Amicus Briefs
For more than sixty years, Consumers League of New Jersey has filed amicus (friend of the court) briefs in important cases construing the legal rights of consumers.
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The New Jersey Supreme Court recently agreed with the arguments advanced by the CLNJ in Roach v. BM Motoring, LLC, 228 N.J. 163 (2017), D'Agostino v. Maldonado, 216 N.J. 168 (2013), Shelton v. Restaurant.com, Inc., 214 N.J. 419 (2013) and Walker v. Giuffre, 209 N.J. 124 (2012). In Bosland v. Warnock Dodge, Inc., 197 N.J. 543 (2009), the Supreme Court held, as CLNJ urged, that there is no requirement of a pre-suit notification before a consumer sues under the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act, N.J.S.A. 56:8-1, et seq.
In Perez v. Rent-a-Center, 186 N.J. 188 (2006), the Court agreed with CLNJ's amicus brief that rent-to-own stores were subject to New Jersey's 30% criminal usury law, N.J.S.A. 2C:21-19, and the New Jersey Retail Installment Sales Act, N.J.S.A. 17:16C-1, et seq. Thus charging more than 30 percent violated the N.J. Consumer Fraud Act, N.J.S.A. 56:8-1.
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In Midland Funding LLC v. Thiel, Acevedo, Johnson, 446 N.J. Super. 537 (App. Div. 2016), the N.J. Appellate Division agreed with CLNJ that credit cards limited to purchases at department stores were sales subject to the UCC’s four-year statute of limitations. Hence the debt collector violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act by filing time-barred suits.
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CLNJ has been also been granted amicus participation in Muhammad v. Cty. Bank of Rehoboth Beach, 189 N.J. 1, 15 (2006), cert. denied, 549 U.S. 1338, 127 S.Ct. 2032, 167 L.Ed. 2d 763 (2007); MetLife Capital Corp. v. Washington Avenue Assoc., 159 N.J. 484 (1999); Perth Amboy Ironworks, Inc. v. American Home Assurance Co., 118 N.J. 249 (1990), 49 Prospect Street Tenants Ass'n v. Sheva Gardens, 227 N.J. Super. 449 (App. Div. 1988); Green v. Continental Rentals, Inc., 292 N.J. Super. 241 (Law Div. 1994); J. Abbott & Son, Inc. v. Holderman, 46 N.J. Super. 46 (App. Div. 1957) and Lane v. Holderman, 40 N.J. Super. 329 (App. Div. 1956).
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Due to a lack of resources, Consumers League of New Jersey is not able to represent consumers in individual problems or cases. We suggest that consumers look at our pages How to Complain and How to Find a Consumer Lawyer.