A New Jersey appeals court has ordered a new trial in a Bergen County automobile injury case based on cross-examination of the Colombian-born plaintiff during trial about his citizenship, how long he lived in the U.S. and his need for an interpreter.

Questions about the immigration status of plaintiff Juan Morales-Hurtado as well as the cumulative effect of a list of other errors at trial prompted the appeals court to order a new trial.

Morales-Hurtado's Honda Civic was rear-ended by a jitney bus at an intersection in Fort Lee on Aug. 24, 2011. The bus was driven by Abel Reinoso and owned by New Service Inc. After a trial in December 2015 and January 2016, the jury awarded Morales-Hurtado $71,615 for past medical expenses and $50,000 for pain and suffering, and found the plaintiff bore 20 percent comparative liability, reducing the recovery to $97,292.