Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly articles from October 2004

Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly archives from October 2004

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney Signs Bills.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff The following bills have been signed into law by Gov. Mitt Romney. The anticipated effective dates are listed but are subject to change. The full text of statutes may be ordered from Lawyers...

Middlesex District Attorney's Office Alumni Association holds its second annual alumni reunion.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Middlesex District Attorney's OfficeAlumni Event Thursday, Oct. 28, 5:30 - 9:30 p.m. Anthony's Pier 4 140 Northern Ave., Boston More info: (617) 679-6584 The Middlesex...

Massachusetts Housing Court Issues Time Standards Order.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff HOUSING COURT DEPARTMENT STANDING ORDER NO. 1-04 TIME STANDARDS FOR CASES FILED IN THE HOUSING COURT DEPARTMENT I. ADOPTION OF STANDING ORDER The Housing Court Department recognizes...

Boston trial attorney Andrew Peter Leary dies at 41.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Andrew Peter Leary, a Boston trial attorney from Needham, died Sept. 13 of brain cancer. He was 41. Before he became ill, Leary was a partner at the Boston law firm of Boyle, Morrissey & Campo...

Massachusetts Appellate Divison Case Summaries: October 4, 2004.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Damages Racehorse - Fair Market Value Where a judge awarded a plaintiff $40,125 after entering a default judgment in a case involving ownership of a foal, the damage award must be vacated...

Massachusetts Fundraising Event to Benefit DNC.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Elections Fundraising Event To Benefit DNC Where a planned event to benefit the Democratic National Committee's efforts in "battleground states" involves organizational sponsorship by...

U.S. Bankruptcy Court Case Summaries: October 4, 2004.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Bankruptcy Homestead - 'Gap Period' Where a creditor has objected to a homestead exemption claimed by a Chapter 7 debtor who filed a declaration of homestead after an involuntary petition...

Verdicts & Settlements October 4, 2004: Death of welder leads to $400K settlement.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $400,000 Settlement The plaintiff's decedent, a 25-year-old welder/ironworker, fell to his death from the outside perimeter of a building under construction where he was engaged in welding...

Verdicts & Settlements October 4, 2004: Electrician collects $990K for leg injury during work.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $990,000 Settlement The plaintiff, a 28-year-old electrician's apprentice, suffered a fracture of his left lower foreleg when a large temporary power distribution box, which had been left...

Debunking The Law-Firm 'Danger Zone'.
October 4, 2004... Byline: John O. Cunningham Bigger is not only better, it is essential to survival. That's what a hoard of consultants have been telling law firms for years now. According to theory, boutique firms can survive in a niche, but only...

Commentary: Where Is Your Estate Planning Practice Heading?
October 4, 2004... Byline: Ralph A. Gigliotti "The only constant is change," wrote Greek philosopher Heraclitus. That expression accurately describes the business environment for tax professionals who know the rigorous effort required to keep abreast of the...

Cases Scheduled To Be Heard In October in Mass. Supreme Judicial Court.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Following is a list of the cases scheduled to be argued before the Supreme Judicial Court in October. The summaries of the issues presented in the cases have been prepared by the editors of...

Mass. Woman Gets $1M From Her Former Boyfriend's Estate.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Jason M. Scally Two Boston attorneys were able to garner a jury verdict of more than $1 million for a woman seeking half of the real-estate investments from her former boyfriend's estate -- even though there was nothing in writing...

Boston lawyer and University Professor Louis F. DiGiovanni dies at 80.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Louis F. DiGiovanni, a lawyer and Boston University professor, died Sept. 8 in Jupiter, Fla. He was 80. DiGiovanni was raised in Belmont and was the third of 10 children. Although he aspired...

Geoffrey Norman joins Boston law firm Tarlow, Breed, Hart & Rodgers as a real-estate partner.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Geoffrey Norman has joined the Boston office of Tarlow, Breed, Hart & Rodgers as a real-estate partner. He focuses his practice in the acquisition, disposition, leasing and financing of commercial...

Massachusetts Appeals Court Case Summaries: October 4, 2004.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Appeals Judgments Affirmed The Appeals Court has affirmed, pursuant to Rule 1:28, judgments in the following cases. Although the decisions do not appear to address any substantive issues...

Massachusetts Employment Court Case Summaries: October 4, 2004.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Employment Same-Sex Harassment Where a hearing officer found (1) that the complainants, two male employees, were subjected to sexual harassment by a male coworker, (2) that such behavior...

Massachusetts Superior Court Case Summaries: October 4, 2004.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Civil Practice Psychiatric Examination - Rule 35 Where (1) a plaintiff filed suit alleging that his current bipolar disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder and suicidal ideation are the...

Verdicts & Settlements October 4, 2004: Dying Man Designates $488K In Assets As Trust Property.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $488,000 Judgment The plaintiff was the widow of the decedent, to whom she had been married for 37 years. The decedent had five children from a previous marriage. In the weeks prior to...

Verdicts & Settlements October 4, 2004: Med-mal suit settles for $100K.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $100,000 Settlement The plaintiff, an 81-year-old male, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in early 1997. A bone scan was performed and showed an area of abnormal uptake. The urologist was...

Verdicts & Settlements October 4, 2004: Failed breathing device leads to $450K settlement.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $450,000 Settlement The plaintiff's decedent was a 72-year-old polio survivor married to a physician. She suffered from a multitude of disabilities and medical conditions requiring constant...

Commentary: Reporting Professional Misconduct.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Nancy E. Kaufman Reporting the misconduct of other lawyers is essential to the bar's system of self-regulation. Lawyers are in the best position both to observe and evaluate professional misconduct and assist the profession in...

Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers Admonitions: October 4, 2004.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff No. BD-1996-028 IN RE: CHERYL YVONNE WORTHY-GREEN - Reinstatement Hearing No. BD-1996-028 IN RE: CHERYL YVONNE WORTHY-GREEN Reinstatement Hearing The Board of Bar Overseers will hold...

Welcoming Sal DiMasi as the new speaker of the House in Massachusetts.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Salvatore F. DiMasi may be the new speaker of the House in Massachusetts, but he is no stranger to the legal system. And because of that familiarity, lawyers and judges are looking upon his...

Commentary: Legal Thrillers: Obey The Cliche'.
October 4, 2004... Byline: David Yas If you're a lawyer, you've probably written your book by now. Or your screenplay. If you have, well, welcome to the club. If you haven't, then... well, what gives? Didn't they tell when you got your law degree it gives...

Committee Rules Mass. Judge Rotations Should Be Lengthened.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Lisa Bruno A committee has concluded that the current practice of rotating Superior Court judges should remain in place -- but with longer judicial assignments that last a minimum of three to six months. The report also calls for...

Mass. Appeals Court Rules Judge Can Impose Sanctions Upon Lawyer After Making Fraud Accusation.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Lisa K. Bruno A judge could impose sanctions upon plaintiffs' counsel in a civil suit after finding that the attorney had not acted in good faith in accusing the defendants and defense counsel of theft, fraud and perjury, the...

Mass. Judicial Court To Determine If Workers Can Recover For Defamation 'By Conduct'?
October 4, 2004... Byline: Tony Wright The Supreme Judicial Court will hear oral arguments this week in a case that could determine whether a defamation claim can be based on conduct (rather than a statement). The case will also test the limits of an...

Massachusetts Law Firms Announce Personnel Changes: October 4, 2004.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Jeannine M. Rupp, an organizational and social psychology scholar, has joined Kirkpatrick & Lockhart as the firm-wide director of professional and personal life integration. She will help develop a...

U.S. Court of Appeals Case Summaries: October 4, 2004.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Criminal Post- Conviction Relief - Child Pornography Prevention Act Where (1) a defendant was found guilty of violating the Child Pornography Prevention Act, (2) the U.S. Supreme Court...

U.S. District Court Case Summaries: October 4, 2004.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Prisons Qualified Immunity - Sanitation Where (1) this court has found that the use of chemical toilets for inmates at the Southeast Correctional Facility constituted an 8th Amendment...

U.S. Magistrate Judges Case Summaries: October 4, 2004.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Education College Loans Where a plaintiff alleges that Higher Education Act regulations were violated in connection with various transactions related to college loans he obtained under...

A review over the common sense guide to corporate guidance.
October 4, 2004... Byline: John O. Cunningham "Boardroom Excellence: ACommon Sense Perspective onCorporateGovernance" By Paul P. Brountas Jossey-BassPublishers/Imprintof Wiley, 120 pages $24.95 For lawyers who practice in-house, sit on...

Write about what you know.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Write what you know. A sound, if cliched piece of advice for aspiring authors -- and a formula that is earning Joseph M. Orlando thousands of engrossed readers. In his first novel, "The...

Massachusetts Employment Case Summaries: October 4, 2004.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Workers' Compensation Permanent, Total Incapacity Benefits - Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Where an administrative judge has awarded an employee permanent and total incapacity benefits for a 1998...

Massachusetts Housing Court Case Summaries: October 4, 2004.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Zoning Special Permit - Pharmacy Where a planning board issued a special permit for the construction of a pharmacy, that decision should be upheld because the board has not been shown to...

Massachusetts Employment Case Summaries: October 4, 2004.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Labor Refusal To Bargain - Use Of Defibrillators Where the town of Somerset has refused to bargain on demand with a police officers' union over the impacts of the use of defibrillators on...

Massachusetts Land Court Case Summaries: October 4, 2004.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Zoning Sale Of Used Cars Where (1) the defendant Natick zoning board denied the plaintiffs' application for a use variance to sell used cars on certain premises and (2) the codefendant...

Verdicts & Settlements October 4, 2004: Ma. jury gives plaintiff $3,040 over discrimination suit.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $3,040 Verdict The plaintiff brought an action against her former employer and its president, advancing counts for handicap discrimination, gender discrimination, aiding and abetting...

Verdicts & Settlements October 4, 2004: Pipe fitter gets $400K for falling off ladder.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $400,000 Settlement The plaintiff reported to his job as a pipe fitter with Local 527 in August 1999. Employed by a subcontractor on a large commercial construction job, he was instructed by...

Verdicts & Settlements October 4, 2004: Auto accident results in $250K.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $250,000 Settlement The accident at issue took place on July 21, 2001. Although the defendant maintained that she was forced over the centerline and into the plaintiff's vehicle by a third...

Verdicts & Settlements October 4, 2004: Faulty brakes blamed for two-vehicle collision.
October 4, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Defense Verdict This matter arose out of a two-vehicle accident that occurred on Aug. 25, 2001 at the intersection of Route 6 and Faunce Corner Road in Dartmouth. The defendant's car...

Dissents On The Supreme Judicial Court.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff There are rumblings within the legal community that one of the historic hallmarks of the Supreme Judicial Court -- collegiality -- has disappeared. This fear seems to be prompted by a sizeable...

Boston solo Rosemary C. Scapicchio presents oral arguments to U.S. Supreme Court.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Boston solo Rosemary C. Scapicchio made her mark nationally when she presented oral arguments in front of the U.S. Supreme Court last week on behalf of her client, Duncan Fanfan. Arguably one of...

Massachusetts attorney and prosecutor agree when it comes to baseball.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff When Burlington attorney Isabel Noble met Plymouth County prosecutor E. Russel Eonas in February 2002, their interests couldn't have been further apart. After all, they were on opposite sides...

Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs Division of Insurance Posts Hearing Notices.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation DIVISION OF INSURANCE NOTICE OF HEARING Pursuant to M.G.L.c. 175C, Sect. 5, a hearing will take...

Massachusetts Appeals Court Grants New Trial In Bias Case After Judge's Faulty Jury Charge.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Tony Wright A company that lost a $5.5 million race-bias case was entitled to a new trial where the judge failed to instruct the jury that, in the case of a "continuing violation," the plaintiff must file a claim within six months...

Massachusetts District Court Case Summaries: October 11, 2004.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Criminal Indecent Assault And Battery - Motion To Vacate Guilty Plea Where a defendant (1) pled guilty to the offense of committing indecent assault and battery on a person 14 years of age...

Massachusetts Bar Association Ethics Commission Case Summaries: October 11, 2004.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Attorneys Conflict - Joint Venture Where an attorney wishes to represent a client in a suit against a general contractor which is involved in a joint venture with another client of the...

U.S. Bankruptcy Court Case Summaries: October 11, 2004.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Bankruptcy Taxes - Reimbursement - Subrogation Where (1) the IRS, finding two individuals to be responsible for a debtor corporation's taxes, seized the individuals' personal income tax...

U.S. District Court Case Summaries: October 11, 2004.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Civil Rights FBI - 'Frame- Up' Where the United States, having already moved unsuccessfully to dismiss the plaintiffs' complaint arising out of an alleged murder "frame-up," moves again...

Verdicts & Settlements October 11, 2004: Mass. jury rules for defendant in products liability case.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Defense Verdict The plaintiff was seriously injured when he was crushed by an airplane hangar door he was closing. He suffered multiple crush-related injuries, including a lacerated liver,...

Verdicts & Settlements October 11, 2004: Cab Driver Gets $584 Settlement For Auto Negligence.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $584,355 Settlement On or about April 10, 2000, the plaintiff was operating a motor vehicle owned by his employer, Waterfront Taxi Inc., at the entrance of South Bay Mall in South Boston. At...

Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers Admonitions: October 11, 2004.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff ADMONITION NO. 04-40 The respondent received an admonition for his conduct in four matters. In the first matter, in July of 1998, the respondent filed his appearance as counsel for the...

Boston attorneys win second place for Trial Lawyers of the Year.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Who says second place isn't something to be proud of? Certainly not Stuart T. Rossman of the National Consumer Law Center in Boston and his team of four other attorneys, including another...

Massachusetts District Court Announces Criminal Case Management Goals.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff TRIAL COURT OF THE COMMONWEALTH District Court Department Standing Order No. 4-04 PERFORMANCE GOALS FOR CRIMINAL CASE MANAGEMENT In the District Court Department criminal...

Massachusetts Appeals Court Rules Dog Search OK In Case Of Routine Traffic Stop.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Lisa K. Bruno A police dog trained to detect narcotics could be used to sniff the exterior of a defendant's vehicle -- even though the defendant had only been stopped for a routine traffic violation, the Appeals Court has ruled....

Massachusetts Land Court Case Summaries: October 11, 2004.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Real Property Title Dispute - Rockport Parcel Where a plaintiff asserts that he possesses rights with respect to a parcel of Rockport land, I find that his claim must fail, as he has not...

U.S. Court of Appeals Case Summaries: October 11, 2004.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Constitutional First Amendment - Puerto Rico Regulation Where (1) a plaintiff nonprofit association and several coplaintiff private schools filed a complaint alleging that a regulation of...

U.S. Magistrate Judges Case Summaries: October 11, 2004.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Insurance LTD Benefits - Legal Secretary Where a plaintiff has challenged the defendant insurance company's denial of her request for long-term disability benefits, the defendant should...

Verdicts & Settlements October 11, 2004: Truck collision results in $330K settlement.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $330,000 Settlement The plaintiff was a 35-year-old truck driver who, during the course of his employment, was struck by another truck operated by the defendant driver, who was also in the...

Verdicts & Settlements October 11, 2004: Driver collects $200K settlement for arm injury.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $200,000 Settlement On Aug. 20, 2001, at approximately 12:30 p.m., the plaintiff was traveling on New Salem Street in Wakefield. As the plaintiff approached the intersection with Vernon Street...

Massachusetts Trial Court Addresses Time Standards For Criminal Cases.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Trial Court of the Commonwealth Boston Municipal Court Department and District Court Department Joint Standing Order No. 3-04 TIME STANDARDS FOR CRIMINAL CASES 1. AUTHORITY ...

Boston Municipal Court and District Court Issue Civil Time Standards.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Trial Court of the Commonwealth Boston Municipal Court Department and District Court Department Joint Standing Order No. 2-04 TIME STANDARDS FOR CIVIL CASES 1. INTRODUCTION ...

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Holds Compensation Hearings.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS Committee for Public Counsel Services Pursuant to G.L.C.211D, Sect. 11, the Committee for Public Counsel Services will hold public hearings on the...

Massachusetts Court of Appeals Case Summaries: October 11, 2004.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Employment Retaliation - Protected Activity Where a complainant has charged the respondent with retaliation, the complaint must be dismissed based on a lack of evidence that the...

Massachusetts Employment Case Summaries: October 11, 2004.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Elections Candidate's Spouse - City Employment Where a Waltham city councilor's wife, who serves as campaign treasurer for her husband's political committee, is seeking employment with...

Massachusetts Appeals Court Case Summaries: October 11, 2004.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Appeals Mandamus - Discovery Where a plaintiff sought an order compelling the Appeals Court to allow a motion for discovery in connection with the plaintiff's motion to withdraw his...

Massachusetts Superior Court Case Summaries: October 11, 2004.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Bankruptcy Purchase Of Accounts Receivable Where a plaintiff has purchased a bankrupt motorcycle company's accounts receivable, I hold that the plaintiff is entitled to recover from...

Q&A with two Massachusetts women leaders.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Tony Wright Do bar associations matter? The two women taking over the helm of the two largest bar associations in Massachusetts think so. Lawyers Weekly sat down separately with new Boston Bar Association President M. Ellen...

Commentary: 'Stonehill College': Proof Of Emotional Distress Did Not Stay The Same.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Sally Adams and Barry Miller The recent guest article, 'Stonehill College': The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same" (Aug. 9), suggests that the Supreme Judicial Court's instructions on emotional distress damages in...

Commentary: Effective Use Of Damages Experts In Business, Real Estate Litigation.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Karl J. Schulze Business litigation today rarely progresses without the use of a variety of experts, whether as a proactive or reactive measure. Categories of experts include those who possess specialized technical knowledge...

Massachusetts lawyer Terry Scott Nagel doubles as a trombone player for a band.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff If you want to see a lawyer who can really swing into action, check out the Gypsy Wranglers who play for free every Sunday at the Black Sheep deli in Amherst. Terry Scott Nagel is not only the...

Massachusetts Superior Court Judge Denies 'Stressed,' Mentally Ill Man's Bias Claim.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Jason M. Scally A company should not be required to offer a less stressful job to a mentally ill employee -- even if positions were open and available, a Superior Court judge has ruled. The employee, who had been terminated...

Ma. Judicial Court rules Dunkin' Donuts can't open store within five years of selling franchise.
October 11, 2004... Byline: John O. Cunningham A Dunkin' Donuts shop owner who signed a non-compete agreement could not open (or work for) a similar business within five miles of any Dunkin' Donuts worldwide for two years after selling his franchises -- even...

F. George Davitt named managing partner of Boston firm of Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff F. George Davitt has been named managing partner of the Boston firm of Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault. He is a partner in the business practice group, and focuses his international practice on...

Masschusetts retired Land Court Chief Justice Robert V. Cauchon dies at 78.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Retired Land Court Chief Justice Robert V. Cauchon died Sept. 28 at his home in Cotuit. He was 78. Cauchon was born in Rhode Island and attended Yale University before receiving his law degree...

Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board Case Summaries: October 11, 2004.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Taxation Use Tax - Telephone Directories Where a company purchased and distributed telephone directories, a use tax was properly imposed on the company. Abatement request denied. ...

Verdicts & Settlements October 11, 2004: Mass. med-mal suit results in $150K.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $150,000 Settlement In late 1996 and early 1997, the plaintiff, a 27-year-old male, began to experience bouts of abdominal pain. The pain was fairly mild and the plaintiff did not have a...

Verdicts & Settlements October 11, 2004: Rusted Balcony At College Collapses Prompts $1M Settlement.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $1 Million Settlement This case arose when the fourth-floor balcony of a building at the defendant local college collapsed, causing the four plaintiffs, all Brazilian nationals, to fall to the...

Verdicts & Settlements October 11, 2004: Mass. jury awards $325K for nerve damage.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $325,000 Verdict This action arose from the medical care and treatment rendered by the defendant anesthesiologist to a 36-year-old male who underwent surgery to remove a benign cyst from the...

Verdicts & Settlements October 11, 2004: Falling sign kills woman waiting for bus, $775K settlement.
October 11, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff $775,000 Settlement On or about Sept. 7, 2002, at approximately 9 p.m., the decedent was waiting at the Bingo bus terminal at Foxwoods Casino, located in Ledyard, Conn., for a bus to take her...

Celebrity Sightings: Boston attorney spots U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
October 18, 2004... Byline: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Staff Should Boston attorney Frederic N. Halstrom ever decide to give up his day job, he can always try his hand as a private investigator. Halstrom tells Lawyers Weekly he recently spotted U.S....

Settlement Nets Primary And Excess Insurance.
October 18, 2004... Byline: John O. Cunningham A lawyer who recently landed a $475,000 settlement in a brain-injury case credits his success to a novel strategy for getting contributions from two insurance companies -- both the defendant's primary insurer and...