By Jim Russell | MassLive SOUTH HADLEY — Next month’s annual town meeting includes a $160,000 request to fund a claim resulting from the wrongful termination of a police officer. The matter involves South Hadley police officer Mark Sowell. According to court records, he was fired by the town, but an arbitrator determined in October 2010 that Sowell was wrongly terminated. South Hadley officials at
In a recent civil lawsuit seeking $750,000.00 in damages, the plaintiff accused a Fall River police officer of sexually assaulting her while the officer was on duty. Named as defendants were the officer, the City of Fall River and the Fall River Police Chief; the Chief was represented in the litigation by RJA. Although the plaintiff filed her lawsuit in state court, believing that a
By Stephanie Barry | MassLive BOSTON – While the prosecution of former Springfield police officer Jeffrey Asher focused on a chaotic, violent clash between Asher and motorist Melvin Jones III, the former patrolman’s appeal of his criminal conviction will be decided largely on academics. Asher, convicted of assault and assault with a dangerous weapon in connection with a 2009 traffic stop during which he beat
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
