Massachusetts

Judge says church protesters are trespassers, rejects their counterclaim for money spent on repairs

A Massachusetts judge has ruled that protesters who participated in an 11-year vigil at their shuttered church are trespassers who must leave by May 29. Judge Edward Leibensperger of Norfolk County ruled Thursday in a suit for declaratory judgment by the Archdiocese of Boston, which decided to close the church…

May 15, 2015 8:11 AM CDT

Dean Watch: Legal innovator to head Suffolk, first woman to lead Cardozo

Suffolk University didn’t have to look far to find a new dean for its law school. Already a law professor there and known for his innovative approach to technology, Andrew Perlman was announced this week as the law school’s new leader. He will take office Aug. 1. Perlman is the…

May 14, 2015 5:31 PM CDT

Bias commission orders lawyer to pay $233K for targeting Hispanics in ads touting ‘secret formula’

A bias commission in Massachusetts has ordered a Revere lawyer to pay $233,000 for targeting Hispanic clients in ads for mortgage modifications and then providing “substandard service.” The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination cited evidence that lawyer David Zak considered Hispanics to be “easy targets,” report the Daily Item, the Boston…

May 12, 2015 7:36 AM CDT

‘Dead Man Walking’ nun testifies Boston bomber appeared to regret his actions

The nun portrayed by Susan Sarandon in the film Dead Man Walking testified on behalf of convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on Monday before the defense wrapped up its case. Testifying during the penalty phase of Tsarnaev’s trial, Sister Helen Prejean said Tsarnaev told her that no one should…

May 11, 2015 10:47 AM CDT

US Supreme Court declines appeal from inmate denied gender-change surgery

A nearly 20-year legal battle by a convicted murderer seeking gender reassignment surgery at taxpayer expense ended Monday when the nation’s top court declined to hear an appeal by Michelle Kosilek. Kosilek, now 65, and her lawyers argued that the surgery is medically necessary to treat her gender identity disorder…

May 6, 2015 8:25 AM CDT

Father of alleged Boston bomber had PTSD, psychiatrist testifies

A psychiatrist testifying in the trial of alleged Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on Tuesday said the defendant’s father reported being tortured in a Russian camp during the Chechen wars and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. The father, Anzor Tsarnaev, had anxiety, panic attacks, flashbacks and paranoia and made frequent trips…

May 6, 2015 7:31 AM CDT

Bar admission denied for law grad who used letter of recommendation he won in legal settlement

The top court in Massachusetts has denied bar admission for a would-be lawyer who supported his application with a lawyer’s letter of recommendation written as a result of a legal settlement. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court denied admission to Randy Britton in an April 30 opinion (PDF), the Legal Profession…

May 5, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

Use of Breathalyzer tests suspended by multiple DAs in Massachusetts

Half a dozen district attorneys in Massachusetts have suspended the use of Breathalyzer tests while questions about the reliability of the machines are resolved. A spokesman for the state declined to say what issue is being investigated or when it arose. However, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan told the Boston…

Apr 24, 2015 9:55 AM CDT

Death-penalty arguments in Boston Marathon case include photo of Tsarnaev’s obscene gesture

The government’s opening arguments in the punishment phase of the Boston Marathon bombing trial began Tuesday with photos of four victims and ended with a photo of the defendant giving the camera the finger while in a federal holding cell. The middle-finger gesture by Dzhokhar Tsarnaev occurred as he was…

Apr 21, 2015 3:55 PM CDT

Former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez is guilty of first-degree murder

After months at trial and 36 hours of deliberation, a Massachusetts jury on Wednesday found former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez guilty of first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a man who was dating his fiancee’s sister. The 25-year-old Hernandez now faces a mandatory sentence of life in…

Apr 15, 2015 10:15 AM CDT

Tsarnaev found guilty in Boston Marathon bombing trial; could get death penalty

After more than 11 hours of deliberation, a federal jury has convicted Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 21, on all 30 charges in the Boston Marathon bombings capital case. The Wednesday guilty verdict was widely anticipated, and the defendant’s lead lawyer, Judy Clarke, told the jury in closing statements “We don’t deny that…

Apr 8, 2015 1:45 PM CDT

Defense lawyer says Aaron Hernandez saw fatal shooting and ‘didn’t know what to do’

A lawyer for Aaron Hernandez acknowledged for the first time in closing arguments Tuesday that the former New England Patriots star had witnessed the slaying of Odin Lloyd in an industrial park near Hernandez’s home. But James Sultan urged jurors hearing the Massachusetts first-degree murder case to find his client…

Apr 7, 2015 1:45 PM CDT

State AG is investigating prison searches of lawyers wearing underwire bras

The civil rights division of the Massachusetts attorney general’s office is investigating complaints that women lawyers who wear underwire bras have been targeted for humiliating searches at two Norfolk prisons. The probe was launched in response to a Feb. 24 complaint by appellate lawyer Patricia DeJuneas, who said she had…

Mar 16, 2015 9:45 AM CDT

Longtime court officer charged with raping shackled prisoner at courthouse; security is under review

A longtime Massachusetts court officer appeared in Lawrence District Court in handcuffs and leg shackles on Wednesday after being charged with raping a prisoner at the courthouse on multiple occasions since 2009. Bond was set at $40,000 for Jose F. Martinez, 46. The 16-year court employee was ordered to stay…

Mar 5, 2015 2:35 PM CST

Former prosecutor claims she was paid less than new hires due to gender bias

A former assistant district attorney in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, claims in a lawsuit that she was fired after complaining she was paid less than some new hires with less experience. Christina Corda says she began to complain to her supervisor in March 2014 about the low salary paid to her…

Mar 5, 2015 10:33 AM CST