New Jersey

Sunglasses Issue Obscures Case Outcome

A New Jersey judge’s insistence that a respondent should remove his sunglasses in her courtroom has put the outcome of his civil commitment hearing in doubt. Her focus on his shades calls into question her impartiality, requiring another hearing before a different judge, a state appeals court says. A forensic…

Sep 4, 2008 9:54 PM CDT

E-Mail Puts N.Y. Times Publisher in Deposition Seat

Add another well-known name to the list of those unhappy about e-mail communications. Arthur Sulzberger Jr., publisher of the New York Times, is going to have to testify in a defamation suit filed in New Jersey against one of the newspaper’s reporters by Donald Trump, over a book the reporter…

Sep 3, 2008 10:31 PM CDT

Feds Can Review N.J. Lawyer’s Client Files, Judge Rules

A federal judge has OK’d a plan for the FBI to review computer records that a New Jersey lawyer says concern all of his clients for the past 15 years, finding that the procedure established for doing so is adequate to protect the rights of all concerned. The ruling by…

Sep 3, 2008 9:15 PM CDT

Lawyer Lied About Pomeranian in Federal Corruption Probe in N.J.

A New Jersey lawyer who is also an architect reportedly gave a Pomeranian to a Union City Zoning Board member’s girlfriend, in an effort to bribe him. Then, when questioned about the little orange yapper by the FBI, attorney Jose Izquierdo, 52, falsely claimed that he had been repaid $3,417…

Aug 28, 2008 6:11 PM CDT

Plaintiff May Videotape Defense’s Deposition of Her, N.J. Judge Says

A plaintiff has a right to videotape a deposition taken by opposing counsel, even if opposing counsel objects to the videotaping, a New Jersey judge has ruled. Although a New Jersey court rule that governs videotaping of depositions doesn’t address the issue, a Bergen County judge found that the plaintiff…

Aug 21, 2008 5:13 PM CDT

Top N.J. Judge Can Be Personally Sued in School Bullying Case

A judge on the New Jersey Supreme Court can be sued personally for allegedly using his position to interfere in investigations of a Haddonfield High School classmate’s claimed bullying of his son in 2006. Mercer County Judge Linda Feinberg has ruled that the civil rights suit can proceed against state…

Aug 19, 2008 9:27 PM CDT

Judge Tosses Lawyer’s Challenge of Fee Agreement With Prior Partner

A judge has tossed a declaratory judgment suit over legal fees filed by a lawyer who left a law firm and took a case with him. The case highlights the issue of fees that can be paid to retiring partners, the New Jersey Law Journal reports. Judge Peter Doyne of…

Aug 19, 2008 12:09 PM CDT

Law Firms Find Going ‘Green’ is Easy, and a Client-Pleaser

From sending rejection letters by e-mail instead of regular mail to eliminating bottled water and investigating alternative energy sources, a growing number of law firms throughout New Jersey are increasingly focused on “green” alternatives to traditional practices that waste resources. Doing so not only cuts costs over time but is…

Aug 18, 2008 4:11 PM CDT

Evidence Against Anthrax Scientist Is Mostly Circumstantial

The government scientist who killed himself before he could be indicted in the 2001 anthrax attacks was linked to the crime by the DNA of an anthrax strain he handled at a government laboratory. Anthrax spores were found on a bookcase and several other locations in or near the office…

Aug 4, 2008 10:47 AM CDT

N.J. Lawyer Ethics Office Settles Bias Suit for $150K

New Jersey’s Office of Attorney Ethics has agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a bias suit filed by three women lawyers. The three plaintiffs had claimed the office had a “caste system” that placed women lawyers into lower job classifications than men who had not gone to law school, the…

Jul 29, 2008 12:34 PM CDT

Lawyers Slapped for Paying Revenue-Based Bonuses to Staffers

The New Jersey Supreme Court has opted for disciplinary probation rather than a license suspension in the case of three lawyers who shared legal fees with office employees. The court chose the lighter punishment because the lawyers had no prior discipline and because of an “extraordinary delay” in resolving the…

Jul 25, 2008 4:55 PM CDT

Despite Settlement, N.J. Plaintiffs Can Sue Law Firms for Malpractice

Considerably expanding what some understood to be the scope of permissible malpractice claim against a law firm after the underlying case at issue has settled, a New Jersey appeals court has revived a claim against two law partnerships. Distinguishing the current case from a 2005 state supreme court holding in…

Jul 22, 2008 8:35 PM CDT

New Jersey Woman Sues Surgeon Over Temporary Rose Tattoo

A New Jersey woman has sued the doctor who operated on her back for a herniated disk–not because of any issue with the surgery, but because of what she found on her front the next day: a temporary red rose tattoo. Recounts the Philadelphia Inquirer: “The patient discovered the tattoo…

Jul 18, 2008 8:12 PM CDT

N.J. Lawyer to Accept Reprimand for Keeping Late-Filed Appeals Secret

A New Jersey disciplinary board says a lawyer should be reprimanded for missing deadlines to file appellate briefs in two cases and then failing to tell his clients about it. The lawyer, Clifford Van Syoc of Cherry Hill, N.J., had claimed that he had a heavy caseload and was suffering…

Jul 17, 2008 2:45 PM CDT

Lawyers Targeted for Junk Faxes Win $1.8M Settlement

A class made up mostly of Massachusetts lawyers has negotiated a $1.8 million settlement with an auctioneer that sent them unsolicited faxes. Boston solo practitioner Evan Fray-Witzer was lead plaintiff in the suit against Metropolitan Antiques, a New Jersey company, Legal Blog Watch reports. Metropolitan had purchased the lawyers’ fax…

Jul 10, 2008 2:49 PM CDT