A lot of ridiculous lawsuits are filed in New Jersey each year, but only one can be crowned NJCJI’s Most Ludicrous Lawsuit of the Year. 2014’s honoree, the woman suing Disney for $250 million because she claims the blockbuster hit Frozen was stolen from her self-published autobiography, has finally been told she needs to take Queen Elsa’s advice and “let it go.”
A selection of the need-to-know civil justice news for the week of September 19-25.
On September 18, the New Jersey Civil Justice Institute hosted a half day legal conference focusing on New Jersey’s fondness for outsourced, private enforcement of business regulations. Outsourcing Enforcement? The Debate Over Privatizing the Role of Public Enforcement explored the origins of the private enforcement model, reviewed recent law and pending cases on the topic, and hinted at some potential reforms that could make the system more business-friendly.
One of the things that struck a chord with attendees of our recent legal reform conference was our discussion of class actions that are filed in the wake of government enforcement actions. Under these circumstances, companies end up taking a double hit - first from government regulators, and then from plaintiffs’ attorneys acting under the cloak of consumer protection. Hastily filed consumer class actions can compromise the government’s ability to effectively regulate, and often provide only marginal additional benefits to consumers, yet they are increasingly common. In just the past few days, news broke that two such cases have been filed in New Jersey shortly after high-profile government enforcement actions were announced.
New Jersey is not the only state that is seeing an increase in the number of cases filed by plaintiffs who have suffered no real harm - be it physical, emotional, or economic. This so-called “empty suit” litigation is a national phenomenon.
“It's like déjà vu all over again.” This famous Yogism is the first thing that came to mind when we saw the latest news story about a hot coffee lawsuit. Ever since the famous case where a jury awarded a coffee burn victim $2.86 million these cases just keep popping up.
Did you know that there are over 500 municipal courts located across the state of New Jersey? That’s something we learned when we downloaded the Judicial System’s latest app, which has contact information and directions to each of the state’s 506 municipal courts and a wealth of other information.
A new TV show focused on the legal world is debuting in New Jersey, and one of its first guests is NJCJI President Marcus Rayner. Rayner appeared on Pro Se Nation alongside Andy Dwyer of the Dwyer Law Firm to discuss the recent New Jersey Supreme Court decision Lippman v. Ethicon.
On Friday, September 18, the New Jersey Civil Justice Institute is hosting a half day conference on New Jersey’s policy of outsourcing the enforcement of many business regulations to private attorneys. Outsourcing Enforcement? The Debate Over Privatizing the Role of Public Enforcement, is being held from 8:00-1:30 at the Hotel Woodbridge at Metropark. Many law-makers, business leaders, and attorneys will be in attendance.
The New Jersey Supreme Court will convene its 2015-16 term [...]
