New Jersey
Recent Proliferation of Lawsuits Under New Jersey’s Daniel’s Law | White & Case LLP
Plaintiffs’ attorneys recently have filed a series of lawsuits in New Jersey, seeking damages based on alleged violations of Daniel’s Law (N.J. Stat. § 56:8-166.1). The suits allege that various website operators have violated provisions of Daniel’s Law by making available the home addresses and unpublished home telephone numbers of law enforcement officers (including by making such information available on an online searchable database) following the receipt of a nondisclosure request. The officers have purportedly assigned their claims to Atlas Data Privacy Corporation, who sent thousands of automated nondisclosure requests to the defendants from “@atlasmail.com” email addresses as a precursor to the lawsuits.
Daniel’s Law was enacted in response to the death of Daniel Anderl—the son of New Jersey federal judge Esther Salas—who was shot and killed by a self-described “anti-feminist” lawyer who had targeted Salas.1 Daniel’s Law aims to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of personal information of “covered persons” (i.e., active or retired law enforcement officers, judges, prosecutors and child protective investigators—along with immediate family members residing in the same household). Under Daniel’s Law, following the receipt of a nondisclosure request from a covered person, or an “authorized person”2 permitted to send such a request on their behalf, businesses and other private entities must stop disclosing or otherwise making available the home address and unpublished home telephone number of such covered person within 10 business days.
Under the law, “disclose” is defined broadly to mean “to solicit, sell, manufacture, give, provide, lend, trade, mail, deliver, transfer, post, publish, distribute, circulate, disseminate, present, exhibit, advertise, or offer, and shall include making available or viewable within a searchable list or database, regardless of whether a search of such list or database is actually performed.”
Potential penalties under Daniel’s Law are as follows:
- actual damages, but not less than liquidated damages computed at the rate of $1,000 for each violation of this act;
- punitive damages upon proof of willful or reckless disregard of the law;
- reasonable attorney’s fees and other litigation costs reasonably incurred; and
- any other preliminary and equitable relief as the court determines to be appropriate.
Given the significant potential exposure associated with mass claims under Daniel’s Law, and the short 10-business-day time frame for responding to nondisclosure requests, we recommend that companies receiving requests under Daniel’s Law promptly take steps to assess and mitigate risk by locating any relevant information in their systems and deleting or suppressing it. These suits represent the first large-scale test cases for Daniel’s Law and we expect to see further follow-on litigation; accordingly, it will be critical for companies hosting data of New Jersey residents to stay apprised of developments and ensure they have systems in place to quickly identify and respond to nondisclosure requests.
1 See, e.g., CBS News: Federal judge whose son was killed in ambush: “My son’s death cannot be in vain”
2 Under N.J. Stat. § 56:8-166.1, “authorized person” means “a covered person or any of the following persons hereby authorized to submit or revoke a request for the redaction or nondisclosure of a home address on behalf of a covered person: (1) on behalf of any federal judge, a designee of the United States Marshals Service or of the clerk of any United States District Court; (2) on behalf of any covered person who is deceased or medically or psychologically incapacitated, a person acting on behalf of the covered person as a designated trustee, as an estate executor, or pursuant to a written power of attorney or other legal instrument; and (3) on behalf of any immediate family member who is a minor and who is otherwise entitled to address redaction or nondisclosure pursuant to this act, the parent or legal guardian thereof.”
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Blacksmith Triangle, the site of a former gas station at the corner of North Olden and Lawrence avenues in Trenton, has taken on a new life as the city’s latest green space.
New Jersey Conservation Foundation (NJ Conservation), in partnership with the City of Trenton and other environmental and community organizations, worked to transform the site into a forested park addition over the last two years. Improvements included site clearing and grading, seeding, new sidewalks, bollards, a brick-paved entry plaza, and 14 honey locust trees. The project’s completion was celebrated in May.
The City remediated Blacksmith Triangle years ago to clean up the contamination left behind from its former use as a gas station. But until recently it remained covered with concrete and asphalt and was often used as a de facto parking lot. In 2024, NJ Conservation received a grant from the Licensed Site Remediation Professionals Association Foundation to plant trees on the site, which spurred conversations with Trenton officials about turning the lot into a forested plaza and gateway to George Page Park and the Assunpink Greenway. Construction began in December 2025, thanks to a significant financial contribution from the City of Trenton and additional funding secured by NJ Conservation from private donors.
With this new green space, project leaders aim to increase shade for city residents, who are experiencing disproportionate impacts of climate change. Trenton neighborhoods are dealing with the ‘heat island effect’ that causes higher ambient temperatures in urban areas than in suburban and rural areas.
“Excessive heat is deadly in our communities, and this work will help future generations of Trentonians cope with the rising temperatures that will come with our new climate realities,” said Jay Watson, NJ Conservation’s Senior Fellow for Conservation Justice. “New Jersey Conservation Foundation is proud to do this green infrastructure work in our capital city.”
At a grand opening celebration for Blacksmith Triangle last month, Paul Harris, Trenton’s Director of Recreation, Natural Resources, and Culture, said the City is excited about the lot’s transformation, highlighting the partnership that made the project possible.
“Our goal is to green as much of the town as we can, but in order to do that successfully, we need to bring on partners,” said Harris.
The revitalization of Blacksmith Triangle is part of a larger greening effort throughout the city. NJ Conservation and its partners — City of Trenton, Isles, the New Jersey Tree Foundation, the Watershed Institute, and the Outdoor Equity Alliance — are working to build a greener, more equitable New Jersey through the Trees for Trenton program. Thanks to a grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, 1,000 shade trees are being planted throughout Trenton, creating a healthier environment for residents and visitors.
Trees for Trenton was announced in 2023 at an Arbor Day celebration when the first trees were planted at Mulberry Street Park. More than 900 trees have been planted throughout the city since then.
(Courtesy of New Jersey Conservation Foundation)
About New Jersey Conservation Foundation
Recognizing that a healthy environment is critical to the well-being and survival of all living things, New Jersey Conservation Foundation is devoted to preserving land and protecting natural resources throughout New Jersey’s rural, suburban, and urban landscapes.
Since 1960, the nonprofit, nonpartisan, statewide organization has preserved more than 140,000 acres of open space, farmland, and parks. The organization manages more than a dozen nature preserves, conducts public outreach and education programs, and advocates for sensible land use and climate policies that will protect the health of New Jersey’s plants, wildlife, and people for generations to come.
Courtesy of New Jersey Conservation Foundation
How to protect your NJ home from wind: Video
Here’s how to windproof your home to minimize damage, and what to do if a tree falls on your property as a result of the weather
A severe thunderstorm watch looms over North Jersey on the evening of June 12 after days of extreme heat.
Nation Weather Service New York declared a severe thunderstorm watch for numerous North Jersey counties including Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Essex, Morris and Sussex among other Central Jersey and New York counties. The watch is in effect until 9 p.m., according to the NWS statement.
In an hourly forecast from The Weather Channel for Paramus, there is a 74% chance of thunderstorms at 7 p.m.
High temperatures reached past 90 degrees in many parts of North Jersey on June 11 and June 12 as a heat advisory also remains in effect until 8 p.m., said NWS New York.
“Dangerous heat is expected to continue across much of our region through today, with several record highs likely to be challenged again. High temperatures are forecast to peak into the low to mid 90s across most of the area,” the National Weather Service said Friday.
A Heat Advisory is in effect until 8 p.m. across the state except for Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties.
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