According to a recent U.S. Census, about 20 percent of Americans have a disability. Many Americans with disabilities are talented workers who are valuable additions to the workplace. However, sometimes employers and coworkers fail to recognize the value people with disabilities can bring to the workplace. The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”) is federal legislation designed to counteract this bias and protect the
A Massachusetts Environmental Police Officer (“EPO”) with the foresight to have joined the Massachusetts Police Association’s Legal Defense Fund found out just how valuable a resource the Fund is after being terminated from his EPO positon, and then being abandoned by his Union when he wanted to challenge that termination. Soleimani was sworn in by the Massachusetts Environmental Police (“MEP”) as an EPO in May
Recently, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled that the amendment in 2003 of the Commonwealth’s drunk driving law, G.L. c. 90, § 24, did not provide a reason for it to reverse its decision in Commonwealth v. Brazelton, 404 Mass. 783 (1989), that there is no right to counsel when a suspect must decide whether or not to take a breathalyzer to test whether they were
While you are driving home from work one day, another driver side swipes your vehicle, causing you serious injury and medical expenses. Why should you experienced personal injury attorney ? 1) Evidence gets lost or destroyed. As the plaintiff, you bear the evidentiary burden of proof. If you fail to present evidence of the defendant’s negligence, you will not succeed. You ability to prove your
By Jim Russell | MassLive A federal judge this week recommended against a motion by the town’s former electric department manager, Wayne Doerpholz, to dismiss a $750,000 whistleblower lawsuit that alleges he permitted a hostile work environment. The lawsuit, filed by South Hadley Electric Light Department employee Robert Blasko, also named the SHELD board of commissioners and a company engineer, Andy Orr, as defendants. Orr
If you’ve ever been in an accident that wasn’t your fault, you’ve likely considered a personal injury lawsuit. Judging by all the attorney commercials out there, you might think it’s relatively easy to sue someone. However, there are several important factors, which can make or break a personal injury claim. Personal injury laws vary widely from state to state, and knowing the basics of Massachusetts
In a recent First Circuit decision concerning civil liability for police supervisors, Saldivar v. Racine, 818 F.3d 14 (2016), Reardon, Joyce & Akerson, P.C. (“RJA”) successfully represented the Fall River Chief of Police in a civil rights lawsuit in which the plaintiff, who sought $750,000.00 in damages, claimed that she had been assaulted and raped by a Fall River police officer. According to the plaintiff,
In Commonwealth v. Alleyne, ___ Mass. ___ (2016), the Supreme Judicial Court clarified that police officers do not need a suspect’s permission to record the suspect’s interview as long as the suspect has actual knowledge of the recording. The Court recommended that police departments do away with their interview forms that advise a suspect of a right to refuse recording and that require the suspect
By Todd Feathers | Lowell Sun News DRACUT — Deputy Police Chief David Chartrand has been suspended for two weeks without pay, following a civil service inquiry into his handling of documents in a Dracut lieutenant’s personnel file. An attorney representing Chartrand said he will appeal the ruling, which was made by Town Manager Jim Duggan and based on a report by an independent hearing
By K.C. Myers | Cape Cod Times PROVINCETOWN — Getting rid of Police Chief Jeff Jaran could have occurred more quickly and cost the town nearly $163,000 less than it did, according to newly released minutes from closed-door selectmen meetings. In May 2015, selectmen agreed to pay Jaran $512,797 after an arbitration panel determined he should have been suspended without pay for a year rather
