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

The Limitations of Mandamus

Caporusso v. New Jersey Dep't of Health & Senior Services, 434 N.J. Super. 88 (App. Div. 2014). The prerogative writ of mandamus is the centerpiece of this opinion by Judge...

Ban on Discrimination Against the Unemployed in Job Advertisements is Constitutional

New Jersey Dept' of Labor & Workforce Development v. Crest Ultrasonics, 434 N.J. Super. 34 (App. Div. 2014). N.J.S.A. 34:8B-1 "bars employers seeking to fill job vacancies in this State...

A Written Request is Required in Order to Obtain Records Under OPRA

Bozzi v. City of Atlantic City, 434 N.J. Super. 326 (App. Div. 2014). Plaintiff wanted to get a copy of bid specifications for HVAC work at a local public building....

Access Easements

Caribbean House, Inc. v. North Hudson Yacht Club, 434 N.J. Super. 220 (App. Div. 2013). This decision by Judge Accurso, issued today, involves an "easement of way," or an access...

Personal Jurisdiction Goes Only So Far

Baanyan Software Services, Inc. v. Kuncha, 433 N.J. Super. 466 (App. Div. 2013). Under Rule 4:4-4, New Jersey asserts personal jurisdiction over defendants to the outer limits of what due...

"Arbitrary, Capricious, or Unreasonable" Test Applies to Judicial Review of Administrative Agency Actions, Whether "Quasi-Judicial" or "Quasi-Legislative"

In re Proposed Quest Academy Charter School, 216 N.J. 370 (2013). In this unanimous opinion, fittingly written by Justice LaVecchia given her Office of Administrative Law background, the Supreme Court...

An Injunction Can Issue to Preserve the Status Quo Even Without a Likelihood of Success on the Merits

Waste Management of New Jersey, Inc. v. Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority, 433 N.J. Super. 445 (App. Div. 2013). Under Crowe v. DeGioia, 90 N.J. 126 (1982), some familiar factors normally govern...

Discovery and Severance

Procopio v. Gov't Employees Ins. Co., 433 N.J. Super. 377 (App. Div. 2013). As Judge Parrillo stated in today's opinion, rulings of trial level judges on discovery matters, and on whether...

Another Important Initiative and Referendum Decision

Redd v. Bowman, 433 N.J. Super. 178 (App. Div. 2013). This is another case that involves the power of citizens of a municipality established under the Faulkner Act, N.J.S.A. 40:69A-1 to -210, to...

Where Intent is at Issue, Summary Judgment is Normally Inappropriate

In re Estate of DeFrank, 433 N.J. Super. 258 (App. Div. 2013). This case involved the question of whether the funds in certain joint bank accounts, which accounts were in...

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Sentencing Counsel's Limited Investigation of Defendant's Citizenship Was Not Constitutionally Ineffective in the Circumstances

State v. Hernandez-Peralta, ___ N.J. ___ (2025). Justice Wainer Apter's decision today for a 5-2 Supreme Court majority began by phrasing the issue presented. "In this appeal, we consider whether sentencing counsel was constitutionally ineffective for failing to investigate defendant's citizenship status beyond asking him if he was a United States citizen and receiving an unequivocal ‘yes,' and therefore not advising him that his plea could make him subject to deportation." The majority found, based on the particular facts, that counsel was not constitutionally ineffective, reversing the two lower courts. Justice Noriega, joined by Justice Fasciale, dissented....

The 2025-26 General Assignment Order

Chief Justice Rabner announced the 2025-26 General Assignment Order. It is available here....

New Jersey's Charity Care Program for Hospitals is Not a Per Se Unconstitutional Taking of Property

Englewood Hospital & Medical Center v. State, ___ N.J. ___ (2025). New Jersey has had a charity care program, in one form or another, for 178 years. As Justice Fasciale summarized the current charity care program in his opinion for a unanimous Supreme Court, under the current program "hospitals cannot turn away a patient for inability to pay, N.J.S.A. 26:2H-18.64, and patients who qualify for charity care shall not be billed for services rendered, N.J.A.C. 10:52-11.4. Instead, ‘disproportionate share hospitals' (DSHs), or hospitals that serve a disproportionate number of low-income patients, see N.J.S.A. 26:2H-18.52, receive annual subsidies from the Health Care Subsidy Fund (HCSF) in exchange for providing charity care, see N.J.S.A. 26:2H-18.52, .58, .58d."...

A Municipal Court Administrator is Employed by the Township, Not the Administrative Office of the Courts

Palmisano v. State of New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts, ___ N.J. Super. ___ (App. Div. 2025). The opening paragraph of Judge Marczyk's opinion for the Appellate Division well encapsulates what the appeal was about and what the result was. "Plaintiff Lindsay Palmisano appeals from the trial court's April 1, 2024 order dismissing her complaint with prejudice against defendant State of New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts and Municipal Division (AOC) pursuant to Rule 4:6-2(e). The primary issue on appeal is whether plaintiff, a municipal court administrator, is an employee of the AOC, thereby allowing her to assert a claim against the AOC under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD), N.J.S.A. 10:5-1 to -49. Based on our review of the record and the applicable legal principles, we conclude plaintiff was employed by Vernon Township (Township), not the AOC, and, therefore, we affirm."...