PRA Appellate Attorneys Win First Amendment Landmark Decision In NJ Supreme Court

In a landmark decision, the New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously held that the Lawrence Township sign ordinance violated our client’s First Amendment right to free speech and is unconstitutional. At issue was IBEW Local 269’s use of a 10-foot-tall rat balloon during a labor protest in Lawrence Township. The police cited a Local 269 business agent under the ordinance and the Union fought the citation asserting that the law unconstitutionally infringed the fundamental right of free expression. Our appellate attorneys, on behalf of the Union, tenaciously fought the case to the state’s highest court, which validated the Union’s right to display the inflatable rat balloon and directed that the summons issued against the business agent be dismissed. Local 269’s attorney, Andrew L. Watson, who clerked for the Appellate Division as a young lawyer, said: “Unions and their members have a long history and tradition of exercising the right of free speech and they have developed orderly and non-threatening means of protest and expression. This decision vindicates the rights of Unions and all of New Jersey’s citizens to peacefully and effectively express themselves.”

Our Victories

CONSUMER FRAUD VICTORY AGAINST COUNTRY’S LARGEST REVERSE MORTGAGE BANK

In a consumer fraud action against the country’s largest reverse mortgage bank, the Appellate Division reversed a Law Division decision and ruled that the monthly proceeds of a reverse mortgage are subject to a Writ of Execution.

$2.5 MILLION JUDGMENT ON BEHALF OF HOMEOWNER THAT WAS DEFRAUDED BY A CONTRACTOR

Our client, a homeowner, was defrauded by a contractor who was hired to perform extensive work at his home. The contractor took the homeowner’s money but failed to perform much of the work and the work that was performed was defective which led to the property being seriously damaged.

PRA APPELLATE ATTORNEYS OBTAIN AFFIRMANCE OF TRIAL COURT DECISION ON BEHALF OF EXECUTORS OF AN ESTATE

We represented the co-executor defendants in an estate litigation. The plaintiff was the wife of the Decedent and made a claim to half of the $2.7 million proceeds from the sale of development rights to a property owned by the Decedent.

GRANT OF SUMMARY JUDGMENT TO HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL REFEREE ASSOCIATION DEFENDED IN APPELLATE DIVISION AND NJ SUPREME COURT

A female high school basketball referee (the plaintiff) brought suit against the association to which she belonged, claiming that she was the victim of gender discrimination because the association did not assign her to officiate boys’ varsity basketball games.

FINAL RESTRAINING ORDER SUCCESSFULLY DEFENDED TO THE APPELLATE DIVISION AND NJ SUPREME COURT

An adult daughter filed a Domestic Violence Complaint against her father, alleging the predicate offenses of stalking and harassment. With the help of one of our family law attorneys, the 28-year-old prevailed at trial and obtained a Final Restraining Order against her father.

PRA Appellate Attorneys Win First Amendment Landmark Decision In NJ Supreme Court

PRA Appellate Attorneys Convince Appellate Division to Overturn Erroneous Jury Verdict

On the job, a 60+ year old husband and father fell from the top of a ladder, hitting his chest on the cement floor. The EMTs rushed the man to a level one trauma center believing him to be suffering from internal injuries. The hospital staff, however, opined that the man was not a trauma case and treated him as a normal ER patient.

PRA Appellate Attorneys Obtain Reversal of Family Court Erroneous Interpretation of Marital Settlement Agreement

A director of a charitable foundation sued our client, also a director and the CEO of the foundation, alleging that he breached his fiduciary duty to the foundation by making unwise investments. The plaintiff sought to surcharge our client personally for millions of dollars of losses sustained by the foundation’s investments.