Kenneth Vercammen is a Middlesex County Trial Attorney who has published 130 articles in national and New Jersey publications on Criminal Law, Probate, Estate and litigation topics.

He was awarded the NJ State State Bar Municipal Court Practitioner of the Year.

He lectures and handles criminal cases, Municipal Court, DWI, traffic and other litigation matters.

To schedule a confidential consultation, call us or New clients email us evenings and weekends via contact box www.njlaws.com.

Kenneth Vercammen & Associates, P.C,

2053 Woodbridge Avenue,

Edison, NJ 08817,

(732) 572-0500

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

NJ Laws E245 1. Friday, May 25- The Legends of Belmar Volleyball 2. DNA Testing of Criminals Does Not Violate Constitution 3 DNA Testing of JuvenileOK

Kenneth Vercammen's NJ Laws email newsletter E245 May 18, 2007

In this issue:
1. Friday, May 25- The Legends of Belmar Volleyball
2. DNA Testing of Criminals Does Not Violate Constitution
3 DNA Testing of Juvenile Criminals Constitutional
4. Receipt of Nine Checks Not a Criminal Enterprise to Deny PTI
5. Fire Investigators Can Remain on Scene and Seize Items in Plain View

1. Friday, May 25- The Legends of Belmar Volleyball- Join the Greats of Belmar beach- Marty, John C. Billy Ball, Jim Watt, Ken Vercammen & others at D'Jay's, Bar A & other fun spots. Run the Spring Lake 5 at 8:30 am the next morning. Exciting start to Memorial Day and the Summer.

2. DNA Testing of Criminals Does Not Violate Constitution. State v. O'Hagen 189 NJ 140 (2007).
The New Jersey DNA Database and Databank Act of N.J.S.A. 53:1- 20.17-20.28, as amended, does not violate the rights guaranteed by the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution and Article I, Paragraphs 1 and 7 of the New Jersey Constitution.

3 DNA Testing of Juvenile Criminals Constitutional. A.A. v. Attorney General of New Jersey 189 NJ 129 (2007).
DNA test results lawfully obtained pursuant to the New Jersey DNA Database and Databank Act of 1994, N.J.S.A. 53:1-20.17- 20.28, as amended, may be used to solve crimes committed prior to the taking of the DNA test.

4. Receipt of Nine Checks Not a Criminal Enterprise to Deny PTI. State v. Watkins 390 NJ Super. 302 (App. Div. 2007).
In this appeal from a denial of defendant's appeal of his rejection from pre-trial intervention (PTI), The court addressed the meaning of PTI Guideline 3(i)(2), which directs consideration of whether the crime was "part of a continuing criminal business or enterprise". Reviewing the prior cases that have addressed this Guideline, The court concludes that the Prosecutor and the reviewing judge erroneously applied Guideline 3(i)(2) to the facts of this case which involved improper receipt of unemployment checks over a four-month period. Defendant's conduct did not possess the characteristics of a "business" or "enterprise" nor did it persist for a long enough period to be deemed "continuing," as that phrase has been applied in earlier cases. As a result, The court remanded to the Prosecutor for reconsideration of defendant's application without consideration of Guideline 3(i)(2).

5. Fire Investigators Can Remain on Scene and Seize Items in Plain View. State v. Amodio 390 NJ Super 313 (App. Div. 2007).
In this matter, defendant was convicted of passion/provocation manslaughter, felony murder, arson and other offenses arising from the death of his girlfriend and her son in a fire at defendant's home. The court held that: 1) evidence obtained by the police and other officials in the fire-damaged home was properly seized without a warrant because the evidence was found during an investigation into the cause and origin of the fire, which was conducted within a reasonable time after the fire had been extinguished; and 2) the warrantless seizure of defendant's clothes was permissible because those garments had been removed from defendant in order to provide emergency medical assistance.


_____________________________

Our law blog- http://njlaws1.blogspot.com/
Thank you for reading our newsletter! God Bless America USA #1

We appreciate continued referrals. We want to take the time to extend to our friends and clients our sincere gratitude because it is good friends and clients that make our business grow. Client recommendation is a very important source of new clients to us. We are grateful for the recommendation of new clients. We will do our best to give all clients excellent care. We shall do our best to justify all recommendations.

"Celebrating more than 21 years of providing excellent service to clients 1985-2007" Former Prosecutor
This newsletter is produced to be sent electronically. If you know someone who would also like to receive this email newsletter, please have them email us at newsletter@njlaws.com.
Free T- shirts and soda can holders available for all current and past clients. Please come into office.
Editor's Note and Disclaimer: All materials Copyright 2007. You may pass along the information on the NJ Laws Newsletter and website, provided the name and address of the Law Office is included.

KENNETH VERCAMMEN & ASSOCIATES, PC
ATTORNEY AT LAW
2053 Woodbridge Ave.
Edison, NJ 08817
(Phone) 732-572-0500
(Fax) 732-572-0030
website: www.njlaws.com
Admitted to practice law in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, US Supreme Court and Federal District Court

NJ Laws E244 1 Personal Legal Checkup 2. Pocket bike is motorized vehicle subject to NJ Laws and DWI 3. Defendant guilty of leaving scene

NJ Laws E243 1. Real Estate Sales 2. Yearly Insurance Review 3 DWI suppression affirmed where reasons for ordering sobriety test not "reasonable susp

Kenneth Vercammen's NJ Laws email newsletter E243
 
  April 25, 2007 
 
In this issue:
1. Real Estate Sales
2. Yearly Insurance Review
3 DWI suppression affirmed where reasons for ordering sobriety test not "reasonable suspicion."
4. Defendant can be guilty of .08 DWI even though Breath machine calibrated at .10 level

1. Real Estate Sales

To better serve our Probate and Senior citizen clients, Kenneth Vercammen has taken and passed the NJ Real Estate Salesperson test. The examination consists of numerous questions taken over a 4 hour period. Mr. Vercammen is now also a licensed real estate agent, is affiliated with Century 21, John Anthony Agency on 1815 Oak Tree Rd., Edison, NJ. Century 21 is one of the largest real estate agencies in the country. http://www.century21johnanthony.com/
If you will be selling a house, please give Kenneth Vercammen a call. Do not pay a 6% commission, but also don't rely on a 2% agency that merely lists your home on the internet, then expects you to do all the work.

SELLERS INFORMATION SHEET
The sale of a home is probably the largest transaction a person will ever undertake. Careful consideration should be given to the technical difficulties involved in the transfer.

The Contract of Sale

A Contract of Sale is an agreement for the purchase and sale of real estate. This is the most important document in any real estate transaction because it establishes the respective rights and responsibilities of the purchaser and the seller.

Since the Contract of Sale is important and legally binding New Jersey requires a 3 day attorney review period on Contracts prepared by a realtor. Please read the contract before signing. If you have any questions, please ask your real estate agent. If there are any clauses you want added, such as the house sale "As is", make sure they are added to the Contract before signing.

The 3 day attorney review period is to protect the buyer and seller from being forever bound by a contract without them receiving the benefit of legal advice. You only have three days to have your attorney review the contract and make the appropriate changes. Remember that once a Contract is signed and in final form after 3 days, your rights and obligations are fixed concerning the transaction. Your attorney will no longer have the opportunity to structure the Contract to meet your objectives.

Read and Understand the Contract Before Signing your Contract of Sale

Perhaps the seller may want to retain possession of the property for some time in order to find new accommodations. You should make sure these clauses are included in the contract defining such rights prior to signing. Never sign a contract involving the sale or purchase of real estate until you have done the following:
1. read the entire contract
2. written down your questions and posed them to your realtor
3. made sure all your requested clauses are included, such as the house being sold "as is"
These are only a few matters usually covered in the contract. However, they illustrate the variety of terms and conditions to be considered when you enter into such a transaction.

FEE AGREEMENT BY THE SELLER'S ATTORNEY
The seller's attorney should provide the seller with a written Fee Agreement in accordance with the requirements of the Rules of Professional Conduct. Please do not be put off by the formality of this letter as it is for your protection as a consumer of legal services.

Legal fees for sales vary. We still charge a flat rate of $800 plus any costs for a simple real estate house sale where the realtor prepares the contract.
We anticipate the following will be performed by your attorney in a real estate sale:
1. Review and analyze the contract of sale during attorney review after both buyer and seller sign the contract.
2. Recommend revisions to contract if needed. However, the seller should never sign the contract if it is missing clauses or language needed by the seller.
3. Initial Office consultation if requested with client after contract is signed by both buyer and seller;
4. Request from the Seller back title, including a photocopy of the Deed, survey, title policy and mortgage payoff statement.
5. Preparation of fax letter of representation to buyer's attorney
6. Opening of file
7. Prepare Representation statement to client with request for Seller's Information Sheet
8. Review old Deed, survey
9. Forward Deed, survey, title policy to the purchaser's attorney, thus expediting the search and survey process.
10. Three (3) free calls with client
11. Three (3) telephone calls with buyers attorney and other individuals
12. Three (3) correspondence to and from buyers attorney and clients
13. Review home inspection report
14. Review other documents supplied by client and buyer's attorney;
15. Work with the purchaser's attorney in resolving possession and closing date.
16. Remind the seller to contact their mortgage company and equity loan to obtain a written payoff/ balance due on their mortgage.
17. Review Title Binder and Judgment Searches, if applicable
18. Review RESPA pre-closing, if applicable
19. Preparation of Deed, fax to buyer's attorney
20. Preparation of Affidavit of Title, fax to buyer's attorney
21. Cooperate with the purchaser's attorney in preparing the final closing statement.
22. Review the Respa, which is the Federal Real Estate Settlement Procedure Statement/ Amounts paid and to be received
23. Represent you at the closing.
24. Attend closing, execute Deed, execute Affidavit of Title
25. Assist in Preparation of 1099 tax form
26. Offer sound legal advice to client;
27. Preparation of End of Case Letter and client questionnaire.
28. Make available to client in office upon request free client case folder, Real Estate brochure, Website brochure, and other information brochures on Wills and Power of Attorney;
29. Free Brochures provided on other legal topics such as Car Insurance Rights, Worker's Comp,
30. Free subscription to monthly e-mail newsletter. Provide your email address.
31. 3 free telephone calls during the 2 years after the closing on Probate, Wills and non real estate matters.
32. Invitation to client community events.
33. Free Magnet, Keychain, Pen upon request in the office

Costs are items such as filing and recording fees, Certified or Express postage and other out of pocket expenses.
This fee does not include costs or legal fees if there are judgments against the property, probate issues, defects in title or other work requested to be performed. If this closing does not take place, you will only be responsible for the legal fees and costs incurred.
Work with your Realtor
Your realtor is a highly trained licensed professional. Their goal is to help you through this closing. They perform substantial work and earn the commissions of between $8,000- $16,000. In order to keep your legal fees down, you should be calling you realtor with routine questions regarding the closing. We have learned by past experience if you, your realtor or you family call your attorney's office every day, these calls are not included in the $800 fee, and there will be a charge for excess calls. The buyer is entitled to obtain a termite inspection and home inspection. Inspections are scheduled by the realtors. If the buyer requests repairs after the home inspection report is done, speak with your realtor first.
The seller is responsible for obtaining the smoke detector certificate, plus municipal certificate of occupancy if required by your town. Discuss these with your realtor. Please also arrange the walk through with your realtor.
Closing date is approximate
You should understand that the proposed closing date in the Contract is an approximate closing date. The actual closing depends upon the buyer's mortgage company issuing a commitment and a mortgage check. We do not set the closing date, that is set by the buyer's attorney. The realtor should be calling the buyer's attorney to determine time of closing and directions to the closing, not our office.

If Seller fails to timely obtain a written mortgage payoff statement, there will be an additional charge of $100.00 for the Seller's attorney to obtain the written payoff statement.


SELLERS INFORMATION SHEET- To be filled out by seller and returned to seller's attorney
KENNETH VERCAMMEN & ASSOCIATES, PC

1. SELLERS NAME: (as it appears on deed)

___________________________________________________________

2. Real Estate being Sold: Lot No. _________ Block No. __________
Address: __________________________________________

3. Present Mortgage Company: _____________________________
Address: ___________________________________________
Loan No. ___________________ 800 Telephone No. ____________
(Provide copy of payoff amount)

4. Other Mortgages, including Bridge Loans or Home Equity:
Name of Mortgage Company: _____________________________
Address: __________________________________________
Loan No. __________________ 800 Telephone No. ____________
(Obtain written copy of payoff amount from bank, a verbal payoff will not be good enough)

5. Social Security Number: (H) ________________ (W) ___________

6. Is any Seller age 62 or over? If so, name and date of birth: _________

7. Name, Address, Telephone number of Condominium Association, if any

_______________________________________________________

8. Type of Fuel: Gas ___________________ Oil _______________

PLEASE ATTACH A COPY OF TITLE INSURANCE, SURVEY, & DEED (not original)
9. Marriage Information:
Date of Marriage __________ Maiden or Prior Name(s) __________
Prior Marriages ________________________
(copy of Final Judgment of Divorce needed, not original)

10. Address After Property Sale: _____________________________

2. Yearly Insurance Review

By Ray Pavese & Mike McCormick
Every year you should review your insurance policies to make sure you still have a policy that
meets your needs, as well as the needs of your family members and
loved ones.

One of the policies that most often gets overlooked is the life
insurance policy. Since this is often a long-term policy, most
insured individuals assume they are stuck with the same policy,
no matter what. Usually this is not the case, although it will
depend on your policy and company as to whether you receive
penalties when changing your insurance.

Even if penalties occur, changing your life insurance policy may
be essential to keeping up with your family's financial needs for
the future.

If you don't review your life insurance policy every year, you
should at least review your policy under these circumstances:

* Marriage/Divorce - Needs change depending on your marital
status. Keep this in mind as things change in your life. Even if
you don't want to change the value of your policy, you probably
want to change the beneficiary.

* Children - If you ask the majority of life insurance agents,
the major reason for changing a life insurance policy is because
of children. This is because many adults never believe they will
need extra money after death until they realize that they will
have someone preceding them in death. Children will need money
for basic food and shelter until they are 18 and possibly for a
future college fund as well. Keep that in mind, and tell others
you know that may be affected.

* An Illness - Although waiting to change your insurance policy
until you have a long-term illness will mean paying higher
premiums, it is best to at least review your policy limitations
and make necessary changes if you find out you have a potentially
life threatening illness.

If you have questions regarding a change you would like to make
on your life insurance policy, feel free to contact me anytime.

Sincerely,

Ray Pavese & Mike McCormick
Pavese-McCormick Agency, Inc.
mikem@pavesemccormick.com
______________________________

3 DWI suppression affirmed where reasons for ordering sobriety test not "reasonable suspicion." State v. Lord Appellate Division, A-3228-05T2, October 5, 2006, not approved for publication.

Law Division order granting the defendant’s motion to suppress evidence of the results of his sobriety tests affirmed; the police officer observed the defendant’s car cross both the shoulder and center lines, and he then activated his video recorder and followed the defendant’s car for about two and a half minutes; the officer testified that, during that time, the defendant came to a full stop several times, properly used his signals when executing turns, did not speed, and properly stopped his car when the officer signaled; there was no question that the initial motor vehicle violation allowed the officer to stop the defendant; however, the Law Division properly concluded that the reasons that the officer gave for ordering sobriety tests did not give rise to a “reasonable suspicion” that the defendant had been driving while intoxicated; although the defendant had been observed violating the motor vehicle laws, his behavior did not demonstrate any further violation, and he did not exhibit any physical impairment. Source: Facts-on-Call Order No. 20296

4. Defendant can be guilty of .08 DWI even though Breath machine calibrated at .10 level. State v. Pearson Appellate Division, A-1344-05T2, September 22, 2006, not approved for publication.

Conviction following a trial de novo of driving while intoxicated affirmed; the defendant registered blood-alcohol-content levels of 0.08 and 0.09 on two Breathalyzer tests; the defendant asserted that the State had not established that the Breathalyzer was in proper working order because it was calibrated for accuracy at a 0.10 blood-alcohol-content level rather than a 0.08 level; the State Police protocols were not changed when N.J.S.A. 39:4-50 was amended to reduce the blood-alcohol-content level needed to establish a per se violation from 0.10 to 0.08, and the protocols require periodic testing with a simulator solution to establish accuracy at the 0.10 level; there was no merit to the defendant’s argument in light of the well-established principle that a Breathalyzer that is tested pursuant to the protocols and satisfies them is in proper working order and thus satisfies the State’s burden of proving that the results from the Breathalyzer, if correctly operated by a qualified operator, are reliable. Source: Facts-on-Call Order No. 20227

_____________________________

Our law blog- http://njlaws1.blogspot.com/
Thank you for reading our newsletter! God Bless America USA #1

We appreciate continued referrals. We want to take the time to extend to our friends and clients our sincere gratitude because it is good friends and clients that make our business grow. Client recommendation is a very important source of new clients to us. We are grateful for the recommendation of new clients. We will do our best to give all clients excellent care. We shall do our best to justify all recommendations.

"Celebrating more than 21 years of providing excellent service to clients 1985-2007" Former Prosecutor
This newsletter is produced to be sent electronically. If you know someone who would also like to receive this email newsletter, please have them email us at newsletter@njlaws.com.
Free T- shirts and soda can holders available for all current and past clients. Please come into office.
Editor's Note and Disclaimer: All materials Copyright 2007. You may pass along the information on the NJ Laws Newsletter and website, provided the name and address of the Law Office is included.

KENNETH VERCAMMEN & ASSOCIATES, PC
ATTORNEY AT LAW
2053 Woodbridge Ave.
Edison, NJ 08817
(Phone) 732-572-0500
(Fax) 732-572-0030
website: www.njlaws.com
Admitted to practice law in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, US Supreme Court and Federal District Court

NJ Laws email newsletter E2421 1. Kenneth Vercammen, Edison Attorney was selected a 2007 NJ Super Lawyer 2. Estate Recovery in Medicaid 3. Miranda

 
Kenneth Vercammen's NJ Laws email newsletter
 
  April 19, 2007 
 

In this issue:
1 Kenneth Vercammen, Edison Attorney was selected a 2007 NJ Super Lawyer
2. Estate Recovery in Medicaid
3. Need for to reapply Miranda warnings depends on circumstances
4. Motion to suppress granted where stop based on only 911 call that was vague

1. Kenneth Vercammen, Edison Attorney was selected a 2007 NJ Super Lawyer in the Criminal Law- DWI section for the second year in a row. Of over 79,00 attorneys in New Jersey, only three were selected as Super Lawyers in the Criminal Law- DWI category.

HOW SUPER LAWYERS ARE SELECTED
Law & Politics performs the polling, research and selection of Super Lawyers in a process designed to identify lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Super Lawyers is a comprehensive and diverse listing of outstanding attorneys, representing a wide range of practice areas, firm sizes and geographic locations. Only 5 percent of the lawyers in each state or region are named Super Lawyers.

http://www.njlaws.com/superlawyer.htm


2. ESTATE RECOVERY IN MEDICAID

By: Thomas. D. Begley, Jr., Esquire
 
   A state is entitled to recover for Medicaid payments correctly paid on behalf of the individual by use or real or personal property liens and recovery from decedents’ estates.  42 U.S.C. § 1396p(b)(1)(B); HCFA Transmittal 63; N.J.S.A. 30:4D-7.2 et seq.; N.J.A.C. 10:49-1 et seq.  The state is required to seek reimbursement from an individual’s estate for the cost of nursing facility services.  42 U.S.C. § 1396p(b)(1)(B).  However, no recovery may be made until after the death of the recipient’s surviving spouse, and only when there are no surviving children who are under age 21 or blind or permanently disabled.


A.  Definition of Estate.  New Jersey seeks recovery from estates of deceased individuals.  While federal law only requires that states recover from the probate estate of the deceased Medicaid recipient, New Jersey has elected to expand the definition of an estate as follows:

“Estate includes all real and personal property and other assets included in the recipient’s estate as defined at N.J.S. 3B:1-1, as well as any other real or personal property and other assets in which the recipient had any legal title or interest at the time of death, to the extent of that interest, including assets conveyed to a survivor, heir or assign of the recipient through joint tenancy, tenancy in common, survivorship, life estate, living trust or other arrangement.” 
           
B.  Age 55.  With respect to an institutional level of care, estate recovery applies to all Medicaid payments made or services received after an individual is 55 years of age or older.  N.J.A.C. 10:49-14.1(c).  Under federal and state law, in the case of a recipient who became deceased on or after April 1, 1995 for whom a Medicaid payment was made on or after October 1, 1993, a lien may be filed against, and recovery sought, from the estate of a deceased recipient for assistance correctly paid or to be paid on his behalf for all services received when he was 55 years of age or older.  42 U.S.C. § 1396p(b); N.J.A.C. 10:49-14.1(c).

C.  De minimus Amounts.      Under N.J.A.C. 30:4D-7.2a, recovery cannot be made against the estate of a deceased recipient if the amount sought is less than $500 or the gross estate of the deceased recipient is less than $3,000.

D.  Surviving Spouse or Child under 21 or Blind or Disabled.  No recovery shall be made if there is a surviving spouse or a surviving child who is under the age of 21 or is blind or permanently and totally disabled, except for assistance incorrectly or illegally paid or for third party liability recovery.  These exceptions to estate recovery are also incorporated in N.J.A.C. 10:49-14.1(a).  

E.  PAAD.  No estate recovery shall be made under the Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled program (PAAD), unless the assistance was incorrectly or illegally paid.
           
F.  Life Estates/Trusts. 


•  Life Estate.  Life estates that expire upon the Medicaid beneficiary’s death are exempt from estate recovery. N.J.A.C. 10:49-14.1(n)(1).



•    Inter Vivos Trust.  An inter vivos trust established by a third party for the benefit of a deceased Medicaid recipient is not subject to estate recovery provided that the Medicaid recipient could not compel distributions from the trust and the trust contains no assets in which the Medicaid beneficiary held any interest within either five (5) years prior to applying for Medicaid benefits or five (5) years prior to the Medicaid recipient’s death.  N.J.A.C. 10:49-14.1(n)(2).


•   Testamentary Trust.  Testamentary trusts are exempt from estate recovery provided that the Medicaid recipient could not compel distribution and the trust contains no assets in which the Medicaid recipient held an interest within either five (5) years prior to applying for Medicaid benefits or five (5) years prior to the recipient’s death.  Assets of the community spouse which formed a part of the Community Spouse Resource Allowance shall not be considered assets of the Medicaid recipient.  Any assets of the community spouse other than those that formed part of the CSRA allowance are considered assets of the Medicaid recipient if acquired from the Medicaid recipient with five (5) years prior to the date of application for the Medicaid benefits or five (5) years prior to the date of the death of the Medicaid beneficiary.  It is believed that the reference to assets acquired from the Medicaid recipient means assets acquired from the Medicaid recipient’s spouse.

G.  Tracing.  N.J.A.C. 10:49-14.1(l) makes clear that estate recovery may be sought from trusts and annuities, even if established by a third party.  This applies to living trusts and testamentary trusts if the assets in the trust belonged to the Medicaid beneficiary as of five years prior to the beneficiary’s death.  N.J.A.C. 10:49-14.1(n).  This provision may be invalid since it appears to be more restrictive than either the federal or state statute, which limits recovery to “living trusts.”  However, in DeMartino v. Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services, 373 N.J. Super. 210 (App. Div. 2004), the court held that such a trust was subject to Medicaid estate recovery.

H.  Spouse.  New Jersey’s current regulations exempt the estate of the spouse from recovery.  N.J.A.C. 10:49-14.1(n). 


An issue arises as to whether a state may recover from the estate of a spouse of a deceased Medicaid recipient.  In the case of Wisconsin v. Estate of Budney, 197 NW 2d 245 (Wis. Ct. App. 1995), the court held that the Wisconsin statute authorizing recovery from the spouse of a deceased Medicaid recipient is invalid.  In a California case, Demille v. Bleshe, 1995 WL 23636 (N.D. Cal. 1995), the court held that the state was free to impose liens on property of the deceased Medicaid recipient, after the recipient is dead, and that those liens become payable upon the death of the surviving spouse or upon sale of the property.


New Jersey has a policy of not forcing a sale while any family member is still living in the house.  This is documented in N.J.A.C. 10:49-14.1(j).  Recoveries will not be pursued against property held by bona fide purchasers.  N.J.A.C. 10:49-14.1(k).

There may be an issue as to whether Medicaid can recover for payments made on behalf of the deceased Medicaid recipient prior to December 23, 1995, which is the effective date of the New Jersey statute.

New Jersey will exempt assets from estate recovery on a hardship basis only if the asset is the sole income-producing asset of the survivor, and recovery by the state would result in the survivor becoming a beneficiary of public benefits himself or herself. Thus, New Jersey’s tentative definition of “hardship” is very rigid. There is also a rebuttable presumption in New Jersey that there is no hardship if Medicaid planning was effected.  N.J.A.C. 10:49-14.1(h).  The representative of the estate of the Medicaid recipient has 20 days from the date of receipt of the notice of the State’s lien to file a request for a waiver or compromise of the claim.

Begley & Bookbinder, P.C. is an Elder & Disability Law Firm with offices in Moorestown, Stone Harbor and Lawrenceville, New Jersey and can be contacted at 800-533-7227.  The firm services southern and central New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania.

3. Need for to reapply Miranda warnings depends on circumstances State v. Dispoto __ NJ ___ (A-103-05) 1-18-07
The Court rejected the Appellate Division’s bright-line approach that failure to re-administer Miranda warnings at the time of arrest required suppression of Dispoto’s post-arrest incriminating statement, notwithstanding the pre-custodial warning about an hour earlier. The Court retains the more measured and traditional totality-of-the-circumstances assessment. Thus, where pre-custodial warnings have been given to a defendant as part of a continuing pattern of interactions between the defendant and the police, and during that continuing sequence of events nothing of an intervening nature occurs that would dilute the effectiveness of the warning, there would appear to be no need to require another warning. Such determinations are better suited to fact-based assessments rather
than bright-line pronouncements.
Because there was insufficient evidence to support the issuance of the underlying domestic violence search warrant, the criminal search warrant was invalid as fruit of the poisonous tree. While this holding renders moot the Appellate Division’s finding that failure to re-administer Miranda warnings at the time of arrest required suppression of Dispoto’s post-arrest incriminating statements, the Court adds in respect of the issue of the Miranda warnings only that no bright line or per se rule governs whether re-administration is required following a pre- custodial Miranda warning.

4. Motion to suppress granted where stop based on only 911 call that was vague. State v. Phelps Appellate Division, A-3755-05T2, November 14, 2006, not approved for publication.

Law Division order that granted the defendant’s motion to suppress evidence that was seized after his motor vehicle was stopped affirmed; a man called 911 and reported that five “dark-skinned black males” who were members of the Bloods street gang were armed and chasing him in a “blue car”; police officers responded to the scene, stopped a “bluish-gray” Pontiac Bonneville that contained only the defendant, who is black, and a Hispanic female passenger, and recovered a handgun and crack cocaine; although other occupants of the defendant’s vehicle could have fled the scene before the officers arrived, the number and gender of the occupants that the officers saw did not match the 911 caller’s description, and the caller had identified the vehicle only by a nondescript color; the stop of the defendant’s vehicle was not justified because the information that the 911 caller provided did not correspond to the officers’ observations to the extent that the officers and the court could be certain that the defendant’s vehicle was the same vehicle that the caller had identified; instead, the caller’s description of the vehicle was “vague.” Source: Facts-on-Call Order No. 20501.

_____________________________

Our law blog- http://njlaws1.blogspot.com/
Thank you for reading our newsletter! God Bless America USA #1

We appreciate continued referrals. We want to take the time to extend to our friends and clients our sincere gratitude because it is good friends and clients that make our business grow. Client recommendation is a very important source of new clients to us. We are grateful for the recommendation of new clients. We will do our best to give all clients excellent care. We shall do our best to justify all recommendations.

"Celebrating more than 21 years of providing excellent service to clients 1985-2007" Former Prosecutor
This newsletter is produced to be sent electronically. If you know someone who would also like to receive this email newsletter, please have them email us at newsletter@njlaws.com.
Free T- shirts and soda can holders available for all current and past clients. Please come into office.
Editor's Note and Disclaimer: All materials Copyright 2007. You may pass along the information on the NJ Laws Newsletter and website, provided the name and address of the Law Office is included.

KENNETH VERCAMMEN & ASSOCIATES, PC
ATTORNEY AT LAW
2053 Woodbridge Ave.
Edison, NJ 08817
(Phone) 732-572-0500
(Fax) 732-572-0030
website: www.njlaws.com
Admitted to practice law in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, US Supreme Court and Federal District Court

Registration info or to purchase book & audiotape

------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Kenneth Vercammen
2053 Woodbridge Ave.
2053 Woodbridge Ave.
Edison, NJ 08817  
Phone: 732-572-0500
Fax: 732-572-0500
Web site: http://www.njlaws.com/
E-mail: kenvnjlaws@verizon.net