In The News

• posted: Jul. 11, 2023
• Todd Gelfand
• Civil Rights

 On July 6, 2023, Judge Kirsch of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey decided an interesting case, Elfar v. Holmdel, and ruled that the defendant Read More

• posted: Feb. 01, 2023
• Jeff Sarvas
• Employment Law Litigation Defense
• workplace investigation

If you’re an employer, you need to be prepared for the possibility that an employee will complain about alleged illegal activity within the company. Promptly investigating the allegation not only Read More

• posted: Dec. 01, 2022
• Jeff Sarvas
• COVID-19
• remote,  virtual court case

The Covid-19 pandemic brought in-person court proceedings to a halt in 2020. Courts around the country adopted remote hearings and trials, usually over video conferencing, to allow the judicial branch Read More

• posted: Oct. 25, 2022
• Jeff Sarvas
• Civil Rights

CAMDEN — A lawsuit trial in federal court here is over with jurors finding that two Vineland police officers did not violate the civil rights of a man who died Read More

• posted: Oct. 01, 2022
• Jeff Sarvas
• Employment Law Litigation Defense
• discrimination,  sexual harassment,  for good cause

An employee’s accusation of discrimination can be damaging to a company or organization. Even if you have taken steps to make sure your employees are not subject to harassment or Read More

• posted: Aug. 01, 2022
• Jeff Sarvas
• Workplace Investigation
• hostile work environment,  Aguas v. state,  Farragher-Ellerth defense,  vicarious liability

For three decades, New Jersey law has allowed companies to be held liable for sexual harassment committed by supervisors that results in hostile work environments. Even though a supervisor is Read More

• posted: Nov. 15, 2021
• Jeff Sarvas
• Consumer Fraud
• home improvement contractors,  consumer fraud act violations,  construction projects

New Jersey has strict regulations in place which govern home improvement contractors. Contractors that do not adhere to these regulations can be sued for consumer fraud, and the homeowner may Read More

• posted: Nov. 03, 2021
• Jeff Sarvas
• Commercial Real Estate
• Americans with Disabilities,  commercial landlords,  commercial tenants,  repairs

The legal rights and obligations of commercial tenants are somewhat different from those of residential tenants in New Jersey. While residential tenants are protected by laws that set a basic Read More

• posted: Jan. 30, 2021
• Jeff Sarvas
• Civil Rights
• law enforcement records,  New Jersey Open Public Records Act,  non-disclosure,  police record confidentiality law

New Jersey is one of 21 states in which police disciplinary records are confidential, but a bill pending in the state senate aims to change that. The measure would classify Read More

• posted: Nov. 17, 2020
• Jeff Sarvas
• Employment Law Litigation Defense,  COVID-19
• whistleblower retaliation,  coronavirus,  COVID-19 claims

Businesses around the country are facing an increase in whistleblower claims related to alleged COVID-19 workplace safety violations. It is easy to understand why. An employee who raises a concern Read More

• posted: Nov. 17, 2020
• Jeff Sarvas
• Employment Law Litigation Defense
• totality of circumstances,  sexual harassment defense,  hostile work environment

Businesses operate under an umbrella of state and federal laws that protect employees from harassment and discrimination in the workplace. While these laws indeed help employees who are victims of Read More

• posted: Mar. 26, 2020
• barker law firm

On Saturday, March 21, 2010, New Jersey Governor Philip Murphy issued two new Executive Order in a continued effort to respond to the Coronavirus pandemic. EO No. 107 issues a Read More

• posted: Mar. 26, 2020
• barker law firm

As part of EO No. 108, law firms, like all other non-essential retail businesses, have been ordered to have their workforce telework “whenever practicable” with the exception of employees who Read More

• posted: Mar. 24, 2020
• barker law firm

This seems applicable for our defense of civil rights cases, albeit the decision comes from a criminal case. The victim’s mention of high profile police brutality cases, which happened twice Read More

• posted: Oct. 16, 2019
• Jeff Sarvas

On September 24, 2019, the Department of Labor issued a final rule increasing the salary threshold for exempt employees and “highly compensated employees” under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). Read More