A selection of the need-to-know civil justice news for the week of Aug. 9-15.
Christie Signs Bill Aimed at Helping Ex-Cons Get Jobs
Michael Booth | New Jersey Law Journal
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has signed legislation that restricts prospective employers’ inquiries into job applicants’ criminal histories.
Gov. Christie Vetoes 2 Wage Protection Bills
Andrew Westney | Law360
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Friday again vetoed two bills designed to promote pay equality for employees of state contractors and prolong the statute of limitations for unfair wage claims, after shooting them both down in 2012.
As Vacancies Persist, New Jersey Courts are Relying on Retired Judges
Kibret Markos | The Record
Squeezed by a growing number of judicial vacancies because of a political logjam, court officials in New Jersey are increasingly resorting to a Band-Aid remedy: recruiting retired judges to return to the bench.
N.J. Town to Residents: Replace Your Sidewalk, or Meet Us in Court
Seth Augenstein | The Star-Ledger
Two years ago, a local ordinance was passed allowing the borough to compel homeowners to fix the sidewalks in front of their houses. Hundreds of residents complied with the borough’s request, but dozens more resisted. And it’s taken two years to reach a climax: this month the borough began taking dozens of homeowners to municipal court, following up on summonses.
Better Call Saul
AMC-TV has announced that “Breaking Bad” spinoff, “Better Call Saul,” will debut in February. The series will follow sleazy attorney Saul Goodman, played by Bob Odenkirk, as he defends drug lords, petty criminals and those allegedly injured in minor traffic accident.
Plaintiffs Eye New Target In ‘All-Natural’ Labeling Battles
Sindhu Sundar | Law360
As traditional “all-natural” food labeling class actions over ingredients such as genetically modified organisms struggle to maintain a foothold in court, attorneys say plaintiffs are setting their sights on a new bull’s-eye: meat, juice and other food processed with emerging heat-free pressurization technologies.
Food Fight: Whole Foods is Target of Lawsuit
Chris Bishop | Burlington County Times
Call it the latest food fight, of an upscale variety. And the target of the legal battle is Whole Foods Market. Mark Bilder, of Hammonton, Atlantic County, has filed a class action lawsuit against Whole Foods in state Superior Court in Burlington County, alleging that the label on Whole Foods 365 Everyday Value Plain Greek Yogurt understates the sugar content per serving of the yogurt.
Newcomer in Maine Water Business Sues Poland Spring
Scott Dolan | Portland Press Herald
A new company vying for its place in the Maine bottled water industry has filed a federal lawsuit in Portland accusing the parent company of a long-established brand, Poland Spring, of false advertising. The newcomer, Maine Springs, based in the Poland Spring section of the Androscoggin County town of Poland, claims in the lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court that the Poland Spring brand is not “100% Natural Spring Water” as its plastic water bottle labels state.
Are These Fake Facebook Personas Trolling For Real Law-Firm Clients?
Daniel Fisher| Forbes
Like millions of other people, Rachel Wright jumped on the Facebook wave in September, 2010. The Columbus, Ohio resident quickly accumulated more than 170 friends, including 15 from far-off Australia as well as Americans with names like Jane Toby, Tamara Reyes, Nicole Harris and Pete Harvey. She also displayed a strong interest in human tragedies, posting links to articles about dangerous pharmaceuticals, unsafe toys, birth defects and industrial accidents on a website called Newsinferno.com. Sometimes she and her friends used other social media, like Twitter and iVillage.com.
Wrongful-Death Suit vs. Conrail Over Diesel Fumes Revived
David Gialanella | New Jersey Law Journal
A wrongful-death suit by a longtime railroad worker’s widow against Consolidated Rail Corp. is getting a second chance after a New Jersey appeals court said the matter was incorrectly dismissed by a trial judge.
Judge Recuses From Bridgegate Putative Class Action
Mary Pat Gallagher | New Jersey Law Journal
The judge in a would-be class action brought by motorists allegedly caught in the traffic jam caused by the Bridgegate lane closures has taken himself off the case.
A Look at Two Rulings $1.5B Apart in Bankruptcy Proceedings of Garlock, Bondex
Legal Newsline
Despite similar allegations and circumstances surrounding the Bondex International, Inc. and Garlock Sealing Technologies bankruptcy proceedings, the two cases reached very different judgments, bringing into question why. For starters, both companies sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after litigating hundreds of thousands of asbestos cases in courtrooms across the country. However, the judge in Bondex’s proceeding ordered it to put $1.6 billion into a bankruptcy trust, while the judge in Garlock’s case ordered it earlier this year to put only $125 million in one.
J&J Seeks To Boot Suit Claiming Baby Powder Causes Cancer
Sindhu Sundar | Law360
Johnson & Johnson on Monday sought to toss a proposed class action in Illinois federal court accusing its classic baby powder products of increasing users’ risk of ovarian cancer, arguing that the named plaintiff did not show that she had suffered any injury from using the product.
Litigation Funding Still a Frontier 30 Years Later
David Gialanella | New Jersey Law Journal
Many lawyers may hold litigation funding operations in the same esteem as loan sharks, but that’s a far cry from Phil Greenberg’s background.
Vacancies, Backlogs Growing, but Christie Not Sole Factor
Michael Booth and Mary Pat Gallagher | New Jersey Law Journal
The number of sitting New Jersey trial court judges is at a 14-year low and case backlogs continue to expand under Gov. Chris Christie, but lawyers, legislators and court administrators said the governor is not solely at fault.
Action Urged on Judge Shortage by New Jersey State Bar Association
Peter J. Sampson and Michael Phillis | The Record
New Jersey’s largest and oldest bar association on Wednesday joined a rising chorus calling on Gov. Chris Christie and legislative leaders to defuse “a crisis” caused by a record number of unfilled seats in the state’s judicial branch.
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