1/3/12 - Here in New Jersey, it's no secret that the private sector is struggling to create jobs. The state continues to have the highest unemployment rate in the region more than three years after the economic downturn began. Neither New York, Pennsylvania, nor even Ohio has more residents out of work than New Jersey, where the unemployment rate is 9.1 percent. Fortunately, Gov. Christie and the Democratic Legislature agree that we need to remove roadblocks to economic growth. They are frequently cited as a combination of inflation and overly burdensome regulation on businesses.

12/22/11 - A Florida woman, Denise Payne, who has a history of filing lawsuits under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has recently filed three more lawsuits against New Jersey retailers, including The Shops at Riverside. The article notes that "dozens" of Payne's cases were dropped voluntarily when the businesses agreed to pay settlements and attorneys' fees.

12/13/11 - A study prepared for the New Jersey Lawsuit Reform Alliance (NJLRA) finds 40 percent of south Jersey businesses say they were threatened with litigation in the past five years.  A quarter of south Jersey businesses were actually sued during that period.

10/28/11 - If New Jersey follows states like Texas and South Carolina in reforming its tort laws, the New Jersey Law Reform Association said, thousands of jobs can be created.

According to a study funded by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for Legal Reform, if New Jersey reduced tort activity in its courts, it could reduce litigation spending up to $1.7 billion, and between 35,000 and 94,000 jobs could be created.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—New Jersey could save up to $1.7 billion in tort costs and create between 35,000 and 94,000 new jobs by improving its legal environment, according to a working paper released today by the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR). 

Ocean City will pay a deputy fire chief more than $200,000 to end his lawsuit against the city.

In a confidential agreement signed Sept. 29, Mark McCulley accepted a $115,000 settlement to dismiss his complaints against the Ocean City Fire Department for wrongful suspensions issued for what the city called "misappropriating funds."

A recent decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court has the potential to decimate the hospitality industry, Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Cryan said Wednesday.

Cryan made the remarks at the Fall Membership Luncheon held by the New Jersey Lawsuit Reform Alliance, a group that has been highly critical of the decision.

"...I would say he has done some good work in the area of tort reform, which is something we have to take a look at it New Jersey."

Warren Township previously ranked in CNNMoney.com as one of the best places to live in the United States. The fact that a single judgment can absorb an eighth of its entire budget, however, threatens that status and its budgetary priorities. Schools are a legitimate beneficiary of municipal taxes. Lawyers' fees and mishandling should not be given the same resources.