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Winter losses test how well your insurance program matches real risk. Frozen pipes, roof leaks from ice, power outages, and collapsed structures create overlapping claims that move quickly. The policy language controls. New Jersey courts will read the contract you purchased, not the brochure you remember. January is the right time to collect facts, give proper notice, and measure each loss against the coverage you actually carry.

New Jersey employers enter 2026 without a federal ban on employee noncompetes. Courts halted the FTC’s rule, and the agency has abandoned its appeals. The result is a return to state law and contract drafting. In New Jersey, that means reasonableness, careful tailoring, and a heavier reliance on nonsolicitation and confidentiality to protect real business interests.

Winter weather tests premises safety in a way that ordinary operations do not. Snow, ice, melt, and refreeze change conditions hour by hour. New Jersey law does not relax the standard of care because a storm is inconvenient. It measures what a prudent commercial owner or operator did in view of the conditions, the volume of visitors, and the predictability of hazards. The analysis turns on control of the area, notice of the condition, timing of the response, and the paper rec