A selection of the need-to-know civil justice news for December 30-January 5.

 

Update on New Jersey’s Legal Landscape

Jim Pytell | New Jersey Business Magazine

The year 2017 will be remembered for change. From federal changes after the first full year of the Trump administration, to the gubernatorial election of Phil Murphy and the proposed changes he will make when he is officially sworn in as the state’s 56th governor this month.

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Key New Jersey Cases To Watch In 2018

Jeannie O’Sullivan | Law360

High-profile New Jersey cases are poised for key developments in 2018, when the U.S. Supreme Court may decide on the state’s bid to legalize sports betting and the Third Circuit ponders appeals by former public officials facing prison for their roles in the infamous George Washington Bridge lane closures.

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9 Reasons You Can Expect 2018 To Be Another Crazy Year In Jersey Politics

Jonathan D. Salant | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

After back-to-back big political years that saw Donald Trump elected president and Phil Murphy elected governor, what will 2018 do for an encore? Anyone who knows Jersey politics will expect something crazy to happen. Or lots of crazy things to happen because, well … it’s Jersey politics.

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Christie Bridgegate Lawyer Tapped As Interim U.S. Attorney For N.J.

Thomas Moriarty | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has tapped Craig Carpenito, a white-collar defense and securities lawyer who represented outgoing Gov. Chris Christie in matters related to the “Bridgegate” lane-closure scandal, as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor on an interim basis.

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Ex-Indianapolis Employee Files ‘Chronic Body Odor’ Lawsuit

AP

Indianapolis is being sued by a former courts official who alleges that she was fired after she installed air freshers to combat a co-worker’s body odor.

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Securities Suit Filings at Historically High Levels During 2017

Kevin LaCroix | The D&O Diary

More securities class action lawsuits were filed in 2017 than in any year since 2001, in significant part because of the substantial number of federal court merger objection lawsuit filings during the year. But even disregarding the merger suits and looking only at the traditional securities lawsuits, the number of lawsuit filings was at the highest level since at least 2004.  While the elevated numbers of lawsuit filings is noteworthy, it is the litigation rate – that is, the number of securities suits relative to the number of public companies – that is most significant. According to my estimate, the litigation rate during 2017 was at all-time record levels.

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