Can the Court Require a Litigant to Disclose Personal Income Tax Returns in Pretrial Discovery?
Depending upon the claims and defenses raised in the context of a particular civil lawsuit, the information contained in a party's business or personal income tax return may be a relevant area of inquiry for pretrial discovery. However, most taxpayers will not voluntarily surrender their tax returns simply because the information is being sough...
Judicial Estoppel: Dismissing Post-Bankruptcy Litigation Claims Omitted From the Bankruptcy Filing
In this post I examine the doctrine of judicial estoppel in the context of post-bankruptcy litigation of claims, assets or causes of action omitted from a debtor's bankruptcy filing, examining the doctrine's application under federal law in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and New Jersey state courts.
Under federal law, a debtor is required to ...
Third Circuit Court of Appeals Puts The Nail In The Coffin for Madoff Investors
In a precedential opinion, Baer v. U.S., the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit rejected the claims filed by defrauded investors of Bernard Madoff against the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), holding that the Federal Tort Claims Act shields the SEC from liability for an exercise of discretion, even if it is abused.
The...
Sale of Used Rolls Royce Turns Into Clunker for New Jersey Auto Dealership
The New Jersey Appellate Division delivered a 'clunker' to a Bergen County auto dealership by affirming a trial court judge's opinion that found the dealership violated the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act in the sale of a used Rolls Royce to a North Carolina man. Bishop vs. Richard Catena Auto Wholesalers, Inc., Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellat...