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

The Supreme Court Takes Up Another Compassionate Release Act Case

The Supreme Court announced that it has granted certification in M.R. v. Department of Corrections. The question presented, as phrased by the Supreme Court Clerk's office, is "Under the Compassionate...

Verizon Loses a Tax Case, as the Supreme Court Affirms an Appellate Division Decision for the Reasons the Appellate Division Gave

Verizon New Jersey, Inc. v. Borough of Hopewell, 258 N.J. 255 (2024). This 6-0 per curiam opinion (Justice Fasciale did not participate) affirmed a 78-page opinion by Judge Accurso at...

Immunity Under the Landowners Liability Act

Arias v. County of Bergen, ___ N.J. Super. ___ (App. Div. 2024). This was a personal injury case. Plaintiff fell in a hole and sustained injuries while rollerblading on a...

Two Megan's Law Decisions by the Supreme Court

In the Matter of Registrant R.H., 258 N.J. 1 (2024); In the Matter of Registrant J.A., 258 N.J. 22 (2024). These decisions, both unanimous, were issued yesterday. Chief Justice Rabner...

Wrapping Up June

June came to a close last week. There were no Supreme Court decisions. The Appellate Division, however, issued five published opinions. Only one of them was discussed, here. Here are...

How to Rescind a Certificate of Dissolution of a New Jersey LLC That is Filed in Error or Without Authorization

Patel v. New Jersey Department of Treasury, 479 N.J. Super. 26 (App. Div. 2024). Judge Sabatino's opinion in this case began by explaining its background and the novel issue presented:...

Restraints Imposed in a Title 30 Action for Care and Supervision of Children Must End if the Case is Dismissed

New Jersey Division of Child Protection & Permanency v. J.C., 257 N.J. 451 (2024). Justice Solomon's unanimous opinion for the Supreme Court today posed the question before the Court this...

This Week in the Supreme Court

It's the time of year when the Supreme Court gets into a higher gear when it comes to issuing opinions. The Court released three decisions this week, all of them...

Cleaning Up From Last Week

Due in part to my attendance at the NJSBA Annual Meeting last week, this blog is somewhat behind on last week's published opinions by the Supreme Court and the Appellate...

Operator of Low-Speed Electric Scooter is Not a "Pedestrian" Entitled to Personal Injury Protection Under the No-Fault Act

Goyco v. Progressive Ins. Co., 257 N.J. 313 (2024). Plaintiff was hit by a car while he was operating a low-speed electric scooter ("LSES"), a Segway Ninebot KickScooter Max. As...

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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....

Appellate Division Oral Argument of the Week: Where a Party Files a Suit Alleged to Violate the UPEPA But Quickly Dismisses It, Can Defendants Then Get Counsel Fees Under the Statute?

On May 15, judges on Part C of the Appellate Division will hear oral argument in Satz v. Keshet Starr. Plaintiff, acting pro se, filed a defamation suit against defendants. Defendants filed an o order to show cause to dismiss the case and for attorneys' fees under the Uniform Public Expression Protection Act, N.J.S.A. 2A:53A-49 et seq. ("UPEPA"). The UPEPA, enacted in 2023, sought to make it more difficult to use the legal system as a weapon to bully individuals into silence by filing what have been known as SLAPP ("strategic lawsuits against public participation") suits....