Litigation In New Jersey During The Covid-19 Pandemic

As we approach the one-year anniversary of the New Jersey Statewide "shutdown" due to COVID-19, it is worth assessing how the New Jersey Courts adapted. Apart from jury trials, the New Jersey courts barely missed a beat keeping litigation in step.

With little lag time required to figure out the technical aspects, the courts promptly switched to virtual hearings on discovery motions, substantive motions, "friendly" hearings to approve settlements involving a minor, case management conferences, and settlement conferences. The NJ Supreme Court has reported that since March of 2020, judges in the various New Jersey courts have held more than 120,000 remote court events, involving almost 1.5 million participants.