Original Article By Pat Murphy on masslawyersweekly.com Q: Does former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin have a viable argument for a new trial based on claims he was denied a fair trial because of media coverage, pre-trial disclosure of the $27 million civil rights settlement with George Floyd’s family, pre-verdict pronouncements of his guilt by political leaders, and/or the denial of his request for a
Pighetti put on leave in February after traffic stop Alison Bosma The Milford Daily News MILFORD — Two months after Police Chief Michael Pighetti was put on paid leave, the town is still investigating the complaint that put him there. “I can’t confirm that there even is any investigation ongoing, as we have not been contacted by anyone associated with the Town of Milford
At the close of 2020, the Massachusetts Legislature passed, and Governor Charlie Baker signed, a bill entitled “An Act Relative to Justice, Equity and Accountability in Law Enforcement in the Commonwealth[].” This so-called police reform legislation promises to usher in a broad range of profound changes to Massachusetts policing at a number of levels. On April 5, 2021, a distinguished set of panelists will be
Alison Bosma |The Milford Daily News MILFORD — A Worcester law firm sent out a letter Tuesday defending Milford Police Chief Michael Pighetti, after selectmen placed him on paid leave last week. “I want the community to hear directly from me on these issues,” the letter, marked from Pighetti himself, read, “so that the record can be set straight and the facts can be known, including community
By Jim Russell | Special to The Republican GRANBY – A 90-day suspension the selectboard meted out to then-fire chief John Mitchell last year violated his employment rights and was not justified, according to a recent arbitration decision – ordering the town of Granby to pay him the lost wages and benefits. The select board voted in July to fire him, after having suspended him without
From Jim Russell | Special to The Republican November 9, 2020 GRANBY – An arbitrator on Wednesday determined the Selectboard lacked justification to suspend, without pay, the town’s former fire chief, John Mitchell, while he was still an employee earlier this year. The Selectboard’s office has not responded to a request for comment. “The Town is hereby ordered to immediately rescind the suspension, remove all
The Worcester, Massachusetts law firm of Reardon, Joyce & Akerson, P.C. announces that attorneys John Vigliotti and Andy Gambaccini again have been selected as Super Lawyers for 2020 by Super Lawyers Magazine. John Vigliotti receives the award for the sixth time, one for each year he has been eligible. Prior to being named a Super Lawyer, Vigliotti twice was named a Rising Star by Super
From masslawyersweekly.com By: Pat Murphy October 22, 2020 Lawyers who defend police accused of misconduct are alert to the potential impact that the death of George Floyd and other alleged cases of officers using excessive force against minorities could have on their own clients’ cases. “You are always concerned about the public climate and how it affects any case,” says Leonard H. Kesten, a Boston litigator who
We are pleased to announce that Austin Joyce has been selected to the 2020 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list. This is an exclusive list, recognizing no more than five percent of attorneys in the Commonwealth. Super Lawyers, part of Thomson Reuters, is a research-driven, peer influenced rating service of outstanding lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Attorneys are selected
A recent edition of the Boston Bar Journal features an article written by RJA Attorney Andrew Gambaccini entitled Reid v. City of Boston: Extending the Massachusetts Tort Claims Act’s Interpretive Complexity. The article discusses the historical difficulties associated with the legislative and judicial shaping of the concept of governmental immunity in Massachusetts, including how those long-existing problems continue to impact the development of the law