Ruiz Doolan Law Firm Blog

In the recent case of   K.I.A.  v. J.L. Docket No. C-157-15 (Ch. Div., April 11, 2016), the court held that when service of process cannot be done by traditional means the rules of civil procedure allow an alternate form of service, like Facebook.  Rule 4:4-4(b)(3) permits a court to enter an order permitting service by means other than those provided by rule “consistent with due process.” This is the case of an adoptive parents filed a cause of action against the defendant to enjoin him from contacting their adoptive son, remove information about their son from social media and to contact their family. Defendant an out of State individual contacted plaintiffs’ child through Facebook, disclosed that he was the biological father and contacted the family. In their attempt to serve the summons and complaint to the defendant, plaintiffs’ made reasonable, good-faith attempt to effectuate personal service but were unsuccessful.  The plaintiffs made a request for the court to order subst

New Jersey is an Equitable Distribution State. This means that marital assets will be divided in a manner that is considered fair but not necessarily equal for the parties. Below we have developed an outline to give a general overview on Equitable Distribution in New Jersey. Equitable Distribution in New Jersey an Outline Overview. I.         Assets subject to Equitable Distribution a.         Assets that are Acquired During the Marriage b.       Assets acquired in contemplation of marriage II.       Assets Immune by Statute a.        Premarital – except the increase in active assets value due to efforts of non-owner. b.       Inheritances c.         Gifts from third parties III.     Specific Assets: Subject to Equitable Distribution a.        Pensions and other retirement accounts that were acquired during the marriage. b.       Real Estate as per I(a), (b). c.        Automobiles, jewelry, inter-spousal gifts, house contents d.       Stocks, bonds, etc. e.

Harassment can constitute a basis for the issuance of a restraining order if the statutory elements are satisfied. See N.J.S.A. 2C:33-4. The statute defines harassment: Except as provided in subsection e., a person commits a petty disorderly persons offense if, with purpose to harass another, he: a. Makes, or causes to be made, a communication or communications anonymously or at extremely inconvenient hours, or in offensively coarse language, or any other manner likely to cause annoyance or alarm; b. Subjects another to striking, kicking, shoving, or other offensive touching, or threatens to do so; or c. Engages in any other course of alarming conduct or of repeatedly committed acts with purpose to alarm or seriously annoy such other person. [N.J.S.A. 2c:33-4 (emphasis added).] As provided by the statute, a finding of harassment requires proof of an intent or purpose to harass. State v. Hoffman , 149 N.J . 564, 576-77 (1997). An assertion by a plaintiff that he or she felt ha