New Jersey Statutes 2A:53A-50. Definitions; scope
Terms Used In New Jersey Statutes 2A:53A-50
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
- Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
- person: includes corporations, companies, associations, societies, firms, partnerships and joint stock companies as well as individuals, unless restricted by the context to an individual as distinguished from a corporate entity or specifically restricted to one or some of the above enumerated synonyms and, when used to designate the owner of property which may be the subject of an offense, includes this State, the United States, any other State of the United States as defined infra and any foreign country or government lawfully owning or possessing property within this State. See New Jersey Statutes 1:1-2
a. In this section:
(1) “Goods or services” does not include the creation, dissemination, exhibition, or advertisement or similar promotion of a dramatic, literary, musical, political, journalistic, or artistic work.
(2) “Governmental unit” means a public corporation or government or governmental subdivision, agency, or instrumentality.
(3) “Person” means an individual, estate, trust, partnership, business or nonprofit entity, governmental unit, or other legal entity.
b. Except as otherwise provided in subsection c., this act applies to a cause of action asserted in a civil action against a person based on the person’s:
(1) communication in a legislative, executive, judicial, administrative, or other governmental proceeding;
(2) communication on an issue under consideration or review in a legislative, executive, judicial, administrative, or other governmental proceeding; or
(3) exercise of the right of freedom of speech or of the press, the right to assembly or petition, or the right of association, guaranteed by the United States Constitution or the New Jersey Constitution, on a matter of public concern.
c. This act does not apply to a cause of action asserted:
(1) against a governmental unit or an employee or agent of a governmental unit acting or purporting to act in an official capacity;
(2) by a governmental unit or an employee or agent of a governmental unit acting in an official capacity to enforce a law to protect against an imminent threat to public health or safety; or
(3) against a person primarily engaged in the business of selling or leasing goods or services if the cause of action arises out of a communication related to the person’s sale or lease of the goods or services.
L.2023, c.155, s.2.