New Jersey

After a Year Away, Military Mom Gets More Access to 2-Year-Old Daughter

Ruling today in a child-custody case that became high-profile after a national newspaper featured Leydi Mendoza as an example of a military mom who has suffered as a parent due to her military service, a New Jersey family court judge says she can have more access to her 2-year-old daughter.…

Sep 1, 2009 6:34 PM CDT

Court Says Solo Lawyer’s Lack of Contrition Justified Higher Sentence

A New Jersey solo practitioner who tried to shift blame to a co-defendant for filing false immigration forms was properly sentenced to more prison time than called for in a plea bargain, a federal appeals court has ruled. Jonathan Saint Preux, a former lawyer who practiced in Irvington, N.J., was…

Aug 27, 2009 1:42 PM CDT

Mother-in-Law Sues Over Comedian’s Jokes

To Ruth Zafrin, her comedian daughter-in-law’s jokes are no laughing matter. Zafrin has sued comedian Sunda Croonquist, alleging her jokes are defamatory because they make Zafrin out to be a racist, according to stories in the New Jersey Law Journal, the Associated Press and the New York Post. Other plaintiffs…

Aug 26, 2009 3:22 PM CDT

Federal Prosecutor Resigns After $46K Loan from Boss Is Revealed

It may have been Michele Brown’s bad luck that her former boss decided to run as a Republican candidate for New Jersey state governor. But the federal prosecutor resigned from her job today as acting first assistant U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, saying that it had been an honor and…

Aug 25, 2009 11:55 PM CDT

Proposed Paterson, N.J., Curfew Could Be 1st in US for Adults

A controversial proposal to impose a two-month curfew in Paterson, N.J., for individuals of all ages after a number of deadly shootings has been drawing fire from civil libertarians, and it appears that city lawmakers may be rethinking it. The suggested ban on loitering outside between midnight and 7 a.m.…

Aug 18, 2009 9:53 PM CDT

N.J. Courts Use Twitter, Facebook & YouTube to Keep Users Informed

If a New Jersey court closes because of bad weather this winter, linked-in lawyers don’t have to worry about driving there for no good reason. The state judiciary will be keeping court users informed of such breaking developments via cell phone texts and Twitter, reports a NJ Courts Online press…

Aug 18, 2009 5:30 PM CDT

Job Seekers Complain to State AGs About Some Search Companies

Several state attorneys general have fielded complaints about job search companies that charge up-front fees for their services to vulnerable unemployed job hunters. Many companies do little more than revise resumés and cover letters, give advice on networking and help job hunters wade through public job listings, the New York…

Aug 17, 2009 6:12 PM CDT

N.J. Lawyer Plans Suit Over Best Buy’s $9.99 Price Flub; Law Prof Is Skeptical

Updated: Any consumers thinking about suing Best Buy for refusing to honor a listed price of $9.99 for a flat-screen TV should think again, according to one law professor. But a New Jersey consumer lawyer has already done some thinking, and he plans to file a lawsuit today. Best Buy’s…

Aug 13, 2009 12:37 PM CDT

2 Judges in Hot Water Over Alleged Inappropriate Remarks

Admittedly making a sidebar remark about a “bund meeting” after a plaintiffs lawyer requested time off during trial to attend a Passover seder has put a New Jersey judge in hot water with the state’s disciplinary authorities. In a complaint filed yesterday, the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct says that…

Aug 13, 2009 12:28 AM CDT

In ‘Sad But Predictable’ Case, Ex-Lawyer Steals $267K from New Employer

Disbarred after he stole $300,000 from his former law firm—and another $200,000 from a subsequent employer, a former New Jersey tax attorney has now admitted that he stole $267,000 from a more recent employer, a company for which he prepared tax returns. The theft by deception, to which 52-year-old Gregory…

Aug 5, 2009 7:25 PM CDT

Legal Bills in Pet Pug Custody Case Top $40K as Judge Mulls ‘Subjective Value’

When Eric Dare and Doreen Houseman first asked a New Jersey judge to determine which of the two would get custody of their pet pug, Dexter, he treated the toy dog as if it were simply another item of property to be apportioned as part of the break-up of their…

Jul 30, 2009 6:06 PM CDT

Troubled Corporate Client Creates Headaches for Four Unpaid Law Firms

Four law firms are claiming that one financially troubled company has failed to pay millions of dollars in legal fees. One of the firms, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, claims in a lawsuit that it is owed $2.5 million in fees, the New York Law Journal reports. The defendant, Home Solutions…

Jul 29, 2009 2:27 PM CDT

Wife’s Change of Heart Keeps Ex-Lawyer in Jail

A former Pennsylvania lawyer won’t get the benefits of a plea bargain to lessen his sentence for stealing from two clients because of his wife’s change of heart. Ralph Mirarchi, who practiced law in Main Line, was sentenced yesterday to 4¼ to 8½ years in prison after his wife apparently…

Jul 28, 2009 1:32 PM CDT

Lawyer Survey Shows Differing Perceptions of Bias in NJ Courts

Do New Jersey courts treat lawyers the same, whether they are black or white, male or female? The answer differs based on the group answering that question, according to a fall 2007 survey of 851 lawyers and judges by the New Jersey Supreme Court Committee of Women in the Courts.…

Jul 24, 2009 1:00 PM CDT

Suit Seeks Warning Label on Hot Dogs

A group promoting a vegan diet has filed a lawsuit requiring hot dogs to carry warning labels saying they could increase the risk of cancer. The suit filed in New Jersey state court by the Cancer Project seeks class-action status, the Los Angeles Times reports. The complaint claims that nitrites…

Jul 23, 2009 1:42 PM CDT