New Jersey

Police shoot man wanted in bombing investigation; family members once alleged anti-Muslim bias

Updated: Police have shot and wounded a 28-year-old New Jersey man they sought to question in connection with the bombing in Manhattan on Saturday that injured 29 people and a bombing in Seaside Park, New Jersey, the same day. Police shot Ahmad Khan Rahami of Elizabeth, New Jersey, in a…

Sep 19, 2016 10:58 AM CDT

Court tosses bias-crime conviction in Rutgers roommate webcam case

A bias-crime conviction for a Rutgers College student who secretly webcammed his roommate during gay sexual encounters was overturned by a New Jersey appellate court Friday, and a new trial was ordered. The 2012 conviction against Dharun Ravi stemmed from the suicide of his roommate, freshman Tyler Clementi, NJ Advance…

Sep 12, 2016 9:45 AM CDT

8THEIST vanity license plates allowed under lawsuit settlement

Feminists and atheists in New Jersey will be allowed to proclaim their affiliations on vanity license plates as a result of a lawsuit settlement. The settlement, announced last Friday, allows plaintiff Shannon Morgan to pay for a vanity plate that reads, “8THEIST,” report the Associated Press, NJ.com and the New…

Aug 16, 2016 10:31 AM CDT

Homebuyers’ suit over threatening letters from ‘the Watcher’ is allowed to proceed

A New Jersey judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit claiming the sellers of a $1.3 million home should have warned about a disturbing letter from a person who claimed to be watching the home. Judge Camille Kenny of Elizabeth, New Jersey, tossed emotional distress claims and other counts, but…

Aug 12, 2016 1:44 PM CDT

New Jersey man plagued by Pokemon Go players files nuisance class action

A New Jersey man who says Pokemon Go players are visiting his property has filed a would-be class action lawsuit against the developer and distributor of the app. Jeffrey Marder’s suit claims the placement of the Pokemon virtual characters at or near his home is interfering with his use and…

Aug 2, 2016 12:28 PM CDT

New Jersey Supreme Court to decide if email log is covered by open records law

The New Jersey Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether police have to supply an open-government activist with logs of emails under the state’s public records law. The court agreed on Friday to hear the appeal by the activist, John Paff, after an appeals court ruled that the email log…

Jul 26, 2016 7:30 AM CDT

Chris Christie’s cellphone is apparently found after Bridgegate defendants lose bid to obtain it

Questions about Chris Christie’s missing cellphone were resolved Thursday evening when a spokesman for the governor said a King & Spalding partner had the device. A federal judge in New Jersey on Thursday quashed a subpoena seeking to obtain the phone filed by defendants William Baroni Jr. and Bridget Anne…

Jul 8, 2016 11:41 AM CDT

Gretchen Carlson files sex harassment suit against Fox News chief Roger Ailes in New Jersey court

Former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson has sued network chairman Roger Ailes for alleged sexual harassment in superior court in Bergen County, New Jersey. Carlson claims in the July 6 suit that Ailes fired her and “sabotaged her career” because she refused his sexual advances, report Law.com, the New York…

Jul 7, 2016 10:36 AM CDT

Divorced and separated people are protected by marital discrimination law, top state court rules

Employers may not discipline, fire or block the advancement of workers who are divorced or in the process of divorcing, the New Jersey Supreme Court has ruled. According to Reuters, the high court ruled 6-0 that New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination, which includes a prohibition on discrimination according to marital…

Jun 23, 2016 2:30 PM CDT

Cost-of-living adjustments not guaranteed for public pensioners, says NJ Supreme Court

A New Jersey pension overhaul that suspended cost-of-living adjustments for public employees was upheld Thursday by the state supreme court. The plan, enacted in 2011, reduces the state pension system’s unfunded liability by $17.5 billion, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. According to NJ.com, the state’s pension system is underfunded by $59…

Jun 10, 2016 4:30 PM CDT

Lawyer acquitted in claimed cover-up of school board member’s free-lunch application

The first of two lawyers to go to trial in a criminal corruption case over a claimed cover-up of a New Jersey school board member’s free-lunch application won a resounding victory on Tuesday. Following a five-week trial, it took the jury less than an hour of deliberation to decide to…

Jun 8, 2016 10:20 AM CDT

Judge who was reprimanded for remarks to lawyers and witness is renominated to the bench

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has renominated a judge who was recently reprimanded for his remarks to a witness and lawyers. Christie renominated Judge Joseph Portelli on May 26, about a week after the reprimand, the New Jersey Law Journal (sub. req.) reports. The nomination requires approval of the state…

Jun 1, 2016 5:45 AM CDT

Couple must pay $572K, plus possible punitives, in 4-year-old son’s fatal shooting of playmate

A New Jersey judge hearing a wrongful death case over the accidental slaying of a 6-year-old by his 4-year-old playmate has ordered the parents of the shooter to pay $572,588.26, plus possible punitive damages. Judge Robert Brenner found Anthony Senatore 90 percent liable and Melissa Senatore 10 percent liable for…

May 25, 2016 2:35 PM CDT

‘Super lawyers’ and ‘rising stars’ are warned about accolade advertising

Lawyer advertising that mentions awards such as “Super Lawyers,” “Rising Stars” and “Best Lawyers” has spurred the filing of many complaints with a New Jersey committee that considers ethics of lawyer advertising. The New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on Lawyer Advertising has received so many grievances that it decided to…

May 23, 2016 6:15 AM CDT

Ex-lawyer charged with money-laundering and stealing $1.5M from client estates

A New Jersey lawyer who was disbarred by consent last year following an earlier client-theft accusation was charged with money-laundering and multiple theft counts in a superseding indictment announced on Tuesday. Joseph Talafous Jr., 53, is accused of stealing $1.5 million between 2004 and 2015, primarily from five clients’ estates,…

May 17, 2016 5:00 PM CDT