New Jersey

JuicyCampus on ‘Absurd’ AG Probes: We Don’t Have to Enforce Our Rules

An anonymous campus gossip website that is now the subject of at least two state attorney general investigations has responded to claims that it may have violated its own terms and conditions by providing a bulletin board for allegedly malicious, defamatory and potentially harmful posts. The site has violated no…

Mar 27, 2008 7:14 PM CDT

Another State AG Probes JuicyCampus Gossip Website

Updated: The attorney general of Connecticut is following the lead of his New Jersey counterpart and has launched an unusual investigation of an anonymous campus gossip website on a cutting-edge consumer legal theory. And a California lawmaker is suggesting a similar investigation by the AG in his home state. Richard…

Mar 25, 2008 5:53 PM CDT

After 3 Sex Scandals in 1 Week, N.Y. Gov’s Spending Issues No Big Deal

Within the past week, the governor and former attorney general of New York has resigned over a sex scandal that also reportedly may have involved illegal payments to prostitutes. His replacement, sworn in on Monday, has already admitted to extramarital affairs that may at least once or twice have involved…

Mar 21, 2008 1:54 AM CDT

N.J. Prosecutors Investigate JuicyCampus Site

In what may be the first such investigation in the nation, prosecutors in New Jersey reportedly are investigating a controversial no-holds-barred college campus gossip website for possible consumer law violations. The state’s attorney general and Division of Consumer Affairs have subpoenaed the website owner and advertisers, seeking information about how…

Mar 19, 2008 9:26 PM CDT

Malpractice Suit Against Drinker Biddle Reinstated

A New Jersey appeals court has ruled that a judge was too quick to dismiss a malpractice suit against Drinker Biddle. The firm is accused of failing to find an expert witness that supported its client’s claim against a pollution cleanup company. The court said there is enough evidence to…

Mar 19, 2008 12:41 PM CDT

Judge Scolds N.J. Town Fighting 14 Tickets From Own Police Dept.

A New Jersey judge yesterday scolded a lawyer for a town that is fighting 14 tickets issued by its own police department. An attorney for Middletown, which is in the unaccustomed position of defending itself from its own tickets, was apparently confused about the municipality’s role in the case. But…

Mar 6, 2008 7:00 PM CST

Report Criticizes N.J. Law Firm and its Developer Client

A politically connected law firm and its developer client were criticized in a report issued yesterday by New Jersey’s inspector general detailing the failure of a project to clean up and build houses on landfills. The New York Times said sections of the report “amounted to a sweeping indictment of…

Feb 29, 2008 2:59 PM CST

Judge Allows Eating-Disorder Insurance Suit

A New Jersey judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit seeking better insurance coverage for eating disorders. The suit claims Aetna Inc. is improperly classifying eating disorders as a mental illness with no biological basis, the New Jersey Law Journal reports. The classification allows the insurer to limit coverage under…

Feb 29, 2008 1:48 PM CST

Big Bankruptcy Case Discovers Forged Attorney Opinion Letters

When opinion letters apparently written by a prominent New Jersey lawyer were sent to Merrill Lynch Business Financial Services in 2004 along with alleged fake financial statements, the bank reportedly took the documents at face value. Relying on them, it issued a multimillion-dollar loan to a now-bankrupt company. But now…

Feb 13, 2008 9:25 PM CST

Crusading N.J. Prosecutor Accused of Bullying Tactics, Cronyism

U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie has an impressive record of battling political corruption, but opponents say he has resorted to the same kind of bullying and cronyism for which he has criticized others. Even those who point to Christie’s successes say they are marred by his blurring of the line between…

Feb 13, 2008 12:49 PM CST

PI Lawyers Argue Admin Payments Were Bonuses, Not Referral Fees

Two partners in a now-defunct personal-injury law firm argue in a petition filed with the New Jersey Supreme Court that their payments to an office administrator were bonuses rather than illegal referral fees. The state’s Disciplinary Review Board had ruled the Cherry Hill law firm—Tomar, Simonoff, Adourian, O’Brien, Kaplan, Jacoby…

Feb 7, 2008 2:11 PM CST

Expletive Deleted: Judge Accused of Profanity-Laced Tongue-Lashing

A state disciplinary panel has accused a New Jersey judge of unleashing a profanity-laced tongue-lashing as he ordered a lawyer out of his courtroom, New Jersey Star-Ledger reports. The complaint (PDF) against Judge F. Michael Giles of Essex County says he was neither dignified nor courteous when he ordered the…

Feb 5, 2008 1:32 PM CST

N.J. Supremes to Weigh Law Firm Liability for Client’s Improper Suit

The New Jersey Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether a law firm can be liable for representing a nightclub that improperly sued neighbors who publicly opposed the business’s expansion. David Bauman represents the law firm sued for malicious use of process, Giordano, Halleran & Ciesla of Middletown, N.J. He…

Jan 31, 2008 2:45 PM CST

NJ Judge Says He Isn’t Resigning Due to Ethics Complaint, Lawsuit

A beleaguered New Jersey judge has resigned, amid allegations that he twice came to court under the influence of alcohol and issued a search warrant in a case that should not have been in his court. Judge Richard Sasso said his resignation was because of health problems, including spinal injuries…

Jan 29, 2008 2:50 PM CST

N.J. Ethics Opinion Allows Ghostwritten Pleadings for Indigent Clients

A New Jersey ethics opinion says lawyers may ethically draft pleadings for litigants without telling the court—in limited circumstances. Opinion 713 by the New Jersey Supreme Court’s Advisory Committee on Professional Ethics says lawyers may ghostwrite pleadings to help someone who can’t afford a lawyer or as part of a…

Jan 29, 2008 1:06 PM CST