Michael T.G. Long
Director

Christian A. Arnold
Deputy Director

Kavin K. Mistry
Deputy Director

Jason W. Rockwell
Deputy Director

Michael C. Walters
Deputy Director

Jean Reilly
Deputy Counsel to the Director

Jennifer Schiefelbein
Special Assistant to the Director – Newark

Elissa Westbrook-Smith
Chief of Staff

Sudha Raja
Deputy Chief of Staff

Anthony Miragliotta
Chief, Administrative Services, Newark

Donna White
Chief, Administrative Services, Trenton

PO Box 45029, 124 Halsey St.,
Newark, NJ 07101 Directions

Peter Basso
Chief, Deputy Attorney General

The Affirmative Civil Enforcement – Newark Practice Group will spearhead the efforts to bring affirmative “pattern and practice” civil rights cases on behalf of the State under the NJ Civil Rights Act and authorizing statutes of the Division on Civil Rights. Additionally, the section will work with the Department of Labor to bring actions against employers and entities for labor and workplace violations.

Hughes Justice Complex
2nd Fl., P.O. Box 117
Trenton, NJ 08625 Directions
(609) 376-2965 / fax (609) 777-3503

Richard Wegryn, Jr.
Section Chief

Nicholas Kant
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

The Banking & Insurance Section provides legal representation and counsel to the Department of Banking and Insurance. That representation includes bringing civil enforcement actions against licensees and regulated entities, representing the Commissioner in the role of rehabilitator or liquidator of insolvent insurance companies, counseling the Department on proposed legislation and regulations, and defending challenges to the Department’s actions.

The BI Section litigates regulatory enforcement matters against licensees, including insurance producers and public adjusters, who have violated the State’s insurance laws. Deputies draft orders to show cause and handle matters that have been transmitted to the Office of Administrative Law for a hearing. Deputies litigate the matters to settlement or final order, engaging in discovery, motion practice, and hearings.

The BI Section also handles civil insurance fraud matters on behalf of the Bureau of Fraud Deterrence, by seeking civil penalties pursuant to the New Jersey Insurance Fraud Prevention Act. Deputies file complaints with the Superior Court of New Jersey, where the matters are litigated to settlement or judgment, engaging in discovery, motion practice, and trials.

The BI Section pursues regulatory enforcement actions on behalf of the Division of Banking against New Jersey chartered banks, consumer lenders, check cashers, and money transmitters who violate New Jersey’s banking laws. Deputies also counsel the Division of Banking in the Division’s regulatory oversight, together with Federal authorities, of national banks in New Jersey.

Deputies also counsel the New Jersey Real Commission, which oversees the licensing and conduct of New Jersey real estate agents and brokers, as well as the Individual and Small Employer Health Care Board.

PO Box 45029, 124 Halsey St.,
Newark, NJ 07101 Directions
(973) 877-1280 / fax 973-648-3555

James Michael
Chief, Deputy Attorney General

The Civil Rights Section provides legal counsel and representation to the Division on Civil Rights with respect to the enforcement of provisions of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination. The representation includes administrative and trial court litigation, primarily directed toward alleged discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations.

Division on Civil Rights

Hughes Justice Complex –
7th Fl., P.O. Box 112
Trenton, NJ 08625 Directions
(609) 376-2955 / fax (609) 633-7434

Susan Scott
Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Nicole Adams
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Dominic Giova
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Linda Schober
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Community Affairs and State provides legal representation and counsel to the Department of Community Affairs, Department of State,Civil Service Commission, Government Records Council, New Jersey Racing Commission and Second Injury Fund. Within the Department of Community Affairs and the Department of State are several divisions, bureaus and programs (listed below) to which the Section provides significant legal advice and representation. The Section’s focus is the administrative enforcement of New Jersey’s statutes and regulations governing areas such as elections, housing, the safety of buildings and facilities, horse racing, public records retention and production, land use, local government services, municipal finance, and civil service actions. The deputies in Community Affairs and State have varied assignments including counseling, administrative practice in the Office of Administrative Law, and litigation in the State and federal courts at all stages from pre-trial through all appeals. Finally, the Section represents the Second Injury Fund, which makes benefit payments to totally and permanently disabled workers where the cause of disability was subsequent to a prior disability rendering the worker permanently and partially disabled.

• Department of Community Affairs
  — Division of Codes and Standards
  — Division of Fire Safety
  — Division of Housing and Community Resources
  — Division of Local Government Services
  — Division of Sandy Recovery
• Council on Affordable Housing
• Department of State
• Secretary of State
• Division of Elections
  — Business/Economic Development
  — Arts/History/Cultural Programs
• Motion Picture & Television Commission
• Civil Service Commission
• Government Records Council
• New Jersey Racing Commission
• Second Injury Fund

P.O. Box 45029, 124 Halsey Street, 5th Fl.,
Newark, NJ 07101 Directions
(973) 648-7454 / fax (973) 648-7782

Steven Flanzman
Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Megan Cordoma
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

The Consumer Affairs Counseling Section provides legal counsel and representation to approximately fifty professional licensing boards and committees housed within the Division of Consumer Affairs. Those Boards and Committees regulate a broad array of professions, industries and activities, including health care workers (doctors, dentists and nurses among the ranks), engineers, architects, cosmeticians, plumbers and cemeteries. The Section also provides counsel to an equally diverse set of regulatory units within the Division of Consumer Affairs including the Prescription Monitoring Program, Drug Control Unit, Charities Registration, Legalized Games of Chance, Lemon Law, and the Bureau of Securities.

Deputies typically have the opportunity to become well versed in one or more of the specialty areas that our client agencies regulate. Deputies can expect to work closely with their client agencies on matters involving licensing and credentialing; matters requiring investigative hearings; and in the drafting and promulgation of regulations. Deputies also routinely provide counsel to the boards when those boards conduct disciplinary hearings, and can expect to be involved both in efforts at settlement and in the drafting of Board orders following hearings. Deputies often work collaboratively with other State and federal entities, and are asked to provide advice and assistance on issues concerning compliance with requirements of the Open Public Meetings Act, responses to subpoenas and Open Public Record Act requests.

Deputies will appear upon occasion in the Superior Court, Appellate Division, and New Jersey Supreme Court on litigated matters, including actions where a law suit is filed against the client agencies and in appeals of actions taken by the client agencies.

NJ Division of Consumer Affairs

P.O. Box 45029, 124 Halsey Street
Newark, NJ 07101 Directions
(973) 648-3070 / fax (973) 648-6835

Patricia Schiripo
Section Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Jesse Sierant
Assistant Section Chief, Deputy Attorney General

The Consumer Fraud Prosecution Section provides legal representation to the Division of Consumer Affairs, Office of Consumer Protection, in investigations as well as civil and administrative actions to address violations of the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act and related statutes and regulations, including the Contractors’ Registration Act, and the Charitable Registration and Investigation Act. The Section also represents the State of New Jersey and/or the Division in multistate group investigations involving consumer protection issues.

Notable Cases

• Actions against home improvement contractors alleging deceptive conduct post Superstorm Sandy;
• Grewal v. Purdue Pharma, L.P., et al. alleging violations of the NJ Consumer Fraud and NJ False
  Claims Acts arising from Purdue’s practices in the promotion of opioid medications to NJ prescribers; and
• Rating Agency Cases – New Jersey was a party to the state and federal settlement concerning McGraw
  Hill and Standard & Poor’s and to the state and federal settlement with Moody’s Corporation arising out of the rating agencies’ misrepresentations and omissions regarding their independence and objectivity in the rating of structured finance securities. New Jersey received over $21.5 million from the S & P settlement and over $15.2 million from the Moody’s settlement.

NJ Division of Consumer Affairs

P.O. Box 45029, 124 Halsey Street
Newark, NJ 07101 Directions

Kashif Chand
Chief, Deputy Attorney General

This newly announced section within the Affirmative Civil Enforcement – Newark Practice Group will aggressively focus on internet privacy and data security investigations on behalf of the Division of Consumer Affairs and the State of New Jersey and bring actions for damages and amended business/industry protocols. While this area of affirmative litigation was previously pursued through the Consumer Fraud Prosecution section, the creation of a dedicated section highlights the critical importance of the subject area and the increasing need for vigilance of consumer data in today’s digital age.

PLEASE NOTE: This is NOT a DYFS office. Use the following link to contact the New Jersey
Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P), formerly DYFS.

283-299 Market Street
Gateway 2, 8th floor
Newark, NJ 07102 Directions
(973) 565-8146 / fax (973) 353-8221

Section Chief: Lori DeCarlo
Deputy Attorney General

The Department of Children and Families Practice Group is working cooperatively with the Division-Wide Appeals Practice Group, is responsible for supervising, coordinating, drafting and reviewing appeals in matters involving New Jersey Department of Children and Families including but not limited to child abuse and neglect matters and termination of parental rights in a matter that is at the appellate level.

PLEASE NOTE: This is NOT a DYFS office. Use the following link to contact the New Jersey
Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P), formerly DYFS.

Hughes Justice Complex –
8th Fl., P.O. Box 112,
Trenton, NJ 08625 Directions
(609) 376-2900 / fax (609) 633-1739

Jennifer Lochel Burns
Section Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Cynthia Schappell
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Mira Ogrizovic
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Christina Duclos
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

The DCF-Central Section provides representation to the Department of Children and Families (DCF), the agency tasked with protecting children and strengthening families. The deputies in this section represent OCF when it seeks supervision or custody of abused and neglected children or is seeking termination of parental rights when deemed necessary. The work is litigation intensive but also touches on aspects of social work. There is also significant appellate work undertaken by all deputies in the section. This DCF section also provides representation at the Office of Administrative Law in OCF’s administrative cases, advice to various units in OCF, on issues such as licensing and employment. The section provides representation in matters originating in Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean counties as well as the Administrative Hearings Unit in administrative cases at the OAL.

PLEASE NOTE: This is NOT a DYFS office. Use the following link to contact the New Jersey
Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P), formerly DYFS.

P.O. Box 45029, 124 Halsey Street,
Newark, NJ 07102 Directions
(973) 648-7579 / fax (973) 648-3879

Lisa Rusciano
Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Lisa Cerasia
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Elizabeth Sherwood
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Merav Lichtenstein
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

The DCF-Essex Section provides representation to the Department of Children and Families (DCF), the agency tasked with protecting children and strengthening families. The deputies in this section represent DCF when it seeks supervision or custody of abused and neglected children or is seeking termination of parental rights when deemed necessary. The work is litigation intensive but also touches on aspects of social work. There is also significant appellate work undertaken by all deputies in the section. The section provides representation in matters originating in Essex County.

PLEASE NOTE: This is NOT a DYFS office. Use the following link to contact the New Jersey
Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P), formerly DYFS.

283-299 Market Street
Gateway 2, 8th floor
Newark, NJ 07102 Directions
(973) 565-8146 / fax (973) 353-8221

Peter D. Alvino
Chief, Senior Deputy Attorney General

Lea DeGuilo
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Patricia O’Dowd Donohue
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Tara Beth LeFurge
Deputy Attorney General

Christina Ramirez
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Jessica Steinglass
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

The DCF-North Section provides representation to the Department of Children and Families (DCF), the agency tasked with protecting children and strengthening families. The deputies in this section represent DCF when it seeks supervision or custody of abused and neglected children or is seeking termination of parental rights when deemed necessary. The work is litigation intensive but also touches on aspects of social work. There is also significant appellate work undertaken by all deputies in the section. The section provides representation in matters originating in Bergen, Hudson, Hunterdon, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties.

PLEASE NOTE: This is NOT a DYFS office. Use the following link to contact the New Jersey
Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P), formerly DYFS.

4 Echelon Plaza, 201 Laurel Rd., 3rd Fl.,
Voorhees, NJ 08043 Directions
(856) 770-6265 / fax (856) 770-3945

Tosca Blandford-Bynoe
Section Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Nancy Andre
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Michelle Perry-Thompson
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Cassandra Rhodes
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

The DCF-South Section provides representation to the Department of Children and Families (DCF), the agency tasked with protecting children and strengthening families. The deputies in this section represent DCF when it seeks supervision or custody of abused and neglected children or is seeking termination of parental rights when deemed necessary. The work is litigation intensive but also touches on aspects of social work. There is also significant appellate work undertaken by all deputies in the section. The section provides representation in matters originating in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem Counties.

Hughes Justice Complex –
8th Fl., P.O. Box 112,
Trenton, NJ 08625 Directions
(609) 376-3100 / fax (609) 777-4036

Christopher Weber
Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Kerry Soranno
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

The Education and Higher Education Section provides counsel and representation to the Department of Education. The work on behalf of the Department includes administrative litigation and appeals regarding State funding of education, charter schools, and special education. Representation has been provided in the ongoing Abbott v. Burke matter and related administrative litigation, regarding the constitutionality of the State’s system for funding public schools. The section also counsels and represents State institutions of higher education, representing them in federal and State trial court litigation, handling labor arbitration, defending tenure decisions and providing advice on a wide variety of academic, health care, educational and business issues.

Hughes Justice Complex –
7th Fl., P.O. Box 112,
Trenton, NJ 08625 Directions
609-376-2953 / 609-292-6465

Christopher Hamner
Chief, Deputy Attorney General

The Employment Counseling and Labor Section represents all State departments and agencies in hearings at the Office of Administrative Law, as well as labor related cases in the State and federal courts. The section defends the State in all appeals related to the denial of unemployment benefits, and represents State entities and the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations in grievance arbitrations and allegations of unfair labor practices filed with the Public Employment Relations Commission. The section also provides a variety of legal services to the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, and when needed, provides advice to State entities on employment and labor related matters.

Hughes Justice Complex – 7th Fl.,
P.O. Box 093, Trenton, NJ 08625 Directions
(609) 376-2740 / fax (609) 341-5031

Gary Wolf
Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Paul Stofa
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Jessica Palmer
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

The Enforcement Section provides representation to the Department of Environmental Protection and other State agencies and commissions in federal and State court and administrative litigation to enforce a wide range of federal and State environmental laws. The Clean Air Unit of the section is dedicated to the enforcement of the Federal Clean Air Act, including enforcement actions brought in concert with other states and the federal government against coal-fired plants in New Jersey and other states.This section was recently moved to the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Practice Group to enhance its efforts in the areas of Cost Recovery and Natural Resource Damages cases as well as other federal-facing and multi-State litigation.

Hughes Justice Complex –
7th Fl., P.O. Box 093,
Trenton, NJ 08625 Directions
(609) 376-2950 / fax (609) 341-5030

John Renella
Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Mark Collier
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Kristen Heinzerling
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Kristina Miles
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

The Permitting and Counseling Section provides legal counsel and representation to the Department of Environmental Protection and other State agencies and commissions whose responsibilities include protection of the environment. These agencies include the Department of Agriculture, New Jersey Meadowlands Commission and Pinelands Commission. The matters handled include trial court and administrative defense of permitting decisions by these agencies. The section also provides legal counsel to its clients with respect to administrative determinations on penalty enforcement actions, the issuance and denials of permits and the promulgation of regulations.

124 Halsey Street
5th Floor, P.O. Box 45029
Newark, NJ 07101 Directions
973- 693-5055 / fax 973-648-3879

Lara Fogel
Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Kenneth Levine
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Pursuant to the New Jersey False Claims Act, the Government & Healthcare Fraud Section conducts civil investigations and prosecutions related to fraudulent requests for State funds. The Section initiates cases and also acts on information obtained through qui tam suits filed by whistle-blowers in federal and state courts. The Section also represents the State and Division in investigations and litigation involving high impact investor and consumer protection issues.

Notable Cases:

• Grewal v. Insys Therapeutics , Inc. and John Kapoor – The Section filed a complaint in 2017 against an opioid manufacturer and its founder for violations of the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act and New Jersey False Claims Act in the marketing and sale of Insys’s highly addictive fentanyl drug.
• U.S. and New Jersey ex rel. Kleinow v. Ranco Construction, Inc. – In 2018 the Section, jointly with the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of New Jersey, reached a $1.5 million settlement with a construction company to resolve false claims allegations relating to failure to pay prevailing wages on government contracts.

Hughes Justice Complex –
8th Fl., P.O. Box 112,
Trenton, NJ 08625 Directions
(609) 376-3200 / fax (609) 777-4036

Deborah Shane-Held
Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Stephen Slocum
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

The Health and Human Services Section provides legal counsel and representation to the Department of Human Service (DHS) and the Department of Health (DOH) which are the two largest Departments within the State of NJ. Within DHS there are various divisions that deputies in the section interact with on a day-to-day basis: Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD), Division of Family Development (DFD), Bureau of Guardianship Services (BGS) and Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services (DMAHS) which oversees the NJ Medicaid Program.

The Department of Health oversees all aspects of licensure, regulation and certification of the State’s psychiatric hospitals, nursing homes, hospice care facilities, assisted living facilities, adult day care facilities and drug treatment facilities. The largest division within the Department of Health is the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) which manages all State psychiatric hospitals, including the Special Treatment Unit for sexually violent predators.

The deputies within the section handle myriad cases for DHS and DOH including Medicaid matters, Special Needs Trusts, Guardianships, enforcement actions involving penalty matters against health care providers, license certification, denials and revocations, and prepare advice memos regarding regulatory changes and policy issues. The deputies within the section also appear in a variety of forums including the Office of Administrative Law, the Law Division, Appellate Division, Supreme Court, the United States District Court and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Finally, a group of deputies in HHS prosecute initial commitment hearings and yearly reviews for sexually violent predators pursuant to the Sexually Violent Predator Act (N.J.S.A. 30:4-27.24).

Hughes Justice Complex –
7th Fl., P.O. Box 112,
Trenton, NJ 08625 Directions
(609) 376-2955 / fax (609) 633-7434

Emily Bisnauth
Chief, Deputy Attorney General

The Law & Public Safety (LPS) Section is to provide a single source within the Division of Law for general advice, procurement review, defensive litigation and handling of appeals to Divisions including, but not limited to, Division of State Police, Office of Emergency Management, Juvenile Justice Commission and Homeland Security.

One Penn Plaza East, 4th floor
Newark, NJ 07105-2246 Directions
(973) 491-7034 / Fax (973) 491-7044

Caroline Vachier
Chief, Deputy Attorney General

The NJ Transit Section provides general legal counsel and representation to the New Jersey Transit Corporation and its rail and bus operating subsidiaries. As the nation’s third largest provider of bus, rail and light rail transit, NJ Transit seeks to provide safe, reliable, convenient, and cost-effective transit services. Deputies in the NJ Transit Section counsel and represent NJ Transit in a wide variety of practice areas, including state and federal litigation, administrative hearings and arbitrations, human resources and union issues, procurement and contracting matters, real estate transactions, the Open Public Records Act, and bus and rail operations generally.

P.O. Box 45029, 124 Halsey Street,
Newark, NJ 07101 Directions
(973) 648-4742 / fax (973) 648-7462

Doreen Hafner
Chief, Deputy Attorney General

David Puteska
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

The Professional Boards Prosecution section prosecutes disciplinary matters against licensed professionals for violations of statutes, regulations and standards governing the practice of professions and occupations in New Jersey. The actions are brought in administrative forums and in the name of the Attorney General. Section attorneys also work closely with the Division of Consumer Affairs in the investigation of alleged regulatory violations by professionals. While the section prosecutes cases across a wide range of professions which encompass the close to fifty licensing boards, a major focus is on health care related matters. Deputies frequently file actions before the State Medical, Nursing and Dental boards involving cutting edge legal issues such as the indiscriminate prescribing of controlled dangerous substances (“CDS”) which gave rise to the opioid abuse crisis; sexual misconduct; and quality of care. In 2018 more than twenty CDS actions have been prosecuted which have resulted in the suspension or revocation of licenses and/or prescribing privileges.

NJ Division of Consumer Affairs

Public Records Advice & Disputes
P.O. Box 112
25 Market St.
Trenton, NJ 08625 Directions
(609) 376-3220
Fax No. (609-292-7822)

Sara Gregory
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

The Public Records Advice & Disputes Section provides legal representation and counsel to all State departments and agencies represented by the Division of Law. That representation includes advising on matters pertaining to public records requests under the Open Public Records Act. The section also represent State agencies in litigating public records disputes in the Superior Court of New Jersey and in the Government Records Council.

Hughes Justice Complex –
7th Fl., P.O. Box 112
Trenton, NJ 08625 Directions
(609) 376-3370 / Fax (609) 984-9315

Daren Eppley
Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Pamela Owen
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

The Public Utilities Section provides legal representation and counsel to the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) in matters involving the regulation of the provision of electricity, gas, telecommunications services, water, waste water treatment and cable television, as well as enforcement of the Underground Facility Protection Act. In addition, the Section counsels the BPU on clean energy initiatives involving energy efficiency programs and the development of clean, renewable sources of energy including solar, wind, geothermal, combined heat and power and sustainable biomass.

Deputies handle complex administrative litigation before the Office of Administrative Law, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the United States Department of Energy, and the Federal Communications Commission as well as represent the BPU in litigation and appeals before State and federal courts. Counsel is also provided to the BPU with respect to administrative decision making, procurement issues, rulemakings, Open Public Records Act requests, and Open Public Meetings Act issues.

P.O. Box 45029, 124 Halsey Street,
Newark, NJ 07101 Directions
(973) 648-4802 / fax (973) 648-3956

Victoria Manning
Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Evan Showell
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

The Securities Fraud Prosecution Section represents state agencies in civil securities enforcement litigation and investigations, administrative proceedings, and other legal matters. The section’s primary client is the Bureau of Securities which administers and enforces the New Jersey Uniform Securities Law. Enforcement litigation includes complex securities fraud actions and administrative proceedings, and appeals. State securities regulation and enforcement is the first line of defense in protecting the investing public and ensuring integrity of the securities markets in New Jersey. The Section also counsels the New Jersey Division of Investment regarding recovery of investment losses and oversees outside counsel in securities litigation on behalf of the Division.

NJ Bureau of Securities

124 Halsey Street,
Newark, NJ 07101 Directions
Phone number: 973-877-1280
Fax number: 973-648-3956

Melissa Medoway
Chief, Deputy Attorney General

The Special Litigation Section challenges actions taken by the Federal Government in derogation of the rights of New Jersey residents. The Section pursues a range of legal strategies, including affirmative litigation in federal and state court, as well as regulatory comments and formal letters to the Federal Government.

Hughes Justice Complex – 2nd Fl.
Trenton, NJ 08625 Directions
(609) 376-2440 / fax (609) 777-3607

Dianne Moratti
Chief, Deputy Attorney General

James Duttera
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Mathew Lynch
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Agnes Rymer
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Deputies assigned to the State Police, Employment and Corrections (“SPEC”) section practice in the U.S. District Court, Third Circuit Court of Appeals, N.J. Superior Court, N.J. Appellate Division, OAL, Government Records Council and the EEOC. SPEC provides primary representation to the N.J. State Police, Department of Corrections, Parole Board and the Juvenile Justice Commission. Individual and class action civil rights claims include matters such as excessive force, fatal shootings, wrongful arrest, conditions of confinement, religious, medical and legal access and ADA violations. Deputies hone their written advocacy skills through a significant appellate practice, with opportunities to argue in the Appellate Division. Trial skills are sharpened in defense of employment claims brought against State agencies, with opportunities to try cases in State and Federal court.

Hughes Justice Complex –
2nd Fl., P.O. Box 116,
Trenton, NJ 08625 Directions
(609) 376-2776 / fax (609) 633-8702

Joseph Micheletti
Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Kathleen J. O’Brien
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Stephen McEvily
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Randall Weaver
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Maurice Jefferson
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

The Tort Litigation & Judiciary Section’s members are the defenders of the State and its many departments and agencies, as well as State officials and employees, when sued in any tort (personal injury) lawsuit and in many civil rights lawsuits. They also defend certain sue-and-be-sued governmental entities, such as New Jersey Transit, and their employees, in such lawsuits. They also represent the State Judiciary, as well as its judges and other employees, in any non-employment lawsuits. Pursuant to Wright v. State, they also defend certain tort and constitutional claims brought against county prosecutor’s offices and their employees. The Section’s members handle the lawsuits in all stages of litigation, from inception through arbitration and/or trial. They also handle any appeals resulting from these lawsuits. As such, they appear regularly before the Law Division and United States District Court throughout the State, frequently before the Appellate Division and Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and occasionally before the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

The claims confronted by the Section’s members are similarly diverse. Some examples include: personal injuries ranging up to and including wrongful death and survivorship claims resulting from State vehicle accidents, allegedly dangerous conditions on State roads or other State-owned property, or allegedly negligent acts of State employees; Fourth Amendment claims (e.g., malicious prosecution, false arrest, unlawful search and seizure, excessive force) against assistant prosecutors, county detectives, and certain State law enforcement officers; Fourteenth Amendment (e.g., substantive and procedural due process, equal protection) and other constitutional claims against State judges and other State employees; and related constitutional challenges to State laws.

As the State’s attorneys, the matters handled by the Section frequently implicate, and often result in, changes or developments in the laws on immunity and liability affecting governmental entities and employees, and private citizens, statewide. Among others, these include the New Jersey Tort Claims Act (Title 59), Section 1983 and the New Jersey Civil Rights Act, and the New Jersey Workers’ Compensation Act.

Hughes Justice Complex –
8th Fl., P.O. Box 114,
Trenton, NJ 08625 Directions
(609) 376-3300 / fax (609) 292-5649

Philip Espinosa
Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Wanda Ortiz
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Amy Chung
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

The Transportation, Construction and Condemnation Section provides representation and counsel to the Department of Transportation (“DOT”), the Motor Vehicle Commission and the Division of Property Management & Construction in the Department of the Treasury with respect to transportation, construction and maintenance projects (roads, bridges and buildings), eminent domain and real property issues. Representing these agencies involves litigation and counseling as well as transactional work. The Deputies represent their State agency clients in the Superior Court, Law Division and Appellate Division; the New Jersey Supreme Court; the New Jersey Office of Administrative Law; and occasionally in federal district court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Deputies assigned to construction litigation and condemnation litigation matters handle every aspect of preparing a case for trial, including working with the State’s experts, defending against the opponent’s experts, substantive motion practice and settlement negotiations. For more complex litigation matters, deputies may work in teams.

The TCC Section also provides ongoing legal counsel to State agencies and to multiple commissions on a wide range of statutory and regulatory matters. Deputies typically have the opportunity to become well versed in one or more of the specialty areas that our client agencies regulate including, State highway access design, outdoor advertising (billboards and other signs) and aeronautics approvals. On the transactional side, Deputies in this section advise State agencies regarding procurement issues and review a variety of agreements between their client agencies and other private parties or other governmental entities to ensure statutory and regulatory compliance and to ensure the State’s and the public’s interests are protected in the agreements. Agreements include developer, contractor, consultant, local transportation aid, and park and ride agreements. Deputies also review proposed regulations and may assist in drafting legislation and regulations to implement new programs.

Hughes Justice Complex –
6th Fl., P.O. Box 106
Trenton, NJ 08625 Directions
(609) 376-2905 / Fax (609) 777-3515; (609)-292-6007

Aimee Manoccio Nason
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Pamela Morone
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Joseph Palumbo
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

George Loeser
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

The Pension and Financial Transactions Section (“PFT Section”) provides counsel and representation to the Division of Pensions and Benefits, the various State pension and health benefit boards and committees in the Department of the Treasury, and certain other divisions within the Department of the Treasury, including the Division of Purchase & Property, the Division of the State Lottery, the Office of Public Finance, the Office of lnformation Technology, the Division of Property Management and Construction, and the Division of lnvestment. The PFT Section also provides counsel and representation to various State authorities that handle, among other things, financing, housing, economic development, and real estate development. These authorities include the Economic Development Authority, the Educational Facilities Authority, the Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, the Garden State Preservation Trust, the Building Authority, the Health Care Facilities Financing Authority, and the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank.

The Pensions Unit of the PFT Section represents the Boards of Trustees for State-administered retirement systems in a wide variety of matters. The Boards are fiduciaries of the funds and responsible to ensure that retirement benefits are paid only to persons who qualify. An important part of the Pensions Unit’s work involves defending the Boards’ decisions in contested disability retirement applications filed by public employees who claim to be permanently and totally disabled from performing their job duties. Pensions deputies handle matters from their commencement through hearings conducted in the Office of Administrative Law and the appeal process to the Appellate Division (in the event a litigant takes an appeal from an unfavorable decision). Deputies use litigation and writing skills ranging from taking discovery (including subpoenas) to examining and cross-examining fact and expert witnesses to drafting post-hearing briefs, exceptions and/or replies to exceptions, and appellate briefs. Deputies representing the Division of Purchase and Property provide advice to the Division on a variety of procurement vehicles such as requests for proposals, cooperative contracts and waivers, draft and negotiate contracts, including licenses agreements, provide guidance on final agency decisions, and also appear in Superior Court and in the Appellate Division on contract litigation matters.

Deputies representing the Office of Public Finance and the State authorities issuing bonds, notes and other financing obligations provide advice on constitutional and State law issues. Deputies in this assignment serve as “issuer’s counsel” and review and negotiate bond financing documents, attend the pre-closings and deliver opinions on behalf of the Attorney General. These matters are often complex and fast-paced and, at times, involve the development and documentation of novel financing structures.

Hughes Justice Complex – (for Tax & Bankruptcy)
6th Floor West, PO Box 106
Trenton, NJ 08625 Directions
Fax No. (609-777-3515 or 609-292-6007)

Hughes Justice Complex – (for Debt Recovery)
6th Floor West, PO Box 119
Trenton, NJ 08625 Directions
Fax No. (609-777-3055 or 609-292-6266)

Jonathan Peitz
Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Carolyn Lurry Mapp
Assistant Chief, Deputy Attorney General

Gregory Van Dyck
Deputy Attorney General

The Tax, Bankruptcy & Debt Recovery Section (“TBDR”) provides legal representation and advice to many divisions and agencies within the Department of the Treasury, including the Division of Taxation, the Unclaimed Property Administration, the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services, and the State Lottery. Deputies in the TBDR Section are assigned a variety of cases and matters, including litigation and counseling assignments. Deputies can expect to appear in the Tax Court and, as needed, in the Appellate Division, New Jersey Supreme Court, Federal Bankruptcy Court and Federal District Court, with the guidance of seasoned supervisors. The TBDR Section supports the Attorney General’s parens patriae role of protecting the value of charitable gifts made by trust or will, through informal review of estate administration or by litigation in response to orders to show cause and verified complaints. TBDR frequently questions overstated expenses or fees, and obtains increased charitable gifts for beneficiaries. The TBDR Section plays an integral part in reviewing and approving complex sales, mergers and other hospital dispositions under the New Jersey Community Health Care Assets Protection Act. Representation of the Division of Taxation includes litigation in State and Federal court, advice and legislative and regulatory review. Tax cases handled by TBDR involve planning case strategy, conferring with State clients and conducting discovery, trials and hearings against individuals taxpayers, small businesses, and many of the most high profile, multi-national Fortune 500 taxpayers. In addition, the TBDR Section represents the 21 County Boards of Taxation and other State agencies and personnel in local property tax matters. TBDR Deputies appear in Federal Bankruptcy Court on behalf of the Division of Taxation, the Department of Labor and other State agencies. The debt recovery unit of this Section collects significant debt annually, through informal communication and litigation. The TBDR Section represents the State Lottery in lottery prize assignments, ensuring that ample funds exist after the assignment, for payment of required State and personal debt. Representation of the Unclaimed Property Administration involves protecting New Jersey’s residents by ensuring that abandoned property is remitted to the State, after appropriate dormancy periods, to be held in perpetuity for rightful New Jersey owners. This area of representation can involve litigation in State and Federal courts to fight for the rights of property owners.