Ponte v. Overeem/Concurrence Verniero

VERNIERO, LaVECCHIA, JJ., concurring. We concur in the disposition of the Court solely on the basis that it complies with the standard articulated in Brooks v. Odom, 150 N.J. 395, 696 A.2d 619 (1997). For the reasons expressed in the dissenting opinion in Kahrar v. Borough of Wallington, 171 N.J. 3, 16, 791 A.2d 197 (2002) (Verniero, J., dissenting), we believe that the Brooks standard is the appropriate one to be used [p55] when evaluating claims for non-economic damages against a public entity under the Tort Claims Act.