Greczyn v. Colgate-Palmolive

On this appeal, we address the interplay of the statute of repose protecting designers and builders, N.J.S.A. 2A.T4-1.1, and the rule governing our fictitious-party practice. R. 4:26-4. The case arose when plaintiff was injured on a staircase in a building approximately nine years after its completion. One month prior to the expiration of the ten-year statute of repose, plaintiff filed suit against the building’s owner and several fictitious defendants, identified as the designers and builders of the staircase. A year after the expiration of the ten-year period, plaintiff amended her…