a pertinent statute. See, e.g., N.J.S.A. 2A:15-5.5 to -5.8, L. 1987, c. 404 (limiting Kelly, supra, 96 N.J. 538, 476 A.2d 1219, which imposed social host liability for negligence of an intoxicated guest); N.J.S.A. 2A:53A-7, L. 1959, c. 90 (overruling Dalton v. St. Luke's Catholic Church, 27 N.J. 22, 141 A.2d 273 (1958), and companion cases that abolished charitable immunity). Similarly, the courts can depart from common law precedents when circumstances change or the need to modify the law is shown. See, e.g., Stewart v. 104 Wallace Street, Inc., 87 N.J. 146, 432 A.2d 881 (1981) (overruling Yanhko v. Fane, 70 N.J. 528, 362 A.2d 1 (1976), and prior precedents on liability of commercial owner of property for hazardous condition of sidewalk); Smith, supra, 85 N.J. at 203-07, 426 A.2d 38 (<HOLDING>). 6 We also held in Podias that the passengers
recognizing israel had no interest in denying its citizens the substantive advantages of new jersey defamation law in new jersey residents claims for defamation published in new jersey holding that english common law rule of marital exemption did not apply to the new jersey rape statute holding purposeful and deliberate omission on enactment of new jersey sales and use tax of exemption found in new york counterpart act which served as the model for new jersey act holding there was no personal jurisdiction over a foreign national who helped her son in an outofstate conspiracy to violate his former wifes custody rights under their new jersey divorce decree even if she had retained title to the new jersey marital home holding that a writ of execution under new jersey law is not an action against the consumer