$145,000 FOR MASSACHUSETTS POLICE OFFICER INJURED DURING DOMESTIC CALL

Police officer's injured knee sustained while on duty.

The law in Massachusetts is clear: The lawful orders of a Massachusetts police officer must be followed especially when making an arrest.  As per Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 268 Section 32B it is a crime to resist arrest.  As Massachusetts police officers know too well, though, there are frequent confrontations with those who refuse to […]

U.S. SUPREME COURT CONSIDERS CASE INVOLVING POLICE OFFICER INJURED AT A PROTEST

This article is a follow-up on our recent article about potential claims by police officers who are injured while responding to violent protests.  The US Supreme Court recently considered a case involving exactly that (DeRay McKesson v. John Doe).  While the Supreme Court sent the case back to a lower court without actually ruling on […]

NO FREE BITES – DOG BITE LAW 101

There’s an old saying that there are no bad dogs, only bad dog owners.  Massachusetts law recognizes the truth of the saying and holds dog owners responsible for injuries or property damage caused by dogs.  The following are some of the basic principles of the law relating to dogs. There is no such thing as […]

PROTECTING THE RIGHTS OF INJURED MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES

As most of you know, we frequently represent police officers and firefighters who are injured on duty by some negligent third party. What you may not know is that we also handle injury claims for all kinds of municipal employees who are injured at work by someone’s negligent actions. If someone who works for a […]

MASSACHUSETTS POLICE OFFICER INJURED AT DOMESTIC RECEIVES $880,000 FOR INJURED LEG

Domestics are among the most pervasive and the most volatile situations our officers must routinely walk into.  In fact, the National Institute of Justice statistically confirmed they are the most lethal of all calls.  We routinely represent Massachusetts Police officers injured at domestics in a variety of contexts, and this is one example. HOW BALLIN […]

$900,000 FOR OFFICER HIT BY HOME HEALTH AID DRIVING TO PATIENT’S HOME

The home health aide industry usually avoids liability by not paying employees until they arrive at the patient’s home. Not this time The morning started out great for young Officer Williams.  He was working as a special police officer on his first road detail.  He’d spent the summer interning for a local department prior to […]

POLICE MUST CONSIDER THEIR OWN SAFETY ON ROAD DETAILS

As the warm weather approaches, so does the increase in road work which requires a police presence to protect the workers and traveling public.  The National Safety Council reported in 2018 over 46,000 people were injured or killed in crashes within roadway work zone sites.  Police officers who work details in these zones are often […]

$255,000 for Massachusetts Police Officers – Injury Responding to Domestic Violence

With the rise in domestic incidents during the Covid-19 pandemic, it is critical that Massachusetts police officers know their rights before an injury during these difficult calls. Massachusetts Police Officers Must Know Their Rights When Injured In a Domestic Among the horrible repercussions of the ongoing pandemic are increased incidences of domestic violence.  And while […]

$71,000 FOR MASSACHUSETTS POLICE OFFICER INJURED BY DRUNK HOMEOWNER DURING HOUSE CALL

The law in Massachusetts is clear: The lawful orders of a Massachusetts police officer must be followed, especially when making an arrest (Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 268 Section 32B).  As Massachusetts police officers know too well, though, there are frequent confrontations with those who refuse to comply peacefully, especially when alcohol is involved. A report by […]

HEARING LOSS FROM DEFECTIVE EAR PLUGS?

We have been getting reports of police officers and veterans who are suffering from hearing loss and tinnitus which may be the result of the use of defective earplugs. The earplugs in question were known as “Combat Arms” earplugs, manufactured by 3M Corporation, and looked like this: 3M sold these ear plugs to the US […]

INSULATION CONTRACTOR CAUSES HOUSE FIRE & PAYS $1.6 MILLION TO INJURED FIREFIGHTER

Beware of the hidden dangers when insulating an attic with blown-in cellulose insulation to save money on heating bills. Some insulation contractors have awful safety records. The Smiths had enough of high heating bills.  They call Cramden Inc. for a free energy audit.  Cramden Inc. runs the free energy audit program for local utility companies.  […]

$100,000 FOR OFFICER INJURED BY UNINSURED VEHICLE

A simple fact: many officers are still unaware that their personal auto insurance provides coverage for on-the-job injuries caused by cars in a wide array of ways, such as pursuits, crashes during emergency responses, pedestrian strikes on a road detail, and during traffic stops, as you will see here.  This coverage was especially important to […]

$100,000 FOR OFFICER INJURED IN HIT-AND-RUN DURING WELFARE CHECK

Elaina Bayless parks at local beach, gets high, and passes out.  Conducting a wellness check, Police Sergeant George Farrey sees Ms. Bayless’ unconscious body slumped over in the driver’s seat.  Sergeant Farrey bangs on the window, waking up Ms. Bayless.  Sergeant Farrey opens the door and notices a hypodermic needle on the console.  Ms. Bayless […]