The right to trial by jury is a fundamental constitutional right that dates back to the origins of our nation. The Constitution of 1776 states that “the inestimable right of trial by jury shall remain confirmed as a part of the law of this Colony, without repeal, forever.” The Constitutions of 1844 and 1947 state that “the right of trial by jury shall remain inviolate.”
In Williams v. American Auto Logistics, 226 N.J. 117 (2016), the court considered “whether a litigant may lose his constitutionally protected right to a jury trial as a sanction for failure to comply with procedural rules.” The plaintiff, Lamar Williams, filed suit against American Auto Logistics in the Special Civil Part of the Law Division. He claimed that he shipped his car from Alaska to New Jersey but that the car sustained water damage.
