civility - Page 2 of 3 - THE RIDGEWOOD BLOG.

Posted on April 4, 2015 April 3, 2015

Ridgewood still deserves better

To the Editor:

When Thomas Yotka, Ridgewood’s newly appointed building department director and construction code official, proposed numerous (and in some cases significant) increases in permit fees at the March 11 Village Council public meeting, Councilwoman Susan Knudsen requested more data to justify the proposed changes. Although Mr. Yotka had cited only three other municipalities’ fees in his report, Councilwoman Knudsen had compared the proposed fees with those of several others and found some inconsistencies.

Two weeks later, at the March 25 Village Council work session, Mr. Yotka provided additional details to Village Council members. It seems, from the discussion, that the permit fee increases proposed by Mr. Yotka may be in line with those in many surrounding municipalities, although the final discussion and official council vote on fee changes have not yet taken place.

This was a fine example of transparency in government, and we have Councilwoman Knudsen to thank for it. All of us who have obtained permits for home improvements know how expensive these are, and how they can add up rapidly if a large project is undertaken. Thanks to the diligence of Councilwoman Knudsen, if our fees do increase, we can at least feel reassured that the charges will reflect current standards.

Sadly, this positive occurrence was immediately marred by uncivil, condescending remarks from Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck and Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli. They made it clear that Councilwoman Knudsen’s request for this additional data had not, in their opinions, been necessary and had required Mr. Yotka to expend excessive, exhaustive and unnecessary effort. Furthermore, when Councilwoman Knudsen stated, politely, that she did not appreciate a gratuitous swipe by the deputy mayor, he replied nastily and sarcastically. Councilwoman Knudsen, to her great credit, maintained a calm, professional demeanor.

In February 2013, Mayor Paul Aronsohn apologized for similar behavior on the part of the Village Council, saying that the public deserves a working council, not a fighting council. There have been other such outbursts in the last couple of years and now here we are yet again. Mayor Aronsohn speaks of civility often, and insists that public discourse must be polite. As chair of the March 25 meeting, he could have interrupted the nasty comments, and apologized to Councilwoman Knudsen and the public for these counterproductive interruptions to an important discussion. Moreover, why didn’t Councilwoman Hauck and Deputy Mayor Pucciarelli behave respectfully in the first place? The remarks by Councilwoman Hauck and Deputy Mayor Pucciarelli, coupled with the silence of Mayor Aronsohn, exemplify incivility.

My greatest annual expense is my property taxes, as it is in many Ridgewood households. I appreciate when our elected officials are cautious, thoughtful, and informed of the facts before spending tax revenues or increasing our fees. Collegial, productive discussions about village business cannot occur when Village Council members are disrespectful and quarrelsome. Over two years ago, the mayor said that we deserve better, but sadly it seems that we are still not getting what we deserve.

Anne LaGrange Loving

Ridgewood

Posted on March 27, 2015 January 20, 2019

Aronsohn pokes fun at Mahwah Town Council Re: recent meeting fiasco

file photo Boyd Loving

Aronsohn pokes fun at Mahwah Town Council Re: recent meeting fiasco
March 26,2015
Boyd Loving

Civility For Thee…

…but not for me. As if his verbal thrashings of former village council members were not enough, a certain someone is at it again. While pontificating on the importance of “civility,” he performs the nearly impossible feat of serving up a heaping helping of boorish incivility to yet another colleague. The next nonsensical forum Mr. Mayor convenes should be an in-depth analysis of why the fellow to his left can’t seem to mind his manners. The unintended consequence of those “transparent” public meetings is a never-ending video stream of reference for anyone who may have forgotten just how uncivilized Frick and Frack can be. Aahhh, Mahwah..such a lofty goal.

Ridgewood NJ, Just moments after Ridgewood Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli and Councilwoman Susan Knudsen got into a rather heated verbal exchange on the dais (over a report Knudsen had requested from the Village’s new Building Department Director Thomas Yotka), Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn publicly poked fun at Mahwah’s Town Council in connection with a recent meeting in Mahwah, captured on video, at which the tempers of several Town Council members flared up.

This longtime Blog reader and contributor now wonders if Mr. Aronsohn actually listens to or looks at anyone but himself during meetings of the Ridgewood Village Council.

Because if he did, he would certainly recognize that the behaviors of many people sitting on the dais along side of him (both elected and appointed representatives of the Village) are far from being what I would classify as respectful of others. Phrases such as “. . . don’t flatter yourself” and body language like a deliberately exaggerated rolling of the eyes (in response to an impassioned speech by a member of the audience or Councilperson) have no place on the dais.

People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. An old, but appropriate, proverb with respect to Village Council actions of late.

https://politickernj.com/2015/03/council-members-criticize-mayor-after-mahwah-meeting-meltdown/

Posted on March 20, 2015 March 20, 2015

Reader says Please keep growing TRB.com, PJ! We need it here in Ridgewood, now more than ever.

Reading_theridgewood_news_theridgewoodblog

Reader says Please keep growing TRB.com, PJ! We need it here in Ridgewood, now more than ever.

Yes, thank you PJ, and please bear in mind that if for whatever reason you stop providing this local service, not only will the sheer quantity of local public discourse immediately plummet, but its tenor and quality will also take a big hit. This is so in no small part because others whose personal political stock in trade appears to be in gratuitous humiliation and vilification of well-meaning colleagues and private citizens will be emboldened to increase the frequency and scale of their misbehavior.

With all the difficulties you can’t avoid, and must therefore endure, as a modern digital publisher of smallish size, you deserve to be recognized for your inspiring creativity, civic-mindedness, and clear devotion to essential Western values such as freedom of conscience, speech and association, virtuous self-government based on sound morality and a decent respect for the interests of one’s neighbors, and a healthy American skepticism when it comes to the stated, implied, or hidden motivations of elected and appointive government actors at all levels.

Local officeholders and policymakers, and municipal managers, employees, appointees, board members and volunteers know, or at least should know, that when it comes down to brass tacks, TRB.com exists purely for the long-term benefit of the Village, its citizens, its taxpayers, and other residents. Any solicited or unsolicited criticism that comes their way from these parts or at public meetings is meant not for the sake of negativity or to drag anyone down, but to further the best interests of the village as they are perceived in good faith by your very neighbors. Because this fact may not be readily apparent when current issues are being hotly discussed, or when commenters insist on exercising their right (within reason) to remain anonymous, it should not go unmentioned for very long, and it ought to be called to mind by all local actors on a regular basis so that as few people as possible end up with their respective noses out of joint when the dust settles. (How’s that for a public civility strategy, Mr. Mayor?)

Please keep growing TRB.com, PJ! We need it here in Ridgewood, now more than ever.

Posted on March 20, 2015 March 20, 2015

Reader says Diversity of thought is the most socially beneficial form of diversity

Reader says Diversity of thought is the most socially beneficial form of diversity.

Thesis. Antithesis. Synthesis. Repeat. This is the very definition of social progress.

“Small is the number of them that think with their own minds, and feel with their own hearts.” (Albert Einstein)

Diversity of skin color is a dying distinction over which paleoliberals, thugs and other hustlers are obsessed, solely for their own benefit. Someday we’ll wake up and find ourselves rid of them. What a blessed day that will be!

OTOH cultural distinctions are both particularly sticky and extremely consequential. The in and outs, ups and downs, benefits and drawbacks, of cultural diversity are therefore demonstrably worthy subjects of national discussion.

Race? Not so much.

Posted on March 18, 2015 March 18, 2015

Ridgewood continues civility roundtable talks

file photo

Ridgewood continues civility roundtable talks

March 16, 2015 Last updated: Monday, March 16, 2015, 10:49 AM
By Mark Krulish
Staff Writer |
The Ridgewood News

Another round of discussions on the concept of civility took place last week, this time in the more informal and intimate setting of the first floor senior lounge at Village Hall.

The discussion, which was led by the Rev. Jan Phillips, began with the reiteration of the purpose for holding these meetings, which was not to dictate comment or limit speech, but rather to eliminate hate speech and promote understanding between people.

“I had done a program with Pastor [Gregory] Lisby of Christ Church,” Philips said. “We were talking about backlash that has been happening because of these committee meetings and he said there’s this notion that telling people how to behave civilly is such a classist thing. That’s not where we’re coming from.”

The group explored how communication and behavior can shape a person’s perspective and examples of incivility during public meetings, while also branching off into various topics that affect the community.

Hans Jurgen Lehmann, a member of the Ridgewood Zoning Board of Adjustment, noted there have been times when audience members at meetings express skepticism that professionals testifying on behalf of applicants are being truthful with the information they give to the board.

“When they listen to the experts from the applicant, they don’t trust any of those people,” Lehmann said. “They just think they’re out there to scam them, but they are very factual.

“I’m constantly puzzled, in this society that’s supposedly very democratic, why we’re so suspicious about government. I just don’t get it,” he added.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/civility-discussion-continues-in-ridgewood-1.1289918

Posted on March 12, 2015 June 27, 2021

Reader says the Mayor and his two side kicks are creating real damage to the Village

Reader says the Mayor and his two side kicks (the 3 amigos)are creating real damage to the Village

The real damage being done to the village is that at public VC meetings, non-amigo council members are being blatantly and unnecessarily marginalized, and not simply by virtue of the fact that they are in the minority, and the measures they end up opposing are being passed over their objections. Nobody relishes the sense that their arguments were not persuasive, or that their concerns were not shared by their colleagues.

No, the new and much more damaging development is the trend of non-amigo dissenters being so blatantly and systematically personally misused and marginalized. More and more often, we find, that when an important issue or potential policy or statutory change is beginning to be considered by the Village Council, non-Amigo VC members are being intentionally kept out of the loop during substantive face-to-face meetings, telephone calls and email exchanges during which important village business is being discussed. Many of these events involve one or two Amigos, thereby representing a violation of the spirit, if not also the letter, of the Sunshine Law but some represent clear violations because they involve all three Amigos.

For example, former Councilwoman Walsh was CONSTANTLY being kept completely in the dark by all three Amigos during the run up to contemplated policy or statutory changes (as was Councilman Riche, BTW). In fact, this is the very issue she was complaining about, on the record at a public VC meeting, when the current Mayor, apparently feeling the heat and wishing to lash out and intimidate his recalcitrant colleague, accused her, without any basis in the facts or the law, of using the influence of her position on the VC to try to fix her own parking ticket. This is classic uncivil mud slinging.

Another example of this corrosive and damaging behavior is when the two Amigos were enthusiastically participating in their official capacity in the first ‘civility forum’, thinking they were in the clear, and the third Amigo unexpectedly showed up and used the public microphone to officiously advance the Amigo agenda, thereby pushing the meeting, already arguably covered by the Public Meetings Act (Sunshine Law), very clearly into that category. This shows contempt for the law. More distinctly uncivil behavior.

A third example, very recent, is when a typical up-to-no-good Amigo seemingly intentionally and deviously misled Councilwoman Knudsen into believing she needed to recuse herself from a VC work session relating to proposed changes to a law relating to village hiring practices because of her relationship to two pending local job applicants when the law required no such thing. Only after the meeting took place and Ms. Knudsen read the transcript did she determine the very wrong turn done to her by her VC colleague. Where does this behavior fall on the civility scale?

of course, the practice of figuratively knee-capping non-Amigos is not necessarily restricted to attacks on current VC colleages. This is a reality to which current Councilman Sedon can attest, having been forced to choose between his job as a reporter at a Staten Island newspaper and his continued candidacy for a seat on the Village council after an as-yet-unnamed individual apparently maliciously reached out to the editor and suggested that an unavoidable conflict of interest existed (hmm…seems like a pattern…). Can anyone think of something more uncivil than this, short of unjustified physical violence?

These developments constitute real damage because they suggest that anyone who, for whatever reason, opposes or threatens to oppose any current or future Three Amigos policy position or priority, will pay a heavy and a very personal price for their unauthorized dissent. Good potential VC candidates are presumably also intelligent and reasonably savvy and could very well be intimidated into refraining for throwing their hat into the ring in the first place. Moreover, effective, honest, well-meaning and therefore objectivey valuable current VC members are understandably caused by such behavior to re-think their continued participation in local government, meaning that they might not seek re-election when their term as Council member expires.

Surely this qualifies as “real damage.”

So I ask you, What’s in your conscience?

Posted on March 10, 2015 June 27, 2021

Readers Say the Mayor and his two Council Comrades (the three Amigos ) have shown nothing but contempt for the Faulkner Act

file photo by Boyd Loving Gwen on the Lamb

Readers Say the Mayor and his two Council Comrades (the three Amigos ) have shown nothing but contempt for the Faulkner Act

How much integrity or civility did it take to show up ostensibly as a member of the public at the first “civility forum”, grab the public microphone, p**s all over the sunshine law by blatantly involving himself as the third of three Village Council members (a quorum of the Three Amigos) needed to trigger its provisions, and then later, generously forgive himself for helping to violate both the letter and the spirit of that critical state law?

Here’s another criteria on which to consider the record of each member of the three amigos. How did they react at the time when another amigo behaved badly? Did they express sympathy for or empathize with the non-amigo victim? Did they criticize the fallen amigo, did they support, defend, or praise same, or did they stay silent/keep mum (following the eleventh commandment: thou shalt not speak ill of another amigo)? If not a candidate or officeholder at the time, are they on record with a private opinion, or can they be prevailed upon to express one now? If not, why not?

How about the African Queen Skype call to insure the Paul and Albert remain Mayor and Deputy Mayor and seal the deal on the BLOCK VOTE

If a broken (analog) clock is right twice a day, the Three Amigos can do the right thing, on occasion, and if it serves their collective interests.

Notice how none of the three ever bothers to deny that they are operating in league with each other? This is just another telltale sign of the kind of politically partisan behavior–including specific actions taken in concert in accordance with previously agreed-upon plans–that are not supposed to occur in non-partisan villages like Ridgewood that are organized under the Faulkner Act.

Is it that the Three Amigos despise our form of government, and wish nothing less that to bring about some kind of fundamental transformation? If so, this seems vaguely familiar, like some sort of deja vu…

Posted on March 9, 2015 June 27, 2021

Reader says Next Election Cycle the three amigos to at least claim the moral high ground and hypocritically accuse their opponents of incivility.

file photo Boyd Loving

Reader says Next Election Cycle the three amigos to at least claim the moral high ground and hypocritically accuse their opponents of incivility.

No presumptions should ever be made about a given officeholder’s current or future odiousness to the public, or about the notion that “now they’ve really cooked their own goose”, certainly leading to a lack of success at the upcoming polls and a failed re-election bid. Corruption can sway election results, but, and perhaps more importantly, an honest but weak or timid election opponent (read: McCain, Romney) can serve to further embolden an ethically compromised incumbent, giving them the breathing and maneuvering room they need to avoid accountability, right at the time they were expecting their opponent to oratorically “put it to them”, for lack of a better term. One must always have a well-developed plan for preventing one’s opponent from gaining or maintaining electoral momentum.

In the upcoming election, we can expect the three amigos to at least claim the moral high ground and hypocritically accuse their opponents of incivility. No opponent can be expected to survive this type of an attack who does not step toward the punch, immediately painting the ‘amigo’ in question as a brazen hypocrite by immediately reciting, preferably from memory, every act of three amigo incivility that seems to apply, and then refusing to back down in the face of the dishonestly indignant reaction (including by their friends in the media) that will be sure to follow.

Posted on March 8, 2015 June 27, 2021

Talk of Civility Masks the Truth: Capitulation

Talk of Civility Masks the Truth: Capitulation

“Civility” can be a cloak used to mask an agenda of dominance. Agree with me, or give-in to my viewpoint, and you’re a nice, civil person. Disagree, and you’re either stupid or evil – and, either way, uncivil.

“Those who talk most about civility,” wrote Richard John Neuhaus in his landmark work, The Naked Public Square, “usually define it in terms of their accustomed way of doing things. ‘Their way of doing things means they continue to be in control. We mean to take over – nicely, if possible, but if that’s not possible, well, civility is not the highest of the virtues.

Well lets not forget what he and his running mates have done in the past with their attacks on fellow council members, employes and citizens and vote accordingly. Don’t be fooled by all this civility act. They are trying to smooth over their image so they get re elected and continue the BLOCK VOTE that they have enjoyed.

Posted on March 7, 2015 March 6, 2015

‘Civility’ is another vague concept

‘Civility’ is another vague concept

March 6, 2015 Last updated: Friday, March 6, 2015, 12:31 AM
The Ridgewood News

The limits of civility

To the Editor:

Work obligations prevented me from attending the panel on civility, so I offer my observations here.

“Civility” is like “decency,” or “freedom,” or any number of other vague concepts against which no one could sensibly argue. My college professors called such terms “glittering generalities” and warned us to beware of hiding behind them.

“Civility” can enable the sophist to evade challenge by deflecting the emphasis from what is said to how it is said. “What a rude, mean, tactless thing to say” is not a refutation of an underlying argument, only a deflection. Sometimes harsh criticism is deserved and hard words are unavoidable.

I was particularly uncomfortable with the correspondent in last week’s paper who deplored questioning motives. Motives that cannot stand up to questioning are likely to be questionable. For example, “nonprofit” is simply a form of corporate organization in which any excess is ploughed back into the corporation rather than disbursed as dividends to shareholders; there is nothing especially virtuous about it, and though the corporation is nonprofit, individuals who derive their income from it generally are not. Many a scoundrel has cloaked himself in the robes of righteousness, and over the past few years the chorus of voices demanding more accountability for “nonprofits” has grown in both number and volume..

With regard to anonymity, the Federalist Papers were written under pseudonyms; it is understandable that critics of wealthy and powerful institutions might well want not to risk retaliation.

In sum, critics are well advised to avoid ad hominem arguments, intemperate words, and insults because they undermine your logic and alienate possible allies. But otherwise, as Harry Truman said, if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

A.C.Willment

Ridgewood

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/letter-to-the-editor-civility-is-another-vague-concept-1.1283635

Posted on March 5, 2015 June 27, 2021

Civility Roundtable Meeting – Monday, March 9th

coming after you

Civility Roundtable Meeting – Monday, March 9th

Following up on the February 24th Civility Roundtable, residents are invited to attend the next meeting on March 9th . We will explore how communication and behavior shape our perspectives. The meeting will be held at 7:30pm in the Senior Lounge at Village Hall.

Rev. Jan Phillips will lead the discussion. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Posted on March 2, 2015 June 27, 2021

Readers feel the Mission of the “Civility Forums” is nothing more than Censorship and Control political speech of Village residents.

Readers feel the Mission of the “Civility Forums” is nothing more than Censorship and Control political speech of Village residents.

I have not been able to attend the the so-called Civility Forums initiated by Paul Aronsohn of Ridgewood. I am sure that most of us would like to have the volume lowered in public discourse. The irony is that much of the high volume public discourse is perpetrated by politicians, pundits, and the print and electronic news media. I agree with the blogger that it is elitist that elected officials, a lobbyist, and a newspaper publisher would use their position and power to imply that anonymous bloggers are in someway destructive to the democratic process. I should not have to remind the participants that history is riddled with people in power who have sought to control and re-write the public narrative to their satisfaction. Mr. Tedesco and Paul Aronsohn should read Robert’s Rules of Order to maintain orderly public meetings. Public opinion, free speech, and dissent are the domaine of all the people including those who choose to remain anonymous.

“Ed Koch once said ,”If you agree with me on 9 out of 12 issues, vote for me. If you agree with me on 12 out of 12 issues, see a psychiatrist.”

But not according to Stephen Borg, Publisher and President, North Jersey Media Group, who insisted that the whole problem is that since people have found their voice through social media they have come to so many different opinions civil discourse has fallen .Things were so much better when North Jersey Media had a monopoly on public discussion and could always dictate terms . Borg implied that elites like himself we the only ones qualified to make those decisions. Borg pointed out how this blog and its anonymous posters are the greatest enemy to not only American Democracy but to the dominance of North Jersey Media Group. While I was rather flattered that the Publisher and President, North Jersey Media Group thought this blog shook the very foundations of civil discourse and was viewed as the barbarians at the gate , I would suggest the far larger problem might be the totally bias, and slip shot reporting of his Media Empire. Borg set the tone for the evening which came down silencing critics and reasserting the elitist “we know better than you ” , so time to be quite .https://theridgewoodblog.net/civility-forum-moves-forward-to-squelch-public-dissent/ “

Yes, it does sound as if some Gruber-like sentiments about the general public were expressed at the most recent event of Mr. Aronsohn’s series of discussions designed to lay the groundwork for the Obama administration’s plans for naked and direct government censorship of the political speech of individual citizens.

The general public, as a whole, has and regularly displays, far more integrity than do, as a whole, the self-appointed elites in this country. That’s why the following sentiment has always rung so true:

“I would sooner be governed by the first two thousand names in the Boston telephone directory than by the two thousand members of the faculty of Harvard.”― William F. Buckley Jr., Happy Days Were Here Again: Reflections of a Libertarian Journalist

Hillary Clinton, pining for Aronsohn-style “civil discourse”…as if! Sounds suspiciously like Borg with her complaint about non-standard media sources.

Hillary Clinton Blames ‘Different Media’ For Dividing Country by Charlie Spiering/Breitbart , the Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton complained that “different media” are dividing the country, making it impossible for people to even have a conversation with each other.”

Posted on March 2, 2015 June 27, 2021

Reader says Mr. Sedon is not the only wronged party. This was an act against our community, against our clean election system.

file photo by Boyd Loving

Reader says Mr. Sedon is not the only wronged party. This was an act against our community, against our clean election system.

The village should initiate an investigation immediately.

This crime was committed against Ridgewood as well as against Mr. Sedon. Our elected officials should have authorized whatever legal fees would be needed to pursue the facts and bring the perpetrator to light. It is two years later, but it is still not too late. Draft a resolution or whatever it is you do, and let’s get on with it. Unless there is some reason that someone on the dais does not wish to pursue this???

There are 2 reasons why the Council have drag their feet. One is the longer it goes the harder it is to investigate. Second is they don’t want the public to know the answer. The answer may not fit in their civility matrix. The three amigos should be just a upset as Councilman Sedon and the public because an investigation show Transparency in the council and something similar could be done to them in the upcoming election. So why are they not pursuing this? I will leave it up to the readers to speculate.

This incident will remain an appalling blot on Ridgewood forever whether it is investigated or not, but especially if it is not. I’m still in shock that the truth has not been pursued avidly. Failure to pursue this points a gigantic finger at those in charge. They are failing in their duty to preserve democracy (forget civility) while making it clear that they are implicit. Developments should be on the front page routinely as they are for the theft of our quarters–which morally and as an insult to the electoral process was LESS bad.

Posted on March 1, 2015 June 27, 2021

Reader says regardless of whether the act is considered criminal Sedon’s got a potential claim Tortious Interference with a Business Relationship

file photo by Boyd Loving

Reader says regardless of whether the act is considered criminal Sedon’s got a potential claim Tortious Interference with a Business Relationship

Sedon’s got a potential claim in civil court, regardless of whether the act is considered criminal. Tortious Interference with a Business Relationship is nothing to engage in lightly. If you engage in it, make sure you’ve got a darn good reason for doing so, because you should expect to be sued, and made to pay money in compensation for the damage you’ve done. To start with, the plaintiff could name the defendant(s) as John and Jane Doe if your identity is unknown at the time of filing the lawsuit. Only later, after your identity has been determined through the process of legal discovery (Sedon’s former employer can be forced to comply and cough up the relevant data and documentation) and/or forensic digital investigation (e.g., if the email was sent anonymously, examining the related metadata to determine the sender’s IP address, and going where the evidence leads you until the sender is identified), your actual name will eventually be added to the lawsuit, you will become a defendant, and you will be summoned publicly to answer the claim against you.

https://www.steinlegal.com/news/NJSB-GiglArticle_feb08.php

Tortious Interference:
What are the Rules of the Game?
By Robyn B. Gigl

In the seminal case of Printing Mart v. Sharpe Electronics1, the New Jersey Supreme Court laid out the four prong test that a plaintiff must satisfy in order to establish a cause of action for tortious interference with either contract or prospective economic advantage. The plaintiff must prove that it has some protectable right, either a contractual relationship or a prospective economic right; 2 the plaintiff must establish that the interference was done intentionally and with “malice”, which is defined to mean harm that was inflicted intentionally and without justification or excuse; 3 the plaintiff must establish that the interference caused a loss and in situations where the plaintiff does not have an established contract right but claims a loss of a prospective gain, the plaintiff must show that there was a reasonable probability that it would have received the alleged gain; 4 and finally the plaintiff must prove that the loss in question caused damages to the plaintiff. 5

While certainly there can be disputes as to whether or not a plaintiff really did have a legitimate prospective economic advantage that was interfered with, 6 the most difficult prong of the Printing Mart test for litigants, practitioners and the courts to deal with is whether or not the interference was done intentionally and with “malice” and exactly constitutes malice in the tortious interference context.7 In this regard, our courts have recognized that when looking at business practices, determining what conduct is justified is governed by a “somewhat amorphous”8standard. In particular, New Jersey Courts have appeared to have difficulty in defining and applying this somewhat amorphous test for reasonableness in the context of businesses that are in direct competition with one another. Trying to operate under admittedly amorphous standards makes it difficult for the business community, practitioners and trial judges to differentiate conduct that is sanctioned by the rules of the game and that for which liability may be imposed. This article gives an overview of the important cases in the area in an attempt to help practitioners navigate the murky “rules of the game”.

Posted on February 28, 2015 June 27, 2021

Reader says the deafening silence on the MIke Sedon email is very telling that little breach of civility had real consequences

Reader says the deafening silence on the MIke Sedon email is very telling that little breach of civility had real consequences

The deafening silence for the three of them, most notable the large-and-in-charge Mayor speaks volumes. They want the MIke Sedon email forgotten. Sorry, Sir Paul, you keep sweeping it under the rung and we will keep pulling the rug back.

Why doesn’t the mayor open the case of Mr. Sedon’s job being threatened if he did not quit his candidacy two years ago???? Hello? Paul Aronsohn? Are you listening???

Very good question . Who did write that e-mail? Not a peep from the Council majority on that one. And that little breach of civility had real consequences unlike most of what these 3 are complaining about. Also, not a peep from our Deputy Mayor or Mrs. Hauck about their beloved Valley Hospital, its most uncivil attorney and even less civil lawsuit. How do they reconcile their support of Valley while sitting on the Council as defendants? How do they sit through these silly civility hearings knowing that Valley is the biggest bully in town next to them.