Gibbons Law Alert

Gibbons Law Alert

Tagged: New Jersey Law

Supreme Court Declines to Hear Challenge to New Jersey’s Requirement of Express Waiver Language for Enforcement of Arbitration Provision in Consumer Contracts

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Posted in Class Action Defense / General Litigation

On July 6, 2015

The Supreme Court of the United States declined to review the New Jersey Supreme Court decision in U.S. Legal Services Group v. Atalese, holding that an arbitration provision in a consumer contract was not enforceable because the contract’s language waiving the consumer’s right to sue was not clear and unambiguous. The New Jersey Supreme Court’s decision, which affects the enforceability of arbitration provisions interpreted under New Jersey law, directs that such provisions must clearly notify the parties of their waiver of the right to bring a lawsuit.

Online News Sources Have Standing to Protect Free Speech Rights for Anonymous Users, According to New Jersey Appellate Division

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Posted in General Litigation

On June 29, 2015

Online newspapers, internet service providers, and website hosts have standing to assert the constitutional rights of their users, according to the New Jersey Appellate Division’s recent unpublished decision in Trawinski v. Doe. In Trawinski, the Appellate Division affirmed the denial of a plaintiff’s request for a subpoena requiring NJ.com to disclose the identity of an anonymous commenter. Underlying plaintiff’s request were allegedly defamatory remarks made by an anonymous poster using the screen name “EPLifer2” concerning plaintiff and her husband, a borough council member of Elmwood Park.

New Jersey Appellate Division Says Experts Cannot Serve as Conduits for Hearsay Conclusions from Non-testifying Experts

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Posted in General Litigation

On April 13, 2015

After our recent report concerning a recent New Jersey Supreme Court opinion on the use of hypothetical questions with expert witnesses, New Jersey’s Appellate Division, in a to-be-published opinion, also placed limits on appropriate questions for experts, holding that non-testifying experts’ opinions cannot be “bootstrapped” into the record by asking testifying experts if their conclusions are “consistent” with a non-testifying expert’s. James v. Ruiz, No. A-3543-13T2, 2015 N.J. Super. LEXIS 46 (App. Div. Mar. 25, 2015).

New Jersey Supreme Court Says Hypothetical Questions Can’t Save Expert Opinions that Contradict Uncontroverted Facts in Evidence

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Posted in General Litigation

On March 23, 2015

In Townsend v. Pierre, the New Jersey Supreme Court clarified that the net opinion rule bars expert testimony that contradicts uncontroverted factual evidence and further held that the use of hypothetical questions at trial cannot be used to salvage such an opinion. While the net opinion rule is usually formulated as “forbid[ding] the admission into evidence of an expert’s conclusions that are not supported by factual evidence or other data,” Polzo v. Cnty. of Essex, 196 N.J. 569, 583 (2008), the Court definitively stated that the rule also operates to bar expert testimony where the expert rejected as “mistaken” uncontroverted facts in evidence.

Bill to Expand Data Breach Notification Requirements Passes New Jersey Assembly

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Posted in E-Discovery: Legal Decisions and Court Rules / General Litigation / Privacy and Data Security

On January 28, 2015

On December 15, 2014, the New Jersey Assembly voted 75-to-0 to advance a bill that would expand the existing data breach notification requirements for companies doing business in the state. The bill, A3146, would broaden the type of information that, if compromised, would trigger a company’s obligation to notify customers of the breach. The proposal now heads to the Senate, where a similar bill, S2188, has been pending in the Commerce Committee since June.

Streamlined Judicial Process Signals Good News for Business Litigation

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Posted in General Litigation

On December 10, 2014

On November 13, 2014, the New Jersey Supreme Court approved implementation of the Complex Business Litigation Program for the handling of complex business, commercial, and construction cases. The Program, based on the report and recommendations of the Supreme Court Working Group on Business Litigation chaired by Bergen Vicinage Assignment Judge Peter E. Doyne, will begin on January 1, 2015 for those complex cases filed on or after that date that fulfill certain eligibility criteria.

“Safe and Effective,” Without More, Does Not Warrant Unqualified Safety and Efficacy

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Posted in Class Action Defense / General Litigation

On December 1, 2014

The Third Circuit in In re: Avandia Marketing Sales Practices & Products Liability Litigation recently refused to revive a putative class action accusing GlaxoSmithKline PLC (“GSK”) of violating an express warranty allegedly contained on the label of its diabetes drug, Avandia, which declared the drug “safe and effective.” In so doing, the Court reaffirmed the narrow scope of a breach-of-express-warranty claim under New Jersey law and the requirements necessary to sustain such a claim.

NJ Businesses Should Reassess Arbitration Waiver Provisions in Consumer Contracts

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Posted in General Litigation

On October 27, 2014

Companies that do business in New Jersey should carefully review arbitration provisions in their contracts after a unanimous decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court that marks a departure from recent federal opinions. In Atalese v. U.S. Legal Services Group, the Court held that “[t]he absence of any language” in an arbitration provision that a consumer is waiving his or her “statutory right to seek relief in a court of law renders the provision unenforceable.”

New Jersey Supreme Court Formally Adopts and Defines the Scope and Application of the Common Interest Rule

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Posted in General Litigation

On July 30, 2014

In a matter of first impression, the New Jersey Supreme Court in O’Boyle v. Borough of Longport expressly adopted the common interest rule in New Jersey as articulated in LaPorta v. Gloucester County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Although previously addressed and analyzed by lower courts within New Jersey, the Court’s ruling clarifies the boundaries of the rule and offers guidance in resolving the scope of its application.

Appellate Division Rules Arbitrator Exceeds Powers by Modifying Award to Add Unaddressed Claims

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Posted in General Litigation

On April 17, 2014

In a recent unpublished opinion, the Appellate Division ruled that, although an arbitrator may modify an award to fix technical errors, he cannot include relief for claims not addressed in the original award, even if the failure to address those claims was due to an oversight by the arbitrator. In Merion Construction Management, LLC v. Kemron Environmental Services, Inc., subcontractor Kemron commenced arbitration alleging that although Kemron had substantially performed its obligations, contractor Merion had not paid its invoices. The arbitrator agreed with Kemron and awarded $873,758.56.

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