Blog

April 17, 2014

A case in New Jersey involving a man’s use of medical marijuana and his job’s decision to make him enroll in drug rehab is one of, if not the first of its kind in the state. As marijuana reform slowly makes its way around the country, these types of cases will likely become more common place. Charlie Davis was prescribed medical marijuana to treat his end-stage renal failure. After failing a drug test for NJ Transit, he was suspended and told that he could not work for the company until completing a drug rehab program. He…

April 10, 2014

New Jersey Republican Assemblyman Ronald Dancer is challenging an interpretation of the state’s misuse of headlights law by invoking first amendment rights. Dancer says that it should be legal for a vehicle operator to flash an oncoming driver to warn of a speed trap, claiming it’s freedom of speech. Technically speaking, based on precedent set in a 1999 case, it is already legal to flash warning lights to oncoming drivers in New Jersey. However, because of instances where the law has been misinterpreted, Dancer thinks it needs to be spelled out a little more. The Ocean County Assemblyman…

April 3, 2014

Employers in the Tri-State Area can breathe a sigh of relief. Based on data compiled by Hiscox, an international small business insurance company, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are not at the top of the list of the riskiest states for employee lawsuits. Based on the study, U.S. businesses with at least 10 employees have a 12.5 percent chance to have an employment liability lawsuit filed against them. However, there were multiple states with a much higher probability than that. We have offices by appointment in Elizabeth-New Brunswick-West New York-Plainfield-Edison-Perth Amboy-Newark-Jersey City-Orange-Westfield-and Summit New Jersey…

March 27, 2014

Working Families United for New Jersey is partnering with members of the state legislature in a campaign to make NJ the second state in the U.S. to enact a law giving paid sick leave to all workers. Currently, Newark and Jersey City have passed similar protections for its workers, but the hope is to get the rest of the state on board. For many workers in different occupations, coming down with a sickness at the wrong time can be devastating to their finances. A few days off work, unpaid, may have a significant effect on areas…

March 18, 2014

In response to a brutal attack of a correctional officer by an inmate at New Jersey State Prison, state lawmakers have introduced a bill which would give corrections officers full salary during their recovery period. A corrections officer named Eligia Then was assaulted on Feb. 6 by an inmate. She suffered bruises to her neck from being choked, while also sustaining bruises on her right eye, her nose, cuts on her eyebrows and cheeks, as well as head injuries. Currently, New Jersey officers must use sick leave and personal days in the five days after sustaining an…

March 13, 2014

The window for disgruntled consumers to seek recourse may get smaller, if a certain newly proposed New Jersey bill is passed. Sponsored by Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson), A1254 would tighten the window for consumers to file malpractice suits against attorneys, architects, accountants and other licensed professionals. Under current laws, NJ consumers have a six-year statute of limitations to file a professional malpractice claim. The new bill would cut that time down to two years, and would also affect some health care professionals, as well as contractors and sub-contractors. Advocates of the proposed measure, namely the New…

March 6, 2014

Late in January, NJ Gov. Chris Christie (R) signed a bill which extends and strengthens protection for pregnant workers from discrimination. It also requires that employers make adequate accommodations to allow their pregnant employees to continue to work. Some of these accommodations include allowing more bathroom breaks, allowing the pregnant woman to carry a bottle of water, allowing some rest breaks, rearranging the schedule and a restructuring of job duties to prevent her from heavy lifting. The law covers women who have recently given birth, as well as pregnant women, and applies to employers, landlords, lenders and others.

February 20, 2014

  Now that 20 U.S. states have legalized medical marijuana and two have legalized it for recreational use, it’s clear that national marijuana reform is continually gaining steam. That being said, lawmakers may want to be wary before jumping on the legalization train. According to a recent study, legalized recreational marijuana may lead to increased drugged driving, which could lead to more accidents and deaths. A report released by Columbia University and published in the American Journal of Epidemiology concluded that legal weed was detected in the bodies of dead drivers in 2010, three times more often than…

February 14, 2014

New Jersey lawmakers have taken a step in cracking down on distracted drivers. The main focus is on commuter vans and buses, otherwise known as jitneys. Angelie’s Law was passed in late January, mandating a litany of new requirements and rules for the jitney companies to follow. The law was introduced in honor of North Bergen’s Angelie Paredes, an eight month old girl who was killed in August, when the driver of a commuter van lost control and hit a street light. The light fell on Angelie’s stroller, killing her. The driver was allegedly using a cell phone, and…

February 6, 2014

A recent study concluded by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that wage gap between men and women in New Jersey actually got wider in 2012, for a second straight year. The study also showed that that New Jersey’s wage gap is larger than the national average. Full-time female workers earned 79.4 percent of the weekly pay of their male peers, basically meaning that women earn less than 80 cents for every one dollar a man makes. The national average was slightly higher, with women bringing in 80.9 percent of what their male counterparts made. The initial…