Legal Research

Court Affirms Sanction of Lawyer Who Sued Adversary Over Deposition Questions
"An Appellate Division panel has ordered Roseland lawyer Bruce Nagel, who sued his adversary in a wrongful death case over her intense deposition questioning of his own client about the death of the client's baby girl, to pay the other lawyer $11,630 in counsel fees."

Seal Broken on Confidential Settlement of Sex-Bias Suit Against Public Entity 
"Public employees who want to keep sex-bias claims private shouldn't bring them in court, now that the Appellate Division has declared confidential settlements with government entities fair game under the Open Public Records Act."

Appeals Court in Accutane Case Finds Loophole in Pre-emption-Defense Bar 
"A New Jersey appeals court has poked a hole in the barrier erected by the U.S. Supreme Court against drug makers' use of federal pre-emption as a defense in suits over adequacy of warning labels."

Finding Formidable Foreman May Have Swayed Jurors, Court Upends Verdict 
"A state appeals court has set aside an $876,000 slip-and-fall verdict, finding the jury foreman  'Robert Martin, a state senator and law professor' might have unduly affected the deliberations."

Police Must Watch DWI Suspect for 20 Minutes Prior to Alcotesting
"Alcotest readings are not admissible in a DWI case if police fail to observe a suspect for a full 20 minutes before testing, a Mercer County judge says."

Judge Won't Certify Class Action by Vioxx Users Seeking Reimbursement 
" An Atlantic County judge has denied a request to certify a class action against Merck & Co. on behalf of consumers for their out-of-pocket expenses for the painkiller Vioxx, which was withdrawn from the market in 2004 after a medical study linked it to heart disease."

Defendants in Asbestos Suit Lose Bid for Autopsy of Plaintiff
"In a case of first impression, a New Jersey appeals court has denied a defense request for an autopsy of an asbestos-exposure plaintiff who died two days before trial."