NEW JERSEY DIVORCE ARBITRATOR : WIFE NOT LIABLE

In a dispute between an emergency room physician and the medical group at a hospital, the issue was submitted to arbitration. Plaintiff was successful at arbitration, and the trial court affirmed the award. However, the award against the individual defendant's wife was erroneous. While appreciating the arbitrator's intent to give plaintiff a method to ease his ability to collect the award against the individual defendant, the wife was not a party to the arbitration agreement, and the arbitrator made no finding that she had conspired with her husband against plaintiff.     Dorfner, et al. v. Point Emergency Physicians, P.A., et al., New Jersey App. Div., April 25, 2006