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New Jersey Personal Injury Overview
Personal injury law involves civil claims in which an individual is injured through the negligence, recklessness or intentional misconduct of another person, a company, or property owner. A personal injury lawsuit may arise from physical or emotional injuries. Personal injury law compensates individuals injured as a result of another’s negligence or intentional misconduct. Personal injury laws vary from state to state. If you believe you have a personal injury claim, you should contact a personal injury lawyer in New Jersey to evaluate your claim.
New Jersey follows a system using the modified comparative negligence – 51% rule. In states following a modified comparative fault – 51% rule, an injured party can only recover if it is determined that his or her fault in causing the injury does not reach 51%. If the injured party was 50% or less at fault, he or she may still recover damages. However, if a plaintiff’s fault reaches 51%, he or she recovers nothing. In other words, a plaintiff may have caused half of the accident and still recover damages from the court, but if it is found that the plaintiff’s fault was responsible for more than half of the accident, that plaintiff is barred from receiving any damages determined by the court. Here, as in a pure comparative negligence state, a plaintiff’s recovery is reduced by the degree of his or her fault. For example, if Debbie sued Dave for damages she suffered in a car accident involving their vehicles, and Debbie was 51% at fault, Debbie would not recover anything from Dave. If, however, Debbie was 40% at fault, she could recover damages, but the damage award would be reduced by her portion of the fault in causing the injury. Therefore, a finding that Debbie suffered $10,000 in damages would result in Debbie receiving an award reduced by 40%, or a final award of $6,000.
Click here to read about contributory vs. comparative negligence.
A statute of limitations is a type of law that restricts the period of time that a person may initiate legal proceedings. Time limits can vary depending on the type of case and the state where the particular cause of action occurred. To learn more about statutes of limitations, read our Statute of Limitations page. To see a state by state comparison chart for the personal injury statute of limitations for each state, read our Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury Actions page.
New Jersey Statutes of Limitations
In New Jersey, the courts follow a modified joint and several liability approach in entering judgment against multiple defendants. A defendant determined to be less than 60% at fault are responsible only for the proportion of negligence attributed to him or her. If the defendant is determined to be 60% or more at fault, that defendant will be subject to joint and several liability. Joint and several liability will also apply in environmental tort cases
Click here for more about Joint and Several Liability.
One of the best ways to research personal injury lawyers in New Jersey is to contact courts in NJ and ask them for information about the personal injury attorneys who utilize their legal facilities when they bring personal injury cases to court. We have compiled a list below of some courts in New Jersey to get you started:
Supreme Court
New Jersey Supreme Court
Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex
P.O. Box 970
Trenton, NJ, 08625
609-292-4837
Superior Courts
Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division
Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex
P.O. Box 006
Trenton, NJ 08625
609-292-4822
Superior Court of New Jersey, Clerk’s Office
Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex
P.O. Box 971
Trenton, NJ 08625
609-292-6564
New Jersey Tax Court
Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex
P.O. Box 972
Trenton, NJ 08625
609-292-6989
Local/County Courts
Atlantic County Civil Court Building
1201 Bacharach Boulevard
Atlantic City. NJ 08401
609-345-6700
Atlantic County Criminal Court House
4997 Unami Blvd.
Mays Landing, NJ 08330
609-909- 8154
Bergen County Justice Center
10 Main Street
Hackensack. NJ 07601
201-527-2700
Burlington County Court Facility
49 Rancocas Road
Mount Holly, NJ 08060
609-518-2500
Camden County Hall of Justice
101 South Fifth Street
Camden, NJ 08103
856-379-2200
Cape May County Courthouse
9 North Main Street
Cape May Court House, NJ 08210
609-465-1000
Cumberland County Courthouse
Broad & Fayette Streets
Bridgeton, NJ 08302
856-451-8000
Essex County Courts Building
50 West Market Street
Newark, NJ 07102
973-693-5701
Gloucester County Courthouse
I North Broad Street
Woodbury NJ 08096
856-853-3200
Hudson County Administration Building
595 Newark Avenue
Jersey City, NJ 07306
201-795-6000
Hunterdon County Courthouse
65 Park Avenue
Flemington, NJ 08822
908-237-5800
Mercer County Courthouse
209 South Broad Street
Trenton, NJ 08650-0068
609-571-4000
Middlesex County Courthouse
1 Kennedy Square
New Brunswick, NJ 08903-0964
732-981-3200
Monmouth County Courthouse
71 Monument Park
Freehold, NJ 07728-1266
732-677-4300
Morris County Courthouse
Washington & Court Sts.
Morristown, NJ 07963-0910
973-656-4000
Ocean County Courthouse
118 Washington Street
Toms River, NJ 08754
732-244-2121
Passaic County Court House
77 Hamilton Street
Paterson, NJ 07505-2017
973-247-8000
Salem County Courthouse
92 Market Street
Salem, NJ 08079
856-935-7510
Somerset County Courthouse
North Bridge Street
Somerville, NJ 08876-1262
908-231-7191
Sussex County Judicial Center
43-4 7 High Street
Newton, NJ 07860
973-579-0675
Union County Courthouse
2 Broad Street
Elizabeth, NJ 07207
908-659-4100
Warren County Courthouse
Second & Hardwick Streets
Belvidere, NJ 07823
908-475-6161
