Betsy G. Ramos, Esq.
Plaintiff Allan Suarez sued Ridgefield Park for damages resulting from injuries he suffered when he claims to have tripped on an uneven portion of a sidewalk across the street from his home. Ridgefield Park successfully obtained a summary judgment dismissal on the trial court level pursuant to the Tort Claims Act immunities. In Suarez v. […]
Ralph R. Smith, 3rd, Esq.
Since the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) was passed back in 1993, employers have frequently worried about one overarching issue: FMLA abuse and fraud. Just recently I had a client ask: what can an employer do when it suspects that an employee is lying about the need for FMLA leave? I tell employers […]
Ralph R. Smith, 3rd, Esq.
Just a few years ago, employers were preparing to follow what were to become new overtime rules that were going into effect near the end of the Obama administration. Those rules were sidetracked by an unexpected court ruling that struck the new rules down and declared them to be unenforceable. Since that time, employers have […]
Betsy G. Ramos, Esq.
Plaintiff Barbara Santopietro alleged that she fell on black ice on the roadway in front of her home in the Borough of Union Beach. Her husband Gabriel asserted that whenever it rained, large pools of stagnant water formed in front of their home, which he reported to the Borough. The issue in Santopietro v. Borough […]
Edward F. Kuhn, III
The Superior Court of Pennsylvania has upheld the protections of the “hills and ridges” doctrine as applied to a snow removal contractor. In a recent opinion, dated August 28, 2019 in the case, James M. Hare, Jr. v. Mark Zaffino d/b/a Mark Zaffino Snow Removal, No. 1349 WDA 2018, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania upheld […]
Adam Scheinbach
On May 14, 2019, the New York State Unified Court System announced that it will begin rollout and implementation of a “presumptive” alternative dispute resolution (“ADR”) program [1], effectively bringing mandatory mediation to the New York System court system by the end of 2019. The Presumptive ADR program is being implemented and modeled from similar […]
Christopher J. Carlson, Esq.
The Appellate Division on September 12, 2019 rendered an unpublished Opinion on several trial-related issues. The matter is Gomez v. Fritsche, 2019 WL 4313116. This matter arose from a motor vehicle accident. The jury found Defendant 100% negligent for causing an intersectional accident, and awarded Plaintiff the sum of $115,000.00. Defendant appealed the denial of […]
Betsy G. Ramos, Esq.
On September 26, 2017, Plaintiff Antoinette Marra tripped and fell on the property of defendant Hopatcong Senior Center and Borough of Hopatcong. She suffered a broken arm and fractured hip, which necessitated hip replacement surgery, among other injuries. The issue in Marra v. Hopatcong Senior Center, 2019 N.J. Super. Unpub. LEXIS 1685 (App. Div. July […]