The First Circuit Court of Appeals recently affirmed a judgment entered in favor of three members of the Fall River Police Department represented by RJA. The plaintiff in the civil rights case alleged that he had been assaulted by the police, that the police had committed fraud and engaged in a conspiracy to frame the plaintiff and that the police improperly caused the destruction of
In 2016, members of the Fall River Police Department were involved in a criminal investigation of an individual based upon allegations of abuse perpetrated on the individual’s siblings and the neglect of the individual’s mother, who subsequently passed away. After his arrest and criminal conviction, the plaintiff brought suit against members of the Fall River Police Department. The plaintiff claimed, among other things, that he
In a case of first impression in Massachusetts, RJA attorney Andy Gambaccini recently was successful in establishing important precedent concerning the ability of a law enforcement officer to use force in order to prevent the destruction of evidence. Deptula v. City of Worcester is a federal civil rights case in which narcotics officers with the Worcester Police Department sought to execute a search warrant on
RJA Attorney Andrew Gambaccini recently secured an arbitrator’s reversal of a three day suspension that was imposed upon a New Bedford police officer based upon an allegation that the officer improperly failed to document the disposal of an arrestee’s property. By way of background, the officer had arrested an individual for various offenses, including the possession of a knife of illegal length. After the arrest,
The Massachusetts State Police secured a search warrant for an apartment in Worcester; that warrant was based upon information received from a confidential informant that dangerous individuals had been observed in the residence and that firearms also were present in the apartment. The combination of dangerous individuals with access to firearms made the warrant a high risk endeavor, so the State Police contacted the Worcester
In this case, the complainant, a female dispatcher with the City of Waltham, filed a lengthy charge of discrimination with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (“the MCAD”) alleging that she was the victim of sexual harassment and a sexually hostile work environment, and also that she was subjected to gender discrimination, disability discrimination (arising out of severe chemical sensitivities) and illegal retaliation by a police
RJA recently obtained a major victory for one of its clients, a sergeant with the Danvers Police Department. In 2017, the Danvers Police Department received a call that a firearm had been discharged into a residence while no one was home, with the bullet striking the exterior of the building and penetrating into the home. The Town later accused a sergeant involved in the police
In 2018, the plaintiff amended his complaint in an existing civil rights lawsuit to name two Waltham police officers as defendants. In the amended complaint, the plaintiff alleged that he was defamed by the police officers’ filing of false police reports about him, that one of the officers sought a criminal complaint against the plaintiff without prior notice or respecting his right to a show
In a case handled by RJA Attorney Andrew Gambaccini, a federal judge last week dismissed federal civil rights claims against a police officer from the Fall River Police Department. The primary plaintiff’s allegations generally were that he was present in an apartment when members of the Fall River Vice Unit executed a search warrant and, during the warrant execution, he was kicked in the head
By Amaris Castillo | Lowell Sun DRACUT — There will be no disciplinary action for Deputy Police Chief David Chartrand and Sgt. Gregg Byam will be suspended for one day without pay over their administration of the Police Department’s evidence locker. The decisions end more than a year of controversy over the management of the evidence locker, which was the subject of a scathing September
