In a landmark decision on March 17, 2025, the New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Rosalyn Musker v. Suuchi, Inc. that commissions are unequivocally considered “wages” under the NJ Wage Payment Law (WPL). This ruling strengthens protections for New Jersey employees, ensuring employers cannot evade their obligation to pay…
New Jersey Employment Lawyer Blog
New Jersey Appellate Court Clarifies NJFLA Protections in Recent Decision
When your employer denies you a leave to care for a loved one, it can feel like you are being forced to choose between your job and your family. Fortunately, New Jersey law provides strong protections for employees under the New Jersey Family Leave Act (NJFLA). However, as a…
Supreme Court Rules on FLSA Exemptions in E.M.D. Sales, Inc. v. Carrera
In a major decision impacting employment law across the nation, the United States Supreme Court ruled in E.M.D. Sales, Inc. v. Carrera, that the preponderance-of-the-evidence standard governs the employer’s burden of proving an employee is exempt from the minimum wage and overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act…
New Jersey Appellate Division Clarifies Procedural Requirements in CEPA Case
In a recent unpublished decision, the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division, addressed a Conscientious Employee Protection Act (CEPA) claim involving allegations of a retaliatory failure to promote within a police department. The case revolved around whether an employee of the Haddonfield Police Department, Michael Caruso, was denied a promotion…
DCR Revises Regulation Based on Jonathan Nirenberg’s Suggestion
The New Jersey Division on Civil Rights recently modified its proposed regulation regarding disparate impact claims based on a comment that I submitted earlier this year. On June 3, 2024 the DCR initially proposed the new regulation to addresses disparate impact claims under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (“LAD”). …
Two Rabner Baumgart Attorneys Selected as Bergen County’s Top Lawyers in 2024
Rabner Baumgart Ben-Asher & Nirenberg, P.C. is pleased to announce that two of our employment lawyers, Jonathan I. Nirenberg and David H. Ben-Asher, have been selected to BERGEN Magazine’s 2024 list of Bergen County’s Top Lawyers. Jonathan and David were each selected in the category of Labor & Employment law.…
Teacher’s Objection to Inadequate Discipline of Student for Threatening Violence Can be Protected by CEPA
In a recent unpublished opinion, New Jersey’s Appellate Division found a teacher’s objection that his school did not sufficiently discipline a student for threatening to shoot another student could be protected from retaliation by the Conscientious Employee Protection Act (“CEPA”). CEPA is a broad New Jersey whistleblower law that prohibits…
Court Recognizes New Jersey Law Against Discrimination’s Broad Definition of Disability
In a recent unpublished decision, New Jersey’s Appellate Division make it clear that an employee does not have to have a severe or permanent impairment to have a viable disability discrimination to be protected by the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (“LAD”). The case was filed by Bart Algozzini, who…
Taxation of Employment Law Settlements
When you settle an employment law case, typically most or all of the money you receive will be taxable. Nonetheless, it is both common and important to discuss the tax allocation as part of the settlement negotiation, including what portion will be reported on an IRS form W-2, and what…
Court Addresses When Commissions are Covered by Wage Payment Law
The New Jersey Wage Payment Law (“WPL”) is an important employment law that requires employers to pay employees their wages on time. Since August 2019, the WPL has entitled employees whose employers fail to pay them on time to recover not only their unpaid wages, but also up to 200%…