New Jersey’s American Dream mall could face legal trouble for selling clothes on Sundays, thanks to a long-standing, seemingly out-of-style law.
Paramus Borough and Bergen County officials filed a lawsuit this week, alleging that the sprawling American Dream retail and entertainment complex in East Rutherford has violated long-standing “blue laws” by allowing clothing stores to stay open on Sundays.
According to the suit, roughly 120 stores at the mall have repeatedly ignored the restrictions, potentially hundreds or even thousands of times, since January.
The filing claims that the mall’s retailers have sold non-essential items, including clothing, in direct violation of Bergen County’s blue laws, which are rooted in centuries-old religious tradition, prohibiting the Sunday sale of goods such as apparel, appliances and furniture.
Paramus officials argue that when the mall opened in 2019, its operators vowed to adhere to these Sunday restrictions. County Executive Jim Tedesco recalled that mall leadership had “personally assured” him that retail operations would remain shuttered on Sundays, promises that Paramus now contends have been broken.
American Dream, which debuted in 2019 adjacent to MetLife Stadium, initially promised that retail operations would observe Sunday closures, while entertainment components such as theme parks would stay open, according to the lawsuit. However, reports indicate that retailers began opening on Sundays in early last year, which Paramus officials cite as the trigger for the current legal challenge.
In its defense, the mall asserted that the blue laws do not apply to its operations, as the complex is located on state-owned land.
“The lawsuit is a meritless political stunt driven by private competitors’ interests,” a mall spokesperson told multiple news outlets in a statement.
The lawsuit names several additional parties, including East Rutherford officials and the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority. The authority and the New Jersey attorney general’s office have declined to comment, citing the ongoing nature of the litigation, multiple news outlets report.
The Independent has contacted representatives for American Dream and the New Jersey attorney general’s office for comment.
Bergen County remains one of the few jurisdictions in the United States that actively enforces blue laws, regulations originally established to observe the Sabbath and restrict Sunday commerce. Voters in the county have repeatedly upheld these laws, and neighboring Paramus enforces even stricter rules, banning all non-essential retail activity on Sundays, regardless of location.
Paramus and Bergen County are seeking judicial enforcement to block Sunday retail activity and may pursue fines or additional penalties for each violation of the blue laws, though specifics on damages or enforcement mechanisms are yet to be outlined.