New Jersey Business Law

10/08/2026

We won again, this time at the New Jersey Supreme Court which denied defendants Petition for Certification. My partner Luke Kealy, Esq. and I were successful in opposing the Petition. The trial court and the Appellate Division had already ruled that a commercial landlord and property manager must pay $1.7 million to a brokerage firm, despite their claims that it was not the one who landed Green Thumb Industries as a tenant, a New Jersey appeals court ruled, saying that was not the deal the parties signed.

It does not matter if Paterson city officials were the ones who first introduced the cannabis giant's subsidiary GTI New Jersey LLC to the 88,000 square foot warehouse, a two-judge panel said on April 23. The listing agreement that Getty Industries LLC and Alma Realty Corp. entered into with their broker, Blau & Berg Company, stipulated that the broker would receive its commission regardless of who found the renter.

The appeals court affirmed the bench trial judgment awarding Blau & Berg a total of $1.74 million, almost three times what the original 5% commission would have netted the broker. This award included the $634,000 brokerage commission, $650,000 in prejudgment interest and $460,516 in attorney fees and costs. The NJ Supreme Court awarded our client "costs" as well, and we will be seeking legal fees in connection with the Petition defense.

A great victory for our client Blau & Berg, a commercial real estate broker. My best. Alan Pralgever

NJ Court Backs Broker's $1.74M Cannabis Lease Fee Win - Law360NJ Court Backs Broker's $1.74M Cannabis Lease Fee Win - Law360

law360.com

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09/11/2026

ON 9/11 WE SHOULD NEVER FORGET THE INHUMANITY THAT TOOK PLACE THIS DAY 25 YEARS AGO--
MANY LOST PEOPLE THAT DAY--MY COUNSIN HOWARD KESTENBAUM WAS KILLED --HE WAS THE CHIEF ACtUARY FOR AEON INSURANCE COMPANY AND A SPACE PHYSICIST--
MAY HIS MEMORY AND MEMORY OF ALL THE PEOPLE THAT DIED THAT DAY AND AFTERWARD BE A BLESSING--
IT'S ALSO EREV ROSH HASHANAH--THE BEGINNING OF A NEW YEAR AND THE BEGINNING OF A PERIOD OF CONTEMPLATION ENDING IN YOM KIPPUR--10 DAYS FROM NOW--WHEN WE ALL GET INSCRIBED IN THE BOOK OF LIFE--
WHAT A STUNNING COINCIDENCE 25 YEARS LATER--

08/16/2026

I remember this song and this time so well--life really resonated in those days--there was a great sense of future even though the Viet Nam war was threatening life as we knew it--there was hope and a sense that the future would be better than the past--no so much now--too much AI, war, Trump, and inequality--We can and need to do better!

08/16/2026

I saw the Odyssey last night--not bad but an hour too long-I am not sure Matt Damon was the right actor--would not really recommend it--doesn't really resonate--wish it wasn't true but that is what I felt--not much

08/15/2026

United States v. Heppner, 25-cr-503-JSR (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 17, 2026). [1, 2]
Key Details of this key Ruling:
The Case: Judge Jed S. Rakoff ruled that a criminal defendant's interactions (prompts and outputs) with a public AI chatbot (Claude) are not protected by attorney-client privilege or the work-product doctrine.
Hepner was accused of wire fraud and looked up the crime using AI on a public, "open system" as opposed to a "closed system" like Westlaw or Lexis.
So Hepner's "mistake" was not using a "closed system" or having the money or resources to do so. That seems like a two tiered system of justice to me; one for the affluent and connected; and another for the disconnected. I hope and believe the Circuit Court will review this, as it just doesn't seem fair or right; analogous to the Miranda warning so that the accused knows his/her statements can be used against them and they have a right to a lawyer. One should not be able to incriminate him/her self by looking up the elements of a crime. If you don't yet have a lawyer or can't afford one, why shouldn't you be able to look up the elements of the crime you are charged with, without having that evidence used against you?

You could go to a law library and do so anonymously; so why is your electronic footprint any different. It's not evidence of an intent to commit a crime. Rather, its merely understanding what crime you are alleged to have committed. The Warren Court would have protected this use, but likely the Roberts' Court will not. There should be one system of justice for all however, in my view.

07/19/2026

07/16/2026

This is an excellent explanation of the Iran economic and political situation--It's important to read to understand why Trump's early termination of Obama's agreement with Iran was so devastating--and it shows a way forward

06/18/2026