Massachusetts

American lawyer stabbed to death in his home in Venezuela

An expatriate American lawyer was stabbed to death Sunday at his home in Venezuela, in what his son, an attorney in the Miami office of White & Case, says may have been a botched robbery or kidnapping attempt. John Pate, who was in his early 70s, had lived and worked…

Aug 13, 2015 4:15 PM CDT

Law banning lies about political candidates is struck down by top Massachusetts court

Massachusetts’ top court has overturned a law used to prosecute a PAC official for campaign brochures claiming a state lawmaker put the interests of criminals ahead of families. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court cited free speech protections in striking down the law, which makes it a crime to make or…

Aug 7, 2015 7:26 AM CDT

Archdiocese seeks court order to end protesters’ 11-year vigil and close down deconsecrated church

An 11-year, 24/7 vigil at a Roman Catholic church outside Boston may be coming to an end, if Massachusetts appeals courts see the case the same way as the Archdiocese of Boston. The protesting parishioners say they are the true owners of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini church in Scituate, under…

Jul 23, 2015 11:20 AM CDT

Are ride-hailing businesses Uber and Lyft ADA-compliant? Massachusetts AG has questions

The Massachusetts attorney general’s office is looking into how Lyft and Uber provide riders equal access, Reuters reports. It may be the first state attorney general’s office to consider the question, according to the article. And in California, an administrative law judge recently fined the company $7.3 million for—among other…

Jul 20, 2015 12:45 PM CDT

Attorney and law student indicted in boating accident that cost passenger an arm

A Massachusetts lawyer who specializes in defense of operating-under-the-influence cases was indicted Wednesday, along with a former law student intern, in a Boston Harbor boating accident in which alcohol allegedly played a role. However, the charges against attorney Benjamin Urbelis, 33, were reduced after it became clear that he apparently…

Jul 2, 2015 10:50 AM CDT

Spanking conviction is overturned; top state court allows reasonable force in child discipline

Massachusetts’ top court has overturned the assault conviction of a man arrested after spanking his nearly 3-year-old daughter in public. The decision by the Supreme Judicial Court said parents may discipline their children with spanking as long as the use of force is reasonable; it is used to safeguard or…

Jul 1, 2015 9:53 AM CDT

Man accused of jury threat, biting court officer in 2010 gets mistrial after lawyer punch

A man charged with disrupting his initial Massachusetts murder trial by threatening the jury and a witness and biting a Worcester Superior Court officer, will not have to proceed with a retrial. The 35-year-old defendant, Janleer Povez, reportedly punched his own defense lawyer in the mouth in court Monday. Although…

Jun 30, 2015 1:15 PM CDT

Boston Marathon bomber sentenced to death by federal judge

Following a federal jury’s decision last month to impose the ultimate penalty on the Boston Marathon bomber, it was no surprise when the judge in the case gave the mandatory death sentence to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on Wednesday. What was perhaps unexpected was the defendant’s acknowledgement of his guilt and his…

Jun 24, 2015 2:45 PM CDT

Alan Dershowitz lawsuit blames lack of paper towels for fall in sports arena bathroom

Lawyer Alan Dershowitz is suing TD Garden in Boston for injuries he suffered in a bathroom fall during a Celtics game. Dershowitz claims in the lawsuit that he was injured nearly three years ago because of a wet floor in the bathroom caused by a depleted supply of paper towels,…

Jun 4, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

US-born Israeli soldier won’t be jailed for eating non-kosher sandwich

Officials say a Boston man who volunteered for combat service in Israel’s army won’t be put behind bars for eating a non-kosher sandwich after all, following an international kerfuffle over a planned 11-day jail term. Initially, Ohad Levy was not only to be jailed but booted from a training course…

Jun 3, 2015 3:05 PM CDT

Defense lawyer in OUI cases is himself charged after woman loses arm in boat accident

A Massachusetts criminal defense lawyer who specializes in operating-under-the-influence cases was being held in lieu of $75,000 cash bail on Monday after himself being charged in an OUI case. Benjamin Urbelis, 33, was arraigned Monday wearing a T-shirt and swim trunks and pleaded not guilty. He was taken into custody…

Jun 1, 2015 3:30 PM CDT

Well-known trial lawyer is federally charged with witness tampering

A well-known Massachusetts trial lawyer has been federally charged with witness tampering. Timothy Flaherty is accused of paying a witness in a hate crime case $2,500 to persuade him not to testify against his client in a criminal assault case that was supposed to go to trial this week in…

May 27, 2015 4:10 PM CDT

Backpage wins dismissal of suit over escort ads said to facilitate child sex trafficking

Federal law protects Backpage.com in a suit by three women who allege ads on the website facilitated their sale for sex as children, a Boston federal judge has ruled. In a decision last Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Richard Stearns said the Communications Decency Act protected the website for its…

May 21, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

Top Massachusetts court refuses to dismiss 40,323 cases linked to rogue state evidence lab chemist

There was good news and bad news Monday for public defenders trying to get Massachusetts to dismiss some 40,000 criminal charges linked to a rogue chemist working at a state evidence laboratory. The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruled that convicted defendants who seek a new trial over alleged misconduct…

May 18, 2015 4:10 PM CDT

Tsarnaev gets death penalty in Boston Marathon bombings

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev showed no emotion on Friday as a federal jury, after 14 hours of deliberation, made a rare decision to impose the death penalty for the fatal bombings near the finish line of the Boston Marathon in 2013. The only other sentencing option for the 21-year-old would have been…

May 15, 2015 3:30 PM CDT