Veterinary malpractice is difficult and expensive to establish in court, and the money damages are limited because animals are considered property in New Jersey. You can recover the economic value of your pet but not your emotional distress (except in extremely rare and limited circumstances)…
Happy New Year, dear readers. Instead of the usual legal analysis, I wanted to do something special for New Year’s Day and list my 6 favorite animal movies. Why 6? I couldn’t eliminate one to make it the Top 5. A few caveats: I’ve never…
Boy meets Girl. Boy loses Girl. Boy gets Girl back again. Next, Boy and Girl get Dog. Sound familiar? How about the case of Kristen Stewart and her Twilight co-star, Robert Pattinson? Back in the fall, we read that the famous couple was arguing…
“The rescue doctrine has received general recognition in New Jersey and ‘has long been a part of our State’s social fabric.’” Saltsman v. Corazo, 317 N.J. Super. 237, 248 (App. Div. 1998) (quoting Burns v. Mkt. Transition Facility, 281 N.J. Super. 304, 310 (App.…
This is the final article in a three-part blog series about pet adoption contracts with Rescue Organizations. Even Rescue organizations that work in partnership with a public shelter – not to be confused with a bill of sale from a pet shop or breeder. The…
This is the second in a three-part blog series about pet adoption contracts – not to be confused with a bill of sale from a pet shop or breeder. This applies only to adoption contracts with pet rescue organizations. The first article is geared toward…
This is the first in a three-part blog series about pet adoption contracts – not to be confused with a bill of sale from a pet shop or breeder. This applies only to adoption contracts with pet rescue organizations. When acquiring a dog, cat, puppy…
The New Jersey Vicious and Potentially Dangerous Dog Act, N.J.S.A. 4:19-17 et seq., imposes penalties and conditions on dog owners whose dogs have injured a human being or killed or seriously injured a domestic animal (pet). Trials are held in Municipal Court but because the…
What is a dangerous dog? Why don’t you want your dog labeled “potentially dangerous”? In New Jersey, the term “dangerous” is not defined by the breed, someone’s subjective opinion of your dog, or the dog’s prior history – it can be defined by a single…
Gina Calogero made law in New Jersey with the very first reported decision on pet custody. In the precedent-setting decision Houseman v. Dare, 405 N. J. Super. 538 (App. Div. 2009), the New Jersey Appellate Court ruled that family courts have jurisdiction in disputes over…
