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
RJA’s client was driving in Carver, Massachusetts on a Sunday afternoon when a driver on an intersecting street went through a stop sign and crashed into our client’s vehicle. The force of the collision caused our client’s vehicle to perform a 360 degree spin until it came to rest against a telephone pole. As a result of the accident, our client suffered a fracture to
In 2012, a police officer in Springfield was convicted criminally based upon actions taken during the course of an arrest. Following the conviction, the officer retained RJA to pursue an appeal on his behalf. In the brief filed with the Massachusetts Appeals Court, RJA argued that the trial judge did not instruct the jury properly on the applicable law, as she failed to provide guidance
An attorney often is required to persuade a judge or a jury on a particular issue. More rarely achieved, but no less important, is an attorney’s ability to persuade an opposing counsel to concede. RJA was retained to represent a sergeant with the Lawrence Police Department with regard to claims made by a plaintiff who alleged that she was assaulted and battered, resulting in a
RJA’s client, a police lieutenant for the Wareham Police Department, was terminated from the employment that he had held for more than twenty years, and almost all of his adult life. Believing that the termination was improperly driven by personal and political reasons, RJA soon set out, with its client, to gather together the strong evidence and arguments to prove that the firing was unjust.
Federal civil rights claims are known to be among the most complex areas of the law and require, for a successful defense, experienced litigators who are well-versed in constitutional law. RJA’s client, a police officer for the City of Revere, was sued in federal court in Boston for, among other things, allegedly violating the plaintiff’s First, Second and Fourth Amendment rights through an earlier arrest.
Recently, RJA was retained by a Sergeant with the Springfield Police Department to represent him in a civil service disciplinary hearing. The Sergeant was alleged to have made racially insensitive remarks to and about a police officer, resulting in the officer filing a complaint with the City. During the course of the hearing, RJA Attorney Andrew Gambaccini carried out a particularly bruising cross examination of
Massachusetts State Troopers Win Judgment in Federal Civil Rights Action Arising Out of Their Response to White Power Demonstration A federal jury returned a verdict in favor of two Massachusetts State Police troopers in a federal civil rights cases arising out of their response to a demonstration by a white power activist who participated in a demonstration outside the State House on White Pride Day
Springfield Police Sergeant Wins Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit Alleging That He Was Deliberately Indifferent to Detainee’s Serious Medical Needs During Booking Springfield police officers arrested three men in November 2008 outside one of the downtown Springfield nightclubs following a disturbance that occurred after the clubs had closed for the night. One of the individuals sustained an injury to his ankle during the arrest. Other officers
On May 10, 2013, a unanimous jury in federal court in Boston returned a verdict in favor of a police officer for the Town of Westport Police Department, rejecting the plaintiff’s allegations that the officer had used excessive force during the course of a disturbance in September, 2007. The case began when police and first responders were dispatched to a single car motor vehicle accident