FALL RIVER — A former campus police officer at Bristol Community College was awarded $2.45 million by a Superior Court jury Monday in her lawsuit alleging a long campaign of sexual harassment by university police and administration officials. Read More
Holy Smoke: What Massachusetts Employers Should Know About The New Marijuana Law
The voters in Massachusetts have passed a new law which allows the possession and recreational use of marijuana. The statute takes effect on December 15, 2016. With that said, the possession of marijuana will remain illegal under federal law. There are...
What Happens When You Die Without A Will
Everyone should have a Last Will and Testament. Most importantly, having a Will lets you determine who will be in charge of your estate and who will receive your assets when you die. If you die without a Will, assets in your name alone when you die will pass...
Read This Before Packing Your Flip-Flops
It’s the summer vacation season, so the following scenario may sound familiar to you… You’re standing at a car rental counter in the airport. You’ve just touched down after hours of flying to your week-long vacation in paradise. You’re tired, and you can’t wait to get...
5 Things to Look Out for in a Contract to Avoid Getting Gotcha’d
Try to tuck this away in your memory bank with a trigger on it to leap back to the top of your dome the next time you enter into an agreement. Whether it is a lease, a purchase agreement, a loan, an employment agreement – any type of contract. I’m going to let you in...
Yard Boss owner sues Mattapoisett officials over defamation allegations
MATTAPOISETT — After strong words from Mattapoisett Conservation Commission Chair Bob Rogers last year, Yard Boss owner Todd Rodrigues has filed a $250,000 defamation lawsuit against Rogers and Conservation Agent Elizabeth Leidhold. Read more
Don’t Let the Statusphere Whammy Your Case
By Adrienne Catherine H. Beauregard-Rheaume, Esq.
I love having things in writing. I love pictures of text messages, even if they are damaging to my clients’ cases, because it arms me with knowledge of what was actually said between two people and therefore a chance to submit evidence to put it into a context that makes it less damning or even helpful when the jury hears it. And you can bet your tush that I’m looking through the history of my clients’ text and other interwebby messages with any interested party.
Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness Against Thy Employee
The law of defamation is of growing importance in the area of employment law. Suits brought by employees against employers now account for one third of all defamation actions. For decades, the courts have tried to balance employees’ need for legal redress when...
The Need for Evolution in Employment Law
One area of law that has a lot of catching up to do is that of the employee’s rights when the employer terminates her for wholly unfair reasons. Such employer actions are often devastating to the well qualified, hardworking and productive employee who otherwise holds...
Can the Constitution Trump Bigotry?
Republican Presidential candidate frontrunner (maybe not here in Southcoast Massachusetts) Donald Trump recently proposed to bar Muslims from entering the United States. Typically one’s gut instinct to immediately dismiss such crazy talk as the ramblings of a madman...