Massachusetts law uses a rule called comparative fault when awarding financial damages in a personal injury case. In effect, there is a determination made regarding what percentage of fault to assign to the injured party as well as the fault percentage to assign to the person claimed to have caused the injury. Practical application of comparative fault For most people, it is a challenge to
In November, 2010, a police officer with the Lawrence Police Department was in Lawrence District Court to support the son of the Department’s Deputy Police Chief, who had been charged with various crimes. While in the courthouse, the officer had an interaction with three civilians who were involved in the prosecution of the Deputy Chief’s son. Based upon that interaction, the three civilians complained to
Most civil rights claims against police officers in Massachusetts are made by former criminal defendants who, for one reason or another, were not found guilty of the criminal charges brought against them. Going forward, those plaintiffs will have one less claim that they can make against police officers involved in their arrest or prosecution. RJA represented a Sergeant with the Springfield Police Department in connection
By Mike Gaffney | WickedLocal Jim Rivers, the town’s director of information technology, has accused former Town Manager Scott Crabtree of asking him to delete all documents and emails from his town-issued computer. Rivers met with the Board of Selectmen last Wednesday to discuss a personnel complaint he brought regarding Crabtree, who the selectmen fired on Oct. 29. On Sept. 12 Rivers said Crabtree directed
By Mike Gaffney | WickedLocal Scott Crabtree is out as Saugus town manager. The Board of Selectmen voted 4-1 last Wednesday to adopt with good cause a final resolution for the removal of Crabtree as town manager. Selectman Debra Panetta cast the lone vote against the motion. Crabtree had requested a public hearing in the wake of the board’s 4-1 vote Sept. 15 to support
The Worcester, Massachusetts law firm of Reardon, Joyce & Akerson, P.C. announces that, for the sixth time, Andrew J. Gambaccini, an associate with the firm, has been selected as a Massachusetts Rising Star by Law and Politics Media, Inc. The award follows a rigorous, multi-phased process of review and is limited to attorneys under the age of forty who have been members of the bar
By Brian Lee Telegram & Gazette A hearing officer found insufficient evidence to conclude that police Sgt. Joseph J. Brooks hit and severely injured a police dog with his police vehicle and then lied about it. The hearing officer, Joseph M. Zeneski, found no cause for the town to take disciplinary action against Sgt. Brooks for the events of June 4, when police found the
Motorcyclists in Massachusetts suffer from a disproportionate number of accidents and injuries, despite following almost all of the same road regulations as other drivers. Per mile traveled, motorcyclists have a 35 times greater risk of being fatally injured in an accident than a passenger car. According to stats, between 2001 and 2008 an estimated 1,222,000 people were treated in U.S. emergency rooms for non-fatal motorcycle
The Massachusetts General Laws explicitly says there is a three-year period in which to claim personal injury protection benefits after an accident. However, the law also stipulates that you make your claim “as soon as practicable after the accident occurs from which such claim arises” (G.L. Chapter 90, Section 34M) Your insurance company is responsible by law for paying legitimate medical expenses, arising directly from
By Brian Lee | Telegram WEBSTER — A hearing during which Police Sgt. Joseph Brooks was accused of striking and injuring a police dog with his vehicle on June 4 wrapped up Wednesday at Town Hall. The 14-year veteran of the department is on paid leave and is fighting for his job amid two theories about what happened to the Dutch shepherd, named Radar, just