New Jersey

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

Lawyer who fraudulently inserted client names in asbestos cases gets two years in federal prison

A former New Jersey lawyer who, while still in practice, added to his Haddonfield firm’s bottom line by deleting the names of actual plaintiffs and inserting the names of its clients in already-filed New York asbestos lawsuits has been sentenced to two years in federal prison. Arobert C. Tonagbanua, now…

May 6, 2016 11:20 AM CDT

Lawyer sues over her police detention after refusing to speak during in traffic stop

A lawyer who was handcuffed in a holding cell for refusing to speak to a police officer during a traffic stop, though otherwise cooperating, is suing New Jersey state police, that trooper and others for violating her constitutional rights, NJ.com reports. Rebecca Musarra alleges in the complaint (PDF), filed in…

May 5, 2016 3:40 PM CDT

‘Dream team’ lawyer says evidence in ‘nanny cam’ case is reminiscent of OJ Simpson trial

The same “nanny cam” that captured footage of a black man beating a New Jersey woman in front of her child during a home invasion also shows a detective investigating the crime referring to the man as a “monkey,” along with other racial slurs. An article by NJ.com questions what…

May 2, 2016 4:30 PM CDT

Those who knowingly send texts that distract drivers could face liability in Pennsylvania

It isn’t just drivers who text behind the wheel who run the risk of accidents and expensive lawsuits. In an apparent case of first impression in the state, a ruling last month by a Pennsylvania judge says two men accused of texting a driver at the time of a fatal…

Apr 29, 2016 1:45 PM CDT

Autistic teen who accepted dare to jump into frigid water made his own choice, defense lawyer says

An autistic teen didn’t have to jump into the frigid Atlantic Ocean, a defense lawyer argued in a New Jersey courtroom on Tuesday. In opening arguments, lawyer Jason Volet argued that the teen, Parker Drake, was competent and able to make his own choices, NJ.com reports. Volet’s client, Nicholas Formica,…

Apr 27, 2016 9:19 AM CDT

Law firm to pay $1M to settle CFPB action over debt-collection practices

Without admitting liability, a long-established New Jersey debt collection law firm has agreed to pay a $1 million fine to settle a U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau action alleging abusive debt-collection practices. The CFPB contended that Pressler & Pressler and a client debt-collection agency pursued half a million cases, frequently…

Apr 25, 2016 5:40 PM CDT

Lawyers accused of using paralegal to friend litigant on Facebook are facing ethics probe

Ethics regulators may pursue a case against two lawyers accused of using a paralegal to friend a litigant and access nonpublic Facebook pages, the New Jersey Supreme Court has ruled in a decision on the power of the Office of Attorney Ethics. The supreme court ruled that the ethics office…

Apr 20, 2016 7:45 AM CDT