July 13, 2018
WILLIAM H. MONE reports on a recent published decision from the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division.
A New Jersey woman was injured as a passenger in her boyfriend's father's vehicle, when the vehicle was struck by another driver. Without notifying the boyfriend's father's insurance carrier, the woman filed suit against the driver of the other vehicle and settled her claim for $15,000. Without notifying her boyfriend's father's insurance carrier of the settlement, the woman sent the carrier two notices indicating that she would accept such an offer and pursue Underinsurance Motorists (UIM) benefits under the boyfriend's father's policy in order to recover the difference between her alleged damages and the $15,000 paid by the other driver. The carrier did not respond to(...)
June 26, 2018
WILLIAM H. MONE reports on a recent published decision from the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division.
A New Jersey mother appealed the denial of her child support enforcement motion, and the Appellate Division remanded the case back to the trial court for a plenary hearing as to the disputed child support arrears owed by the child's father.
The mother and father were divorced in 2000 in another state. The mother eventually moved to New Jersey with the child, where she registered the child support order with the Court. In 2015, the woman filed an application to enforce the child support order, alleging that the father owed over $30,000 in child support arrears. The father opposed the application, contending that his arrears were closer to $10,000 because he had been(...)
June 6, 2018
Robert B. Spawn reports on a recent unpublished decision from the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division.
A recent New Jersey case involved a plaintiff-pedestrian who sued a defendant-homeowner after the pedestrian's foot got caught on a raised portion of the sidewalk abutting the homeowner's property, which caused the pedestrian to fall and break her wrist.
At the trial level, the pedestrian stated that tree roots on the homeowner's property caused the elevation in the sidewalk, thus creating a defectively dangerous condition and subjecting the homeowners to liability. In response, the homeowners argued that the condition of the sidewalk had remained unchanged from the time they purchased their home until the date of the accident (a span of three years). (...)
June 1, 2018
Kozyra & Hartz, LLC is pleased to announce Michael J. Rankin is now a partner in the law firm.
"Mike joined the law firm in 2013 and has expanded his practice areas to include both a wide variety of civil litigation (motor vehicle personal injury, wrongful death, premises liability, toxic torts, medical and nursing home malpractice, estate, commercial and business, employment, landlord-tenant, real estate, land use and insurance coverage) as well as transactional services involving estate planning and administration, commercial and residential real estate transactions, and general business and corporate services," said Managing Partner and Co-Founder Barry Kozyra.
"Mike has always rolled up his sleeves and dug into whatever tasks he faces," said Co-Founder Judith Hartz. "He has(...)
May 31, 2018
On May 31, 2018, the Essex County Bar Association (ECBA) hosted its annual Judicial Law Clerk luncheon at the Veterans Courthouse in Newark. Michael J. Rankin co-chaired the event for the ECBA.
The event provided Law Clerks with the opportunity to network with members of the ECBA and to learn more about the next steps in their career upon the completion of their clerkship.
Barry A. Kozyra and Michael J. Rankin appeared as panelists for the event discussing, amongst other things, the interviewing process for obtaining a position as an associate in a law firm.
