" Extends to Non-Sexual as Well as Sexual Re-Offenses

In re Registrant S.O., ___ N.J. Super. ___ (App. Div. 2025). This appeal presented a pure legal issue relating to the "public safety prongs" contained in the termination provisions of Megan's Law, N.J.S.A. 2C:7-2(f), and the Community Supervision for Life statute ("CSL"), N.J.S.A. 2C:43-6.4(c). Judge Vanek crystallized that "novel" issue as "whether, on a registrant's application to terminate Megan's Law and CSL obligations, the phrase ‘not likely to pose a threat to the safety of others' should be broadly interpreted with the trial court considering threats to safety from subsequent non-sexual and sexual offenses or whether the inquiry should be limited to the threat of sexual re-offense only." The panel held that the broader view was the correct one....

Using Proof of Habit or Routine Practice as Evidence of Conduct in a Particular Instance

Fazio v. Altice USA, ___ N.J. ___ (2025). As Justice Fasciale noted in his opinion for a unanimous Supreme Court today, "[h]abit evidence is particularly well suited for cases involving reasonably regular and uniform routine practices of business organizations." New Jersey Evidence Rule 406 permits proof of conduct in a particular instance via the presentation of habit or routine practice. The application of that Rule was at the center of this appeal....

Two Published Appellate Division Decisions in This Short Week

Tomorrow is Independence Day and the courts are closed. Many have taken vacation time in this short week. But not the Appellate Division, which issued two published opinions this week. Here are summaries....