Lawyers squared off before the New Jersey Supreme Court on Monday over whether a Paterson electrical inspector should be afforded absolute immunity against claims that he failed to inform his superiors about a dangerous condition in an apartment house that ultimately burned in a fatal fire.
Two lower courts have ruled that the inspector, Robert Bierals, should be awarded qualified immunity only, which means that the city of Paterson could be held at least partially liable in the lawsuits that were filed after the deaths, other injuries and damage to surrounding properties.
