Mark & Galusha, Civil Rights Attorneys in Newark, New Jersey

The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey (ACLU-NJ) petitioned the United States Department of Justice in September 2009 to initiate an investigation into the activities of the Newark Police Department (NPD). The basis for the petition was a suspected pattern of constitutional violations by the NPD and was supported by a study of lawsuits, complaints, settlements, and verdicts against the NPD over a certain period of time. Specific allegations of misconduct include excessive force, discriminatory practices, detainee mistreatment and officer retaliation against persons observing or recording police activity. For more information about this petition: http://www.aclu-nj.org/downloads/120310dojsupp.pdf.

Mark & Galusha, Lawyers handling civil rights matters in Millburn and Livingston, Essex County, New Jersey.

If you would like more information about this case and to schedule your free consultation, contact Mark & Galusha at 908-626-1001 or 973-440-2311, or tell us your story by clicking the contact us" page.

Seventh Day Adventist Church Defamation Decision in Favor of Defendants

Mark & Galusha, Employment Law Attorneys - New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey In Augustave v. Cheatham (DOCKET NO. A-1618-09T3), a New Jersey Appeals Court found in favor of the Defendants in a defamation case involving a Seventh Day Adventist Church in West Orange. The plaintiffs, founders of the West Orange church, filed a defamation action against the “local conference” of the church and its president, after defendants questioned the use of church money for the purchase of a building for church services without prior authorization. These issues were raised both in a letter and at church meetings. The defendants asked the court to dismiss the complaint, alleging that the communications in the letter and at meetings were, as a matter of law, privileged where they were made. The appeals court agreed, and found that the defendants did not abuse this privilege where the statements made were true and were not made with a purpose contrary to the interests of the qualified privilege.

Mark & Galusha, Lawyers handling employment matters in Perth Amboy and Middlesex, Middlesex County, New Jersey.

If you would like more information about this case, please contact Mark & Galusha, your employment law attorneys in Perth Amboy and Middlesex, New Jersey. For a free consultation, contact us at 908-626-1001 or 973-440-2311, or tell us your story by clicking the contact us" page.

Employer Attempts to Sue an Employee for Personal Computer Use at Work

Mark & Galusha, Employment Law Attorneys - Ridgewood, Bergen County, New Jersey After an employee filed a lawsuit against her former employer for alleged pregnancy discrimination in Lee v. PMSI, Inc., (D. Fla. 2011), her employer filed a counterclaim against her for an alleged violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). The employer claimed that the employee violated the CFAA by engaging in "excessive internet usage" and visiting “personal websites such as Facebook” and using “personal email through her Verizon web mail account." The federal district court dismissed the employer’s counterclaim, finding that the employer failed to allege either of the two bases for a CFAA violation - that the employee caused damages to the computer system or that the employee obtained information to which she was not entitled.

Courts have long debated whether the CFAA applies when an employee accesses an employer’s information on a computer for an improper purpose; however, the court in this case did not waver at all when it determined that the CFAA was not intended to cover an employee who uses the internet instead of working.

Mark & Galusha, Lawyers handling employment matters in Cliffside Park and Saddle River, Bergen County, New Jersey.

If you would like more information about this case, please contact Mark & Galusha, your employment law attorneys in Cliffside Park and Saddle River, New Jersey. For a free consultation, contact us at 908-626-1001 or 973-440-2311, or tell us your story by clicking the contact us" page.