In a report that primarily focuses on courts, New Jersey is an exception due to the legislature’s focus on drastically expanding liability.
The New Jersey Legislature has distinguished itself as one of the most plaintiff-friendly legislatures in the country. Among the most troublesome legislation is a radical, overreaching wage-and-hour bill and an anti-arbitration bill that already has been challenged in federal court. Once again, the Legislature continued to turn a blind eye to the problems caused by unsound laws that plague the state. Legislators did not even entertain the most modest of tort reforms, such as a limit on appeal bonds, and instead expanded liability for both businesses and individuals alike.