Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly articles

Recent articles from Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly

Dismissals feared in wake of landmark lab-report decision by U.S. Supreme Court.
July 6, 2009... Byline: David E. Frank and Kimberly Atkins Criminal lawyers predict that the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in a Suffolk County cocaine case will lead to a dramatic increase in dismissals of similar cases and have an impact beyond drug trials. In Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts,...

Massachusetts employee recovers over personnel-manual breach.
July 6, 2009... Byline: Eric T. Berkman An employer that fired a worker without providing the prior warning or suspension called for in its personnel manual violated an implied employment contract, the District Court/BMC Appellate Division has ruled. The plaintiff employee did not negotiate the...

College tuition proves challenge in divorce cases.(Massachusetts)
July 6, 2009... Byline: Julia Reischel With college tuitions skyrocketing, a number of Probate & Family Court judges say they are using the cost of attending a state school as a benchmark when deciding in divorce cases who pays how much for higher education. The issue came to the forefront when a...

Verdicts & Settlements July 6, 2009: Genetic counseling not advised for parents of Thalassemia baby.
July 6, 2009... $2,800,000 settlement. The plaintiff, a woman of Chinese descent, became pregnant and was transferred to the care of the defendant obstetrician/gynecologist. At approximately six weeks of pregnancy, the defendant performed a CBC, which showed clear signs of a probable Thalassemia trait...

Verdicts & Settlements July 6, 2009: Woman with history of medical maladies found dead.
July 6, 2009... $500,000 settlement. The plaintiff, a 54-year-old married telemarketer with no children, had a medical history that included obesity, 45 years of smoking, diabetes and Turner's syndrome. The plaintiff made four visits to her PCP internist in early November 2000 for complaints of...