In Pritchett v. State (A-5-20/084451) (Decided August 12, 2021), the Supreme Court of New Jersey held that trial courts reviewing a punitive damages award issued by a jury against a public entity defendant must apply heightened scrutiny. Facts of Pritchett v. State Plaintiff Shelly Pritchett worked for the Juvenile Justice
In the consolidated cases of State v. Mark Melvin (A-44-19/083298) (Decided September 23, 2021) and State v. Michelle Paden-Battle (A-13-20/084603) (Decided September 23, 2021), the Supreme Court of New Jersey addressed whether a trial judge can consider a defendant’s alleged conduct for crimes for which a jury returned a not
In New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency v. J.R.-R. (A-56/57-19) (Decided September 27, 2021), the Supreme Court of New Jersey clarified that in a case where the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCPP) has established that a child has been abused or neglected while in the care
In C.R. v. M.T. (A-58-19/083760) (Decided September 28, 2021), the Supreme Court of New Jersey addressed what standard should apply in determining whether an alleged sexual assault victim was too intoxicated to give consent under the Sexual Assault Survivor Protection Act of 2015 (SASPA). It concluded that the standard should
In Bozzi v. Jersey City, (A-12-20/084392) (Decided September 20, 2021), the Supreme Court of New Jersey held that owning a dog is a substantially public endeavor in which people do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy that exempts their personal information from disclosure under the privacy clause of the
In State v. Rasheem W. McQueen (A-11-20/084564) (Decided August 10, 2021), the Supreme Court of New Jersey held that the right of privacy extends to an arrestee’s call on a police line from the stationhouse when neither party to the call is aware that the police are recording their conversation.
In Bonay Goldhagen v. Susan Pasmowitz (A-17-20/084668) (Decided August 5, 2021), the Supreme Court of New Jersey held that the Dog Bite Statute’s strict liability standard applies to the claim of an independent contractor who agrees to care for a dog. According to the court, the statute’s plain language reveals
In State v. Bennie Anderson (A-15/16-20) (084365) (Decided August 11, 2021), the Supreme Court of New Jersey held that the forfeiture of defendant’s pension under N.J.S.A. 43:1-3.1 does not constitute a fine for purposes of an excessive-fine analysis under the Federal or State Constitutions. Because the forfeiture is not a
