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Read. Follow. Verify.New Jersey bill limits consumer fraud lawsuits and caps attorney fees
Last action · January 13, 2026: Introduced, Referred to Assembly Consumer Affairs CommitteeSponsors: Carol Murphy and 1 other
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What This Bill Would Do
New Jersey bill A886 requires consumers suing under the state fraud act to prove reasonable behavior and objective damages, while restricting attorney fee awards to a reasonable relationship with the monetary judgment.
Changes the legal threshold for filing consumer fraud lawsuits in New Jersey, directly impacting consumers seeking damages and the calculation of legal fees awarded in court.
- The New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act governs protections against deceptive commercial practices and provides avenues for private civil enforcement. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Consumers
Consumers filing lawsuits under the consumer fraud act must meet new evidentiary burdens regarding their own reasonableness and objective financial damages.
Businesses
Businesses face new legal thresholds that allow courts to dismiss certain consumer fraud claims as a matter of law.
Attorneys
Attorneys representing plaintiffs in consumer fraud cases are subject to new limits that tie their fee awards to the monetary judgment or time expended.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a consumer need to prove under the new bill requirements?
How are attorney fees determined if the bill becomes law?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
1 action- Jan 13, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced, Referred to Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
njleg.state.nj.us
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy60Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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