Appellate Division Win -- Reversal of Sanctions Award
Today, we discuss a case that is not related to OPRA. In the published opinion of Wolosky v. Fredon Township, we secured the reversal of a sanction of $45,589.35 in counsel fees against our client, Jesse Wolosk… >
Civil Penalty Case: McMorrow v. Borough of Englewood Cliffs
Although OPRA gives Superior Court and the Government Records Council authority to issue civil penalties, starting at $1,000 for the first violation, for knowingly and willfully violating OPRA, cases that conta… >
Cohn Lifland Appellate Win -- Malanga v. West Orange
On May 3, 2022, the Appellate Division issued a decision in Malanga v. Township of West Orange, in which the Court reversed the trial court in part and remanded the case to the trial court for further proceedin… >
Public Employee Payroll Records
Under OPRA, public employee “payroll records” are public records. But this deceptively simple term can become difficult to apply. Certainly, an employee’s base gross salary is a public record… >
Update on Irvington's Abuse of OPRA Lawsuit Against Senior Citizen
On our website, we previously highlighted an NBC4 I-Team report that broke a story on an Irvington senior citizen who was sued by her own town for filing too many OPRA requests. The report is here. (Full disclo… >
One of the strengths of OPRA is that it is a fee-shifting statute, which means that if an OPRA requestor wins their case in Court, the public entity must pay the requestor’s reasonable legal fees and cost… >
Supreme Court Update: Libertarians for Transparent Government
On March 7, 2022, the Supreme Court released its opinion in Libertarians for Transparent Government v. Cumberland County. In this case, Libertarians asked for a copy of a settlement agreement that resolve… >
The billing invoices of attorneys who represent public entities are generally considered to be public records. The public has a right to know how public funds are being spent. In that regard, attorn… >
OPRA Win in the Appellate Division
On February 8, 2022, the Appellate Division issued its opinion in Mears v. Borough of Lawnside. In Mears, Cohn Lifland represented Plaintiff Erwin Mears. In 2019, Mr. Mears used OPRA to request copies of… >
Relatively speaking, 2021 was a busy year for OPRA in the New Jersey Supreme Court, during which the Court decided two cases, Bozzi v. City of Jersey City, and Simmons v. Mercado. In Bozzi, the Court held that … >
