The arrival of fall brings with it the pleasure of watching the leaves turn. Fall is famous in New England because of the many vibrant colors, from bright yellow through to deep violet, that nature treats us to as the days grow shorter. When leaves turn, though, they inevitably have to fall to the ground. Autumn invariably brings with it wet weather as well. Wet
From a purely health perspective, we would have to recommend that you get yourself checked out at a doctor. With the rush of adrenaline and nerves you experienced immediately after the accident, your body may have been suppressing pain as part of your ancient survival mechanisms. You may not realize you are injured until you have had a chance to calm down. Additionally, injuries, even
Here’s a little-known fact: under Massachusetts law, if you’re injured by a bone lodged in your throat after eating a prepared dish, whether you can recover for your injuries may depend on what kind of bone it is. If it’s a bone from a chicken pot pie, then you may have a viable claim. If it’s a fish bone from a bowl of chowder, then
You could be driving down I-290 during rush hour when, suddenly, a person driving a large SUV whips into your lane, causing you to rear-end him. However, there were multiple witnesses who reported to the Massachusetts State Police trooper that the other driver was speeding. Three witnesses reported he was weaving in and out of traffic. Suddenly, what could have been your fault is a
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
In Massachusetts, a significant number of public employees, including many police officers, are civil service employees and see their employment governed by the Commonwealth’s civil service laws and regulations. The Massachusetts Civil Service Commission is the agency that processes and decides appeals of various types involving civil service employees, including disciplinary actions, bypass decisions, job classification disputes and other issues related to the civil service
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
On April 11, 2018, the Civil Rights Section and Massachusetts Chapter of the Federal Bar Association will present a panel discussion on “Qualified Immunity on the Cutting Edge: Has the Doctrine Run Its Course?” RJA Attorney Andrew Gambaccini will be one of the panelists, speaking on the doctrine of qualified immunity from the defense perspective. Other panelists include Judge Timothy Hillman, United States District Court
The Worcester, Massachusetts law firm of Reardon, Joyce & Akerson, P.C. announces that two of its attorneys, John K. Vigliotti and Andrew J. Gambaccini, have been selected as Super Lawyers for 2017 by Super Lawyers Magazine. Vigliotti receives the award for the third time, one for each year he has been eligible. Prior to being named a Super Lawyer, Vigliotti was twice named a Rising
The Daily Hampshire Gazette recently published a story concerning “[a] $5.7 million lawsuit filed in federal court in Springfield [that] sheds new light on the inner workings of the now-defunct Amherst Drug Lab and alleges failings of numerous state offices, a local police department and an entire municipality, and how people consume drugs, which could cause accidents. ‘This is a case about government corruption,’ begins
