2019 Firm News

SOBEL HAN, LLP reappointed as Borough Attorney for Red Bank, New Jersey.

SOBEL HAN, LLP reappointed as Borough Attorney for Allentown, New Jersey.

SOBEL HAN, LLP reappointed as Borough Attorney for Roosevelt, New Jersey.

Greg Cannon reappointed as prosecutor of Keyport, New Jersey.

SOBEL HAN, LLP appointed as counsel to the board of the Jersey City Employment and Training Program.

Andrew Sobel named as Vice-Chair of the Planning Board for the Borough of Fair Haven, New Jersey.

SOBEL HAN, LLP successfully settled a matter on the day of trial by obtaining the entry of a judgment against defendants based on our complaint alleging breach of contract, negligence, consumer fraud and veil-piercing. Our client’s claims originated when the owner/developer failed to maintain an area of a strip-mall which subsequently led to that portion of the roof to collapse and the town condemning the entire strip-mall unsafe for occupation. The individual owner of the entity, a prominent Bergen County developer, personally guaranteed the settlement payment which was double the amount offered after depositions.

SOBEL HAN, LLP reappointed as Tenant Advocate for City of Hoboken, New Jersey.

SOBEL HAN, LLP appointed as Borough Attorney for Neptune City, New Jersey.

Luisa Londano jointed the firm as Legal Assistant.

SOBEL HAN, LLP successfully defended an action against our client alleging negligence, property damage and breach of contract. After a full hearing on the merits, the court found no cause and dismissed the complaint in its entirety.

SOBEL HAN, LLP successfully assisted a Hoboken resident in obtaining a secured front door after a high-rise fire damaged a portion of the apartment. The resident had pleaded with management and the landlord for weeks to no avail but saw immediate action being taken after a demand letter was sent by our office on the tenant’s behalf.

SOBEL HAN, LLP appointed as Special Council to Borough of Englewood Cliffs.

SOBEL HAN, LLP was a sponsor of the Municipal Innovation Summit.

SOBEL HAN, LLP is a proud sponsor of the Red Bank 2019 Summer Series.

Greg Cannon became a named partner of the firm.

Haven Franklin joined the firm as Legal Assistant.

SOBEL HAN & CANNON, LLP appealed a judgment that was entered against our client in the Bergen County Superior Court. Legal issues of waiver, preclusion doctrines, judicial estoppel and the entire controversy doctrine resulted in the trial court entering a judgment against our client and also awarded the plaintiff attorneys’ fees. In reversing the trial court, the Appellate Court concluded that “the trial court misconstrued the evidence” and ignored the non-waiver provisions of the contract as a waiver requires “a clear, unequivocal, and decisive act of the party showing such a purpose or acts amounting to an estoppel on [its] parts.” Further, the Appellate Court determined that neither of the two preclusion doctrines provided in the lower court’s decision applied and opined that the trial court departed from established policies and thus abused its discretion. Further, while the court noted that a counsel fee decision “will be disturbed only on the rarest of occasions”, the Appellate Court concluded that the trial court had in fact abused its discretion in its award of attorneys’ fees.

SOBEL HAN & CANNON, LLP was a proud sponsor and participated in the Michaels Education Foundation Annual Golf Classic which raised over $1.2M.

Christina Vasiliou joined the firm as Legal Assistant.

SOBEL HAN & CANNON, LLP successfully defended a complaint filed against a tenant seeking to eject the tenant and her husband from their home. A thorough review of the tenants’ history – leases, payment history, correspondence with landlord and subsequent correspondence with lender and real estate servicing company – conclusively established our clients as tenants. We not only filed an answer but also filed a counterclaim for various violations of New Jersey statutes as related to foreclosed properties. On the day of trial, we went through our set of facts with the judge during the pretrial conference which resulted in the judge informing opposing counsel that he had an “uphill climb” in prevailing at trial. The pretrial conference resulted in opposing counsel withdrawing his complaint and his client agreeing to settle our clients’ counterclaim for monetary loss; thereby, resolving the matter in our clients’ favor in the most efficient and effective manner.

SOBEL HAN & CANNON, LLP successfully defended a complaint filed against a prominent landlord alleging negligence and breach due to a bed bug infestation in the unit. The tenants – both working professionals – argued that the landlord was negligent and failed to regularly screen for bed bugs in the luxury building. After counsel for both parties had a conference with the trial judge in which we presented our legal arguments and pointed out the flaws in plaintiffs’ case, plaintiffs’ counsel agreed to withdraw the complaint and release all funds held in court in a related landlord-tenant matter to the landlord. Being prepared and presenting our arguments in an effective manner allowed our clients to prevail without the need to proceed to trial.

William Vaughan joined the firm as Associate.

Greg Cannon was reelected as councilman of Aberdeen, New Jersey.