Massachusetts

Should 40,000 cases be tossed over drug-lab issues? Top state court to decide

Over nearly a decade, a rogue chemist at a Massachusetts evidence laboratory potentially could have tainted 40,323 drug cases. On Thursday, the state’s top court will hear arguments about how that issue should be fixed, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports. Last year, the Supreme Judicial Court decided it…

Jan 7, 2015 2:55 PM CST

Judge accepts defendant’s Nike sneakers instead of cash bail

Urged by a Massachusetts judge to “be creative” in thinking of a way to persuade the court he would stop ignoring past-due court costs in a 2012 drug case, a 39-year-old defendant found a way to avoid going to jail. Jason Duval suggested turning over the Nike sneakers he received…

Jan 5, 2015 9:05 AM CST

Jury selection to begin in Boston Marathon bombing trial

Jury selection is expected to begin Monday in the federal capital murder trial of the surviving Boston Marathon bombing suspect. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is charged with 30 counts, including 17 that could result in the death penalty if he is convicted in the April 15, 2013 bombings at the Boston Marathon…

Jan 5, 2015 7:10 AM CST

Harvard Law School resolves probe of sex-assault policies, loosens standard of proof

Harvard Law School has agreed to change its sexual assault and harassment policies to comply with Title IX requirements for prompt and equitable responses to complaints, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. An investigation by the department determined that Harvard Law School failed to respond…

Dec 31, 2014 10:04 AM CST

Two pharmacists are accused of second-degree murder in meningitis outbreak

A federal indictment unsealed Wednesday accuses two pharmacists of second-degree murder in a 2012 fungal meningitis outbreak that killed at least 64 people and injured about 750 others. U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz announced the 131-count indictment Wednesday against the pharmacists and 12 other people associated with the New England Compounding…

Dec 17, 2014 2:26 PM CST

En banc 1st Circuit ruling nixes state-funded sex-change surgery for prison inmate

Reversing a federal district judge and a three-judge appellate panel, an en banc federal appeals court on Tuesday said Massachusetts does not have to pay for sex-change surgery for a prison inmate serving a life term for a domestic slaying. Rejecting an argument that refusing needed medical treatment for Michelle…

Dec 16, 2014 2:45 PM CST

Harvard law grad claimed $4 overcharge on take-out, sought treble damages in emailed war of words

Updated: Ben Edelman hasn’t sued over a claimed $4 overcharge on a $53.35 take-out order from a mom-and-pop Chinese restaurant in the Boston suburbs last week. But in a series of emails published by Boston.com, the Harvard Law School graduate, who currently teaches at the university’s business school, demanded not…

Dec 10, 2014 3:15 PM CST

Retired lawyer sues Bill Cosby, says claims she lied about alleged sexual assault were defamatory

A retired lawyer who for years has claimed Bill Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her decades ago has now filed a defamation suit against the famous comedian. By repeatedly describing her claims that he drugged and groped her at one point during the 1970s as lies, Cosby has damaged her…

Dec 10, 2014 1:45 PM CST

Amid talk of possible carry-on ban, plane passenger charged with using backpack as dangerous weapon

Concerned about possible airline-focused terrorism targeting flights to Europe during the December holidays, officials in both the United Kingdom and the U.S. have been talking about potential enhancements in security measures as part of a coordinated response. Among the options being discussed in both countries are a complete ban on…

Dec 4, 2014 4:00 PM CST

Judge nixes fees for bankruptcy lawyer, citing ‘passive-aggressive’ response to required forms

A Massachusetts bankruptcy lawyer who repeatedly submitted court forms for one client without filling in all of the information they required was axed from the case on Monday by a federal bankruptcy judge. Citing attorney Walter Oney’s “passive-aggressive refusals to provide all of the pertinent information,” Judge Henry Boroff ordered…

Dec 3, 2014 2:30 PM CST

Law students sue Harvard over its fossil fuel investments

An activist group that includes three law students has sued Harvard University in Massachusetts state court over its fossil fuel investments. In a complaint (PDF) for declaratory and injunctive relief that was filed Wednesday in Suffolk County Superior Court, the Harvard Climate Justice Coalition alleges “mismanagement of charitable funds” by…

Nov 20, 2014 10:55 AM CST

Unique city plan to ban all tobacco sales ignites firestorm among residents

Tired of a “whack-a-mole” approach, as it attempted to restrict the sale of new tobacco products that appeal to young people, the board of health in a Massachusetts town decided to consider banning the sale of tobacco products entirely. The idea, which Westminster would be the first city in the…

Nov 17, 2014 2:05 PM CST

Morgan Lewis OKs ‘mass lateral move’ of 227 Bingham partners, but not a merger

Despite earlier news that a Morgan Lewis & Bockius had approved a merger with struggling Bingham McCutchen, the firm has stopped short of doing so. In a Friday announcement, Morgan Lewis said its partners voted earlier in the day to admit 227 partners from Bingham into the Morgan Lewis partnership.…

Nov 14, 2014 3:05 PM CST

Citing pending SCOTUS fish case, judge delays sentencing for friends of accused Boston bomber

A federal judge has delayed sentencing two men accused of hiding evidence in the case against the Boston bombing suspect, citing the potential impact of a pending U.S. Supreme Court case involving a fisherman charged under a post-Enron law. U.S. District Judge Douglas Woodlock issued an order on Thursday that…

Nov 7, 2014 11:00 AM CST

Friend of Boston Marathon bombing suspect is guilty of lying to feds, could get up to 16 years

After six days of deliberation, a friend of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was convicted Tuesday by a federal jury of lying to investigators. Because the jury found that the lies related to a terrorism investigation, the maximum sentence on each of the two counts on which Robel Phillipos…

Oct 28, 2014 2:10 PM CDT