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Legal Settlement

Business
Alleged Eavesdropping Costs $95 Million As Apple Reaches Siri Settlement Alleged Eavesdropping Costs $95 Million As Apple Reaches Siri Settlement
Alleged Eavesdropping Costs $95 Million As Apple Reaches Siri Settlement Apple will pay a $95 million settlement regarding allegations that its virtual assistant, Siri, eavesdropped on users without their consent, according to multiple reports. The settlement, filed in federal court in Oakland, California this week, addresses a lawsuit that dates back five years and must be approved by a US District judge at a hearing on Friday, Feb. 14, Bloomberg Law reports. The lawsuit claims that Siri was activated to record conversations even when users did not use the launching phrase, “Hey, Siri.” These recordings were allegedly shared with third parties s to target user…

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by Joe Lombardi
Schools
Camden Schools Superintendent Calls On Board President To Quit In Wake Of Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Camden Schools Superintendent Calls On Board President To Quit In Wake Of Sexual Abuse Lawsuit
Camden Schools Superintendent Calls On Board President To Quit In Wake Of Sexual Abuse Lawsuit The state-appointed superintendent for the Camden City School District is calling for the resignation of the advisory school board president amid sexual abuse allegations. Camden Superintendent Katrina T. McCombs, in a letter to the community, wrote: "In order to allow our community to heal and refocus on what truly matters—the education and future of our students— it would be in the best interest of the state-operated district of Camden City for Advisory Board President Wasim Muhammad to voluntarily relinquish his seat." "We are at the beginning of a new school year—a time that s…

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by Jon Craig
News
Walmart Agrees To Whopping $1.64M Settlement Amid Unfair Pricing Accusations At NJ Stores Walmart Agrees To Whopping $1.64M Settlement Amid Unfair Pricing Accusations At NJ Stores
Walmart Agrees To Whopping $1.64M Settlement Amid Unfair Pricing Accusations At NJ Stores Walmart has agreed to pay $1.64 million to settle accusations of unlawful pricing at its 64 stores across New Jersey, state officials said. The settlement, which includes a $1.61 million civil penalty, is the largest ever obtained by the Division’s Office of Weights and Measures (“OWM”). Walmart was accused of violating New Jersey’s Consumer Fraud Act (“CFA”) and Unit Pricing Disclosure Act (“UPDA”) by using inaccurate unit pricing for a variety of grocery products sold in the chain’s New Jersey locations, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. The UPDA requires grocery retailers t…

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by Cecilia Levine
Legal
Wrongful Death Suit: $5M Received By Family For North Jersey Electrician's Fatal Fall Wrongful Death Suit: $5M Received By Family For North Jersey Electrician's Fatal Fall
Wrongful Death Suit: $5M Received By Family For North Jersey Electrician's Fatal Fall The estate of an electrician who died from a 30-foot fall at a food manufacturing plant in Saddle Brook has reportedly received a $5 million settlement. Joseph Roscitt, who worked for the Modern Electric Company in Clifton, was atop a scissor lift changing light bulbs when an employee at Chefler Foods accidentally backed a forklift into the aerial platform on Dec. 1, 2021, authorities said Roscitt, who was a member of IBEW Local 164 in Paramus, suffered brain bleeding and other critical injuries when his head slammed against the concrete floor, they said. A portion of his skull was removed…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
$2.75 Million Settlement Reached In Renowned Late Crabber's Fall From Jersey Shore Dock $2.75 Million Settlement Reached In Renowned Late Crabber's Fall From Jersey Shore Dock
$2.75 Million Settlement Reached In Renowned Late Crabber's Fall From Jersey Shore Dock The family of a popular Monmouth County crabber who died after falling through a dilapidated dock is reportedly receiving a $2.75 million settlement. Patrick Shopp of Port Monmouth was walking along the dock at the Belford Seafood Co-Op in early 2020 when a broken board dropped him six feet onto the deck of his boat, according to The New Jersey Law Journal. He suffered a perforated colon, among other injuries, which required various surgeries over the following 15 months, the law journal reported. Shopp, considered one of the Bayshore’s best crabbers, reportedly died of complications at Ri…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
NJ Man Paralyzed In Police Incident Will Get $10M NJ Man Paralyzed In Police Incident Will Get $10M
NJ Man Paralyzed In Police Incident Will Get $10M A New Jersey man paralyzed in a 2014 police encounter will get $10 million in what might be the largest police brutality settlement in state history. Xavier Ingram was being chased by police for an outstanding warrant and driving violation, when he tripped and fell on a Camden street, NJ Advance Media reports citing his attorney. That's when a Camden County police officer stepped on his neck, cracking it audibly, the outlet said. Ingram blacked out and came to in a hospital bed, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. The settlement reached last week still needs approval from a…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
NJ Mayor 'Ashamed' Of Using Racial Slur NJ Mayor 'Ashamed' Of Using Racial Slur
NJ Mayor 'Ashamed' Of Using Racial Slur A mayor in New Jersey has apologized for using a racial slur that was captured on secret video recordings, NJ Advance Media reports. Clark Mayor Sal Bonaccorso stated in a nearly five-minute video that the remarks were a "mistake" and that he is "embarrassed and ashamed," adding that he has changed. The Republican politician was accused of using the N-word and the term "spooks" to describe Black people, as well as criticizing female officers, the outlet says. Even after NJ Advance Media revealed that the township hid the 2020 recordings from the public eye in a legal settlement, payin…

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by Nicole Acosta
Police & Fire
Family Of NJ Man Shot Dead By Officer At Dorney Park To Get $950K In Settlement Money Family Of NJ Man Shot Dead By Officer At Dorney Park To Get $950K In Settlement Money
Family Of NJ Man Shot Dead By Officer At Dorney Park To Get $950K In Settlement Money The family of a New Jersey man shot and killed by an "inexperienced" police officer directing traffic at Dorney Park will receive $950,000 reached in the settlement of a wrongful death suit, The Morning Call reports. Joseph Santos' two adult sons and 11-year-old daughter will receive a portion of the settlement, aside from law firm costs and fees, according to a copy of the settlement obtained by The Morning Call. Santos' estate administrator, Juliana Valenzuela, agreed to end the lawsuit on Sept. 14, according to the settlement. South Whitehall Township Officer Jonathan Ros…

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by Nicole Acosta
News
Men Drop Sex Assault Suits Against Retired Bergen Judge Turned Fox Analyst Andrew Napolitano Men Drop Sex Assault Suits Against Retired Bergen Judge Turned Fox Analyst Andrew Napolitano
Men Drop Sex Assault Suits Against Retired Bergen Judge Turned Fox Analyst Andrew Napolitano Two men have dropped their lawsuits accusing disgraced former Bergen County judge turned Fox News analyst Andrew Napolitano of sexually assaulting them. Napolitano, who was fired from Fox last August amid accusations of sexually harassing employees, had already made headlines this week for selling his condo at Trump International Hotel & Tower on Central Park West. Then came reports, first published in the New Jersey Law Journal, that Charles Corbishley and James Kruzelnick had withdrawn their suits accusing Napolitano of sexual abuse three decades apart. Napolitano also dropped a lib…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Family Of Bicycle-Riding Bergenfield Boy Killed In Crash With Bus Gets $1.6M Family Of Bicycle-Riding Bergenfield Boy Killed In Crash With Bus Gets $1.6M
Family Of Bicycle-Riding Bergenfield Boy Killed In Crash With Bus Gets $1.6M The family of a 9-year-old Bergenfield boy who was killed when his bicycle collided with a commuter bus 2½ years ago has reportedly settled a negligence lawsuit for $1.6 million. Alvin Maracallo was headed in the same direction on West Church Street when the driver of the New Jersey Transit bus turned left onto Veterans Plaza, hitting him as he entered the crosswalk shortly before 4 p.m. May 27, 2019. He and the bicycle hit the front wheel, then went under the bus and were run over, police said at the time. Security video from a nearby firehouse shows a good Samaritan rushing to help the b…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Suit Against Camden Officer Who Punched Man 12 Times In Viral Video Settled For $300K Suit Against Camden Officer Who Punched Man 12 Times In Viral Video Settled For $300K
Suit Against Camden Officer Who Punched Man 12 Times In Viral Video Settled For $300K A man who was punched 12 times in the head by a former Camden police officer during an arrest was awarded a $300,000 settlement for a suit filed against the officer, NJ.com reports. Authorities were responding to reports of a man with a gun on Feb. 22, 2018, when then-officer Nicholas Romantino slammed now 35-year-old Edward Minguela to the ground and repeatedly punched him, the outlet says. Romantino, then 27, said Minguela was resisting arrest and pulling his hands away -- but the call turned out to be bogus: Minguela was not found in possession of a weapon. The officer was later pl…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Morris Motorist Who May Lose Leg From Head-On Crash With Passaic Driver Gets $1.5M Settlement Morris Motorist Who May Lose Leg From Head-On Crash With Passaic Driver Gets $1.5M Settlement
Morris Motorist Who May Lose Leg From Head-On Crash With Passaic Driver Gets $1.5M Settlement A nursing assistant who may end up losing a leg from a head-on crash with a Passaic County driver in Morris County reportedly has won a $1.49 million settlement. Melissa Van Orden, now 47, of Budd Lake was driving home from work on southbound Route 206 in Andover when an oncoming Volkswagen crossed the double-yellow center line and slammed head-on into her Hyundai Santa Fe shortly after 7 a.m. on Dec. 22, 2019, authorities said. Both Van Orden and the Volkwagen driver, Enrico Stampone, now 27, of Totowa, were airlifted to Morristown Medical Center, responders said at the time. Va…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Ex-Murphy Campaign Volunteer Settles $1M Lawsuit Against State, Governor After Rape Allegation Ex-Murphy Campaign Volunteer Settles $1M Lawsuit Against State, Governor After Rape Allegation
Ex-Murphy Campaign Volunteer Settles $1M Lawsuit Against State, Governor After Rape Allegation A former volunteer with the Murphy for Governor campaign whose rape allegations led to state legislative reforms settled a lawsuit against New Jersey and Gov. Phil Murphy’s campaign for $1 million, both sides announced Friday. Katie Brennan accused Al Alvarez, a former Murphy campaign adviser, of raping her in her apartment in 2017 after the pair left a gathering with other campaign members. Brennan went public with the allegations in 2018 before suing last year. Murphy's campaign and the state of New Jersey will pay $1 million, with $600,000 going to a charity of Katie Brennan’s choic…

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by Jon Craig
News
Family Of Essex County Mom Paralyzed By Falling Pole Gets $125M Verizon Payout Family Of Essex County Mom Paralyzed By Falling Pole Gets $125M Verizon Payout
Family Of Essex County Mom Paralyzed By Falling Pole Gets $125M Verizon Payout In what is reportedly the largest settlement in New Jersey history, the family of an Essex County mom who was paralyzed by a falling utility pole will get $125 million from Verizon, reports say. West Orange mom Maria Moser Meister, 50, was waiting for a bus on her way to work when a the pole fell in Union City on Jan. 23, 2017, NJ.com reports. The pole, which was co-owned by Verizon through an agreement with PSE&G, was rotted at the base and snapped after 43 years, causing lifelong injuries to Meister’s body and head. As a result of the incident, Meister suffered from multiple spinal a…

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by Valerie Musson
News
Ex-Morris County Priest, Admitted Child Sex Abuser Dies In Nursing Home Ex-Morris County Priest, Admitted Child Sex Abuser Dies In Nursing Home
Ex-Morris County Priest, Admitted Child Sex Abuser Dies In Nursing Home Former Morris County priest James T. Hanley, who admitted to abusing at least a dozen children in Pompton Plains and Mendham throughout a 14-year period, died in a nursing home last week. Hanley, 83, previously served a decade as a pastor at St. Joseph’s Church in Mendham before he was defrocked in 2003, Paterson Diocese attorney Kenneth Mullaney said. The Diocese of Paterson then gave out nearly $5 million in settlements to 21 of Hanley’s accusers in 2004, reports say. Mullaney did not say which nursing home Hanley died at, or whether he died of COVID-19 -- complications like many other N…

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by Valerie Musson
Police & Fire
NJ: Morris County Dentist Who Exposed Patients To Heart Infection Can Resume Practice This Year NJ: Morris County Dentist Who Exposed Patients To Heart Infection Can Resume Practice This Year
NJ: Morris County Dentist Who Exposed Patients To Heart Infection Can Resume Practice This Year A Morris County dentist who exposed more than a dozen patients to a heart infection that killed one of them agreed to a five-year license suspension and thousands of dollars in penalties, authorities said. Because the move includes time already in suspension, John Vecchione will be allowed to begin a probationary period on Aug. 31, provided he follows certain conditions and demonstrates his "fitness and competency to resume practice," Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. Vecchione was temporarily suspended from practice in August 2016 amid allegations that he failed to mai…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Man Hit By Bus In Newark's Ironbound Settles Lawsuit For $1.2M: Reports Man Hit By Bus In Newark's Ironbound Settles Lawsuit For $1.2M: Reports
Man Hit By Bus In Newark's Ironbound Settles Lawsuit For $1.2M: Reports A Newark man who was hit by an NJ Transit bus while crossing a city street three years ago accepted a $1.2 million award to settle his lawsuit against the agency, according to published reports.  Jose Rodrigues-Marques, 52, was crossing Ferry Street on March 19, 2016, when one of the bags of groceries he was carrying burst open. When he bent down to retrieve the items, an approaching bus honked but did not stop in time and struck him, his attorney said.  Rodriques-Marques suffered knee, back and spine injuries and had only partly recovered after more than a year and a half, when h…

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by Paul Milo
News
Man Hit By NJ Transit Bus In Summit Gets Nearly $13M Settlement: Report Man Hit By NJ Transit Bus In Summit Gets Nearly $13M Settlement: Report
Man Hit By NJ Transit Bus In Summit Gets Nearly $13M Settlement: Report A man who suffered traumatic brain injuries and was left disabled after he was hit by a bus three years ago was awarded a $12.75 million settlement, The New Jersey Law Journal reported this week.  Jason Gillespie was crossing Summit Avenue Nov. 2, 2016, when an NJ Transit bus hit him in the crosswalk. He suffered multiple serious injuries and had to be placed in a medically induced coma.  The driver, Ronald Lewis, was found to have cocaine in his system. NJ Transit argued that it was therefore not liable because the driver was guilty of willful misconduct. If Lewis were guilty of …

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by Paul Milo
Police & Fire
Woman Hit By Car In Summit Gets $1.4M Settlement Woman Hit By Car In Summit Gets $1.4M Settlement
Woman Hit By Car In Summit Gets $1.4M Settlement A woman who suffered serious injuries when she was hit by a car in Summit three years ago has settled for $1.4 million, the woman's lawyer said Thursday.  A driver trying to retrieve a ticket for a parking lot at DeForest and Woodland avenues July 12, 2016, accidentally stepped on the gas, crashing through the gate, according to the plaintiff’s attorney, Kathyrn Schwartzstein of Morristown. The vehicle hit the woman, a 59-year-old Union County resident,  as she was crossing the lot. She suffered injuries that required extensive rehabilitation as well as left shoulder replacement.…

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by Paul Milo