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Beacon Street Fire Liability
"I can see many, many angles to liability in this
situation. You definitely have a negligence case here, but it's
also a wrongful death case, and in Massachusetts you can get
punitive damages."
MBA President Douglas K.
Sheff, Boston Herald, April 5
Sheff was interviewed by the Boston Herald in a story
outlining the potential for civil suits in the aftermath of a fire
at 298 Beacon Street that claimed the lives of two Boston
firefighters. Investigators say the blaze started when sparks from
welders working on an iron railing behind 296 Beacon Street ignited
a wooden structure behind 298 Beacon Street. Defense attorney and
MBA Past Criminal Justice Section Chair Peter Elikann also provided
his take on the possibility of criminal charges. "There are
potential criminal problems, but it's not a sure thing," Elikann
told the Herald. "We don't really have negligent homicide
here, and that's maybe something the Legislature should look into
and tighten up that area of the law that isn't covered."
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Domestic Violence Bill
"I think it will pass because there is
a lot of activity about it right now and that's a great
thing."
MBA Past President Kathy
O'Donnell, FOX25 Morning News, April 4
O'Donnell provided her insight on a new domestic violence bill
as a featured guest on "Case-By-Case," a weekly segment that
examines high-profile cases. FOX25 also asked her about a
defamation case filed against talk show host Glenn Beck by a Saudi
national after initially being described as a person of interest in
the Boston Marathon bombings last April. "Hopefully it will be a
signal to other people that you really have to step back in these
kinds of situations and rely on facts as opposed to what you might
want to think is happening," said O'Donnell.
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Judicial Retirements
"It's an unprecedented pay raise, the dollar level
of it. And they are highly sought-out positions on a good
day."
Chief Operating Officer and
Chief Legal Counsel Martin W. Healy, Boston Herald, April 8
Healy spoke to the Boston Herald about the high number
of judicial retirements that are expected to occur across the state
when a pay increase takes effect this summer. He noted that "there
is definitely a buzz throughout the legal community about the sheer
number of potential vacancies."
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Faulty GM Ignitions
"From GM's standpoint, that's simply going to lead
to a significant amount of new reporting concerning individual
cases and claims, and that's one of the things they want to have go
away."
Former Civil Litigation Section
Chair Paul White, NBC News, April 2
White was quoted by NBCNews.com in a national piece on
the refusal by General Motors (GM) to release the names of
individuals who died in crashes that may have been linked to faulty
ignitions in GM automobiles. GM CEO Mary Barra recently appeared
before a Congressional panel to answer questions relating to the
defect that led to millions of recalls.
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