New Jersey
You could be entitled to up to $400K if you were a client of these NJ attorneys
Clients of several New Jersey attorneys, including a Bergen County lawyer, could be eligible for up to a $400,000 payout as part of a state program.
Russell F. Anderson Jr. of Ho-Ho-Kus was one of four names released by New Jersey Courts for the fourth-quarter deadline for the Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection claims. Also included are David L. Rosenthal out of Monmouth County, Paul J. Sica out of Middlesex County and Curtis Romanowski out of Texas.
According to the notice from the courts, the fund is to pay clients on behalf of “the honest majority of lawyers for the wrongdoing of a few.” Clients could receive up to $400,000 and the fund can provide up to $1.5 million in claims against a lawyer.
For eligibility, a claim must have been filed against a bar member or acting as an attorney or fiduciary during the incident. If not dead, the attorney has to have been disbarred, suspended, placed on disability inactive status or convicted of embezzlement or other misappropriation of property, the notice stated.
“The attorney’s conduct giving rise to the claim must have been dishonest rather than negligent,” it said.
The deadlines to file claims are:
- Anderson: Oct. 16
- Romanowski: Oct. 8
- Rosenthal: Jan. 17, 2026
- Sica: Nov. 26
The notice said the state Supreme Court’s decision to suspend or disbar someone triggers the fund’s “jurisdiction to receive claims against that attorney.” Those filing claims against the attorneys have a year after discipline is issued to file the claim, but the notice warned the discipline doesn’t “guarantee compensability.” However, the claim does not have to be part of the lawyer’s ethics determination to receive payment.
Claim forms can be found online, by calling 855-533-3863 or by writing to New Jersey’s Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection at Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex, P.O. Box 961, Trenton, NJ 08625.
New Jersey
New Jersey State Police rescue bear cub on I-78
Elberon Memorial Church features stunning displays of stained glass
130-year-old stained glass windows, regarded as some of the finest in the country, are located at Elberon Memorial Church in Long Branch.
Does a bear get rescued in the woods?
One lucky one in Union Township did.
According to a Facebook post by New Jersey State Police, “On April 1, at approximately 1:37 p.m., troopers from Troop “B” Perryville Station responded to an unusual call on I-78 East at milepost 12.2 in Union Township: a lone bear cub spotted in a roadside ditch.”
The cub was found alone, and needed help. The officers stepped in and likely saved his life
“Upon arrival, troopers found the small cub alone and in need of assistance,” the post read. “He was safely secured, transported back to the barracks, and later released to the Department of Environmental Protection for proper care. Thanks to the swift response of the troopers, the cub is now safe and receiving the attention he needs.”
New Jersey
Man arrested in New Jersey after missing woman’s body discovered in Georgia woods, GBI says
A suspect has been charged with the murder of a missing woman whose body was discovered weeks ago in a stretch of Georgia woods.
Authorities say 35-year-old Gainesville resident Loron Spaulding was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals in New Jersey earlier this week.
According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, officers had been searching for 30-year-old Diaja Benson since she was reported missing out of Dawson County on Feb. 20.
On the morning of March 13, agents with the GBI, the Cumming Police Department, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources found a body of a woman near Lanier 400 Parkway in Cumming. The body was later identified as Benson.
Authorities have not shared any information about how they connected Spaulding with Benson’s death or if the two knew each other.
Spaulding remains in custody in New Jersey, facing a murder charge. He will eventually be extradited to Georgia, at which time he will be booked into the Fulton County Jail.
The investigation into the case remains ongoing. If you have any information that could help, call the GBI’s Regional Investigative Office in Cleveland at (706) 348-4866 or the agency’s tip line at 1-800-597-8477.
New Jersey
Battle of the cinnamon rolls: Jersey City coffee shop caught in zoning dispute
A popular Jersey City coffee shop is facing down a zoning complaint that could force them to temporarily shut their doors.
“I think our reaction when we heard of this most recent zoning complaint was just real frustration because we’ve done everything right,” said co-owner of the Hive, Kristin Karotkin.
Kristin and Catherine Willhoit run the Hive together.
They told News 12 they are permitted to sell coffee and baked goods under their current zoning designation, retail.
However, a nearby neighbor has filed a complaint seeking to have the business reclassified as a commercial restaurant, a move that could require The Hive to halt operations while the zoning issue is sorted out.
“The fact that one person is kind of challenging the way that zoning is interpreted really just feels like a kick in the gut for a business that’s not only beloved here in the neighborhood but has done everything we are supposed to,” Karotkin said.
City officials previously denied the neighbor’s initial complaint, but the issue is now back before the city following an appeal.
According to the appeal, the central issue comes down to one item: cinnamon rolls.
The complaint alleges The Hive is operating a commercial kitchen to bake them on-site.
The owners dispute that claim, though, and showed News 12 the shop’s oven, the only one on the premises.
“There’s nothing being made from scratch in the back room here,” Karotkin said. “It’s all made off-site and then baked here in our shops.”
Beyond their own business, the owners worry the outcome of the case could have broader implications for small businesses across Jersey City as well.
“A lot of small businesses, if this keeps happening in Jersey City, they’re going to stop trying — they’re going to stop coming here,” Karotkin said.
A zoning board meeting is scheduled for April 9, where officials are expected to make a determination on The Hive’s future.
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