Our Reviews

Represented a client accused of a second offense DWI violation. The defendant, Marvin P., was exposed to a mandatory 2-year loss of his driving privileges as well as 2-90 days in the Mercer County jail. After over 18 months of intense litigation, including but not limited to motions to exclude the state proffered breath test results that were almost 2x the legal limit and a motion to dismiss the proceedings, the DWI violation was ultimately dismissed, saving the defendant from the penalties of a 2nd offense DWI as well as thousands of dollars in increased insurance expenses and surcharges.

31-year-old man who was cut off by another car causing his car to flip over. He sustained head injuries, facial injuries, and half of his pinky finger was amputated.

25-year-old laborer suffered severe burns on over 70% of his body from an industrial accident while working.

Plaintiff was a passenger in wife’s vehicle when defendant ran a stop sign striking plaintiffs vehicle. He sustained aggravation of prior injuries to his low back requiring pain management procedures and spine surgery.

44-year-old tenant slipped and fell on the stairs at her apartment complex due to the apartment owner’s failure to properly clean the snow off of the stairs. She sustained lower back injuries.

Successfully represented a Defendant in a Municipal Court in Mercer County charged with Assault by a civilian complainant as a result of a neighborhood dispute. The defendant’s initial inclination was to plead guilty to a criminal offense that he did not commit due to his fear of possible immigration consequences. Mr. Kessous, along with co-counsel per diem and additional counsel, persuaded the municipal prosecutor that the defendants were, in fact, the victims of the civilian complainant's violent physical attack; an attack apparently fueled by racism against Latin Americans.

A woman went into the hospital in labor. The doctor informed her that it was not time to deliver the baby and delayed the delivery for eight hours. The baby was born with brain damage causing a severe developmental delay.

Successfully defended D.S. for a DWI within a municipal court in Middlesex County. As a second (2nd) offender, Mr. Smith was susceptible to a two (2) year suspension of his driving privileges, 2-90 days in jail, mandatory ignition interlock installation and maintenance fees and thousands of dollars in insurance surcharges and increased insurance fees. It was alleged that D.S. had a breath test reading of .25 BAC, well over 3x the legal limit. After extensive litigation and dogged representation, Mr. Kessous was able to persuade the State and the Court that the DWI in its entirety must be dismissed. D.S. plead guilty to a moving violation and was fined $239 and suspended from driving for only ninety (90) days.

Successfully defended J.A. from Child Endangerment charges within Somerset County. As a 2nd Degree Crime, J.A. was facing five (5) to ten (10) years New Jersey State Prison for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated with a BAC of 2x the legal limit with children passengers within in the vehicle. As J.A. was not a U.S. citizen, he also faced serious immigration consequences from such a conviction. He was also facing mandatory jail time as this offense also would have constituted his 7th Driving While Suspended offense. After extensive negotiations with the Prosecutor’s Office Mr. Kessous successfully persuaded the Court and the State to allow him into the Pre-Trial Intervention (PTI) program absent any foundational conviction ordinarily required for a 2nd degree charge as well as an amendment of the Driving While Suspended charge to a charge that allowed for community service as opposed to jail. This gave J.A. a full and fair opportunity to seek a medical remedy to his alcohol issues while simultaneously avoided a criminal conviction that would have been devastating for his family.

52-year-old motorist struck by the trailer of a truck that swerved into his lane while making a left turn at an intersection which resulted in neck, back, and shoulder pain.

Represented I.K. in a municipal court in Somerset County for a DWI violation. Using extensive DWI defense experience, transcripts from participation in the Supreme Court decision of State v. Chun and a laboratory forensic expert, Mr. Kessous successfully excluded admission of the breath test reading, thus saving the defendant no less than four (4) months of an additional license suspension.

Successfully defended F.A. and W.H. respectively for individual allegations of Driving While Intoxicated within a city court within Union County. While F.A. also had been charged with Refusal to Consent to Provide Breath Tests, W.H. was determined to have been 150% over the BAC limit of .08 as a Fourth (4th) offender and susceptible to a six (6) month jail term and ten (10) years loss of driving privileges. After extensive litigation that included obtaining an Order by the Court for the State to Produce the police personnel files of the same officer who coincidentally arrested both Defendants, Mr. Kessous was able to obtain complete dismissals of all charges for both of his clients.

24-year-old motorist driving the left lane when a cement truck in the right lane next to her attempted to make left turn resulting in a collision. She sustained injuries to her lower back that required surgery.

Plaintiff was driving when the defendant made a left turn striking her vehicle. Plaintiff sustained injuries to her neck and back requiring neck and back surgery and accepted policy limits of $500,000.

Represented V.K. in a city Municipal Court in Union County for an allegation of abandoning his motor vehicle. As V.K. was an out-of-state resident, he trusted the law firm, as many other out-of-state residents have done over the years, to achieve the best possible results without the necessity of a personal appearance in a New Jersey court. Mr. Kessous was able to persuade the prosecutor and the Court to dismiss the charge.

Successfully defended R.M.P. in the Somerset County Superior Court. He was initially charged with an Attempted Murder that would have resulted in prison sentence of well more than ten (10) years. This charge culminated from an allegation of a gang related brawl where the Defendant admitted to police that he struck a brawl participant while driving away from the melee, striking the victim and crushing his legs. Contradictory statements suggesting that the action was intentional existed. Nonetheless, a negotiated plea agreement was effectuated amending the charge from 1st degree Attempted Murder to 3rd degree Aggravated Assault. Subsequently, Mr. Kessous successfully advocated to the Court that the Defendant should receive only a time-served sentence.

Successfully defended R.D., an elderly gentleman, for a DWI violation in a municipal court in Middlesex County. Mr. Kessous was able to obtain a dismissal of the DWI charge after successfully arguing that purported observations of intoxication were actually the result of a urinary tract infection.

Plaintiff was a passenger sleeping in boyfriends vehicle when an intoxicated defendant ran a stop sign striking plaintiff’s vehicle in the passenger side door. The vehicle rolled over and plaintiff sustained multiple fractures. Treatment included multiple surgeries including facial reconstruction.

Represented a client out of the Cranbury/Plainsboro Municipal Court for the serious offenses of a 3rd offense Driving with a Suspended License and Driving without Insurance. Her exposure was a minimum/mandatory 1 to 18 months additional suspension, 10 days in jail, and thousands of dollars in insurance surcharges and increased insurance expenses.Despite the overwhelming evidence against her, Mr. Kessous was able to resolve the matter to 2 counts of failure to exhibit a license and insurance cards and a minor, 2-point moving violation.

31-year-old man who was cut off by another car causing his car to flip over. He sustained head injuries, facial injuries, and half of his pinky finger was amputated.

Successfully defended J.D. in Monmouth County. Initially charged with a 3rd degree crime of Aggravated Assault with an automobile, J.D. was specifically accused of attempting to “run down” her estranged spouse during the course of a domestic dispute. After discussions with the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, the matter was remanded as a Disorderly person’s offense to the local municipality. Subsequently, J.D. entered a guilty plea to a mere local ordinance/non-criminal violation of being loud in public and paid a fine less than $200. All other charges, even the reckless driving ticket, were dismissed.

56-year-old construction worker suffered significant brain damage after a ladder slipped out from underneath him while he worked on it.

A 30-year-old pregnant woman went into labor. The doctor failed to take proper steps in the baby’s delivery, making the mother wait in the hallway for ten hours while the baby’s heart rate began to drop. The baby was delivered via C-Section; he was blue from lack of oxygen resulting in Cerebral Palsy.

Represented a client in a Motor Vehicle Commission hearing objecting to an initial Driver’s license suspension recommendation of 180 days for operating a motor vehicle during a suspension period. The defendant previously entered a guilty plea in municipal court without an attorney, representing himself. As a result of Mr. Kessous’ efforts, the suspension time was negotiated from 180 days to only 15 days loss of driving privileges. As a result of this resolution, the client was able to save his employment which required traveling extensive distances to and from his home.