Appeals Court Rejects Challenge to Client's Consecutive Suits Against Lawyers
An appeals court has ruled that two consecutive suits by a criminal defendant against his defense attorneys in the same case do not constitute a violation of the entire controversy doctrine.
June 19, 2017 at 03:50 PM
4 minute read
An appeals court has ruled that two consecutive suits by a criminal defendant against his defense attorneys in the same case do not constitute a violation of the entire controversy doctrine.
Hackensack attorney Brian Neary sought dismissal of a suit by Ronald O'Malley, a former Bergen County Improvement Authority chairman who was indicted on wire fraud charges in 2009, based on the result of O'Malley's earlier suit against the firm of Walder, Hayden & Brogan. Both Neary and Walder Hayden's Justin Walder represented O'Malley in a 68-count criminal indictment in 2011. Neary, who was deposed in connection with the Walder Hayden suit, argued that O'Malley's failure to put him on notice of a pending or contemplated action was a violation of R. 4:5-1(b)(2).
A Superior Court judge in Ocean County denied Neary's motion to dismiss, finding that the suit against Neary was based on different facts than the Walder Hayden suit. On Monday Judges Clarkson Fisher Jr., Francis Vernoia and Scott Moynihan affirmed the trial court, ruling there was too little proof to determine whether O'Malley's failure to give Hayden notice of the current suit was improper. Neary's deposition in the Walder Hayden case may have established that Neary and Walder were co-counsel in the criminal case, but it did not establish that the suits against each lawyer were based on the same facts, the appeals court ruled.
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