NJ Cases To Watch In 2025: Power Broker, Pollution Cleanup

By: George Woolston

Cohen Seglias partner Evan Blaker offered insight on the New Jersey Supreme Court’s upcoming decision regarding frivolous litigation sanctions. In this Law360 article, he noted that while the case could provide valuable legal analysis, he did not anticipate it significantly impacting the legal community.

The case centers on a long-standing affordable housing dispute in Englewood Cliffs and is expected to be a key legal issue in New Jersey’s 2025 docket. Evan emphasized that while the decision may impose additional guardrails against frivolous claims, the practical impact will likely be limited, as such sanctions are rarely enforced. He states, “There will be some additional guardrails on any party, including municipalities, initiating frivolous claims… but at the end of the day, you don’t see a lot of awards under those statutes or the rules what have you. So I don’t know that’s going to make a big, big impact.”

This year, litigators in New Jersey and beyond will be watching the state’s prosecution of power broker George Norcross and his close associates for the alleged wide-ranging RICO conspiracy to obtain Camden waterfront properties and the millions of tax credits that come with the lots.

But there’s more on this year’s docket than just corruption cases. Databrokers are challenging a privacy law enacted in the wake of the murder of a federal judge’s son; the state and DuPont may go to trial over a pollution remediation that enforcers estimate will cost $1 billion; and the New Jersey Supreme Court will consider whether a state law insulates municipalities from sanctions for frivolous litigation.

Here are the Garden State cases to watch in 2025.