Labor & Employment

Ex-Judge's Disability Pension Related to Winning $2.1M Libel Suit Is Rejected

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A divided state retirement board voted 3-2 today to reject a former Massachusetts judge’s request for a disability pension because of diagnosed post-traumatic stress that he says is related to a series of 2002 newspaper articles.

Former Superior Court Judge Ernest Murphy won a $2.1 million libel judgment against the Boston Herald over the articles. But the board majority rejected his bid for a disability pension that would have paid him 75 percent of his former salary on the bench, the Boston Herald reports today.

Murphy could still seek a reversal of the decision from the Division of Administrative Law Appeals. His lawyer did not respond to a request for comment, the newspaper says.

Earlier related coverage:

ABAJournal.com (May 2007): “$2 Million Libel Award to Mass. Judge Upheld”

ABAJournal.com (Oct. 2007): “Judge Who Won Libel Verdict Defends Ethics Charge”

ABAJournal.com (Dec. 2008): “Public Reprimand, But No Fine, for Judge Who Wrote Threatening Letters”

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