Uber Arbitration Clause Accessed through Hyperlink to Contract with Driver Found Enforceable
Plaintiff Jaswinder Singh filed a lawsuit against Uber Technologies Inc. (“Uber”), claiming that Uber misclassified him and other similarly situated New Jersey Uber drivers as independent contractors, failed to pay overtime, and required drivers to pay for significant business expenses. Instead of filing an answer, Uber filed a motion to dismiss the complaint and compel […]
Can Defendant Not Yet Criminally Charged Obtain Stay Of Civil Litigation To Preserve Right Against Self-Incrimination?
Sometimes a civil defendant may face potential criminal prosecution for the same events upon which the defendant was sued. As part of the civil litigation, the defendant may be called to provide testimony at deposition or trial that could be self-incriminating. Naturally, the defendant would not want to testify and may avoid doing so by […]
Plaintiff Unable to Meet Permanency Threshold of Tort Claims Act Despite Knee Surgery
By: Christopher J. Carlson, Esq. Editor: Betsy G. Ramos, Esq. The New Jersey Tort Claims Act (“TCA”), N.J.S.A. 59:1-1 to 59:13-10, requires that a Plaintiff seeking to recover damages from a public entity must prove as a threshold requirement that he or she sustained a “permanent loss of body function.” N.J.S.A. 59:9-2(d). The Appellate Division […]
Plaintiff’s Personal Injury Lawsuit Barred by Independent Contractor Exception
Plaintiff, Kenneth Pisieczko, an independent contractor, was hired by the defendant Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (“CHOP”) to repair lights in CHOP’s day-program parking lot, which lights were affixed to the top of wooden poles. To reach the top of one of the poles to fix the light, the plaintiff secured a ladder to the pole. […]
Plaintiff Barred from Pursuing Personal Injury from Auto Accident Due to Failure to Insure
Plaintiff Alma Guerrero was driving her car when she was involved in a collision with the defendant Colleen Moore. Plaintiff suffered back injuries from the accident and sued defendant Moore. In Guerrero v. Moore, 2017 N.J. Super. Unpub. LEXIS 21 (App. Div. Jan. 5, 2017), Moore defended on the basis that plaintiff was barred from […]
Court Interprets Two Competing “Other Insurance” Clauses to Determine Primacy of Coverages
Often there are two different insurance policies that may cover a defendant for a claim. To determine which policy is primary and which policy is excess or if the policies would be co-primary, the court must review and interpret the “other insurance” clause in both policies. In Foerster v. Meckel Enters., LLC, 2016 N.J. Super. […]
Homeowner Found Not Liable for Fall on Sidewalk Due to Spiky Seed Pods
Plaintiff Katherine Neilson was walking on a sidewalk adjoining the residential property owned by the defendant Antoinette Dunn when she fell on a spiky seed pod, suffering injury. The seed pod came from sweetgum trees located on defendant’s property. In Neilson v. Dunn, 2016 N.J. Super. Unpub. LEXIS 2668 (App. Div. December 5, 2016), plaintiff […]
Allocation of Negligence as to Fictitious Defendant Permitted in Personal Injury Action
Plaintiff Mark Krzykalski sued defendants David Tindall and a John Doe, alleging negligence in the operation of their vehicles that caused an accident in which he was injured. At trial, the judge allowed the jury to allocate negligence between defendant Tindall and the fictitiously named John Doe. In the published decision of Krzykalski v. Tindall, […]
Mere Sponsorship of an Event Held to be Insufficient to Impose Liability for Personal Injury
Plaintiff Rosa Sands was injured when she fell down an approximate 2 foot embankment after leaving a dinner party on a beach in Mexico. The dinner party was part of a promotional event known as “Raise the Bar” offered by certain defendants, including Reebok International and Adidas American, Inc. (the “Reebok defendants.”) In Sands v. […]
When is a Condition an “Open and Obvious Defect”?
A business owner owes to its invitees a duty of reasonable care to provide a safe premises. This duty includes an affirmative duty to inspect the premises and requires the business owner to discover and eliminate dangerous conditions and to maintain the premises in a safe condition. But, what if the condition is an “open […]
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