In two unrelated decisions issued Wednesday, New Jersey courts have asserted jurisdiction over accused hackers who have no connection to the state, but allegedly sought to inflict harm on Garden State residents.
In one of the cases, the Appellate Division reinstated the indictment of a Florida man who launched a spam attack on a New Jersey company that was his competitor in the medical equipment business. A trial judge had dismissed the case for lack of jurisdiction, since the spam was sent from outside New Jersey. But the appeals court, in a published decision, ruled that the company and its New Jersey owner were harmed within the meaning of the state computer crime statute.
