A1417

New Jersey A1417 imposes civil monetary penalties for frivolous litigation in domestic violence cases.

New Jersey A1417 imposes civil monetary penalties for frivolous litigation in domestic violence cases. The bill allows courts to consider whether frivolous litigation was part of a pattern of coercive control against a victim. Penalties are $5,000 for the first instance, $10,000 for the second, and $15,000 for each subsequent instance. These penalties will be forwarded to the Domestic Violence Victims’ Fund. The bill also allows prevailing parties to be awarded litigation costs and reasonable attorney fees if the non-prevailing party's litigation was found to be frivolous.