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 comply peacefully, especially when alcohol is involved. This is especially the case when responding to calls for domestic abuse. A report by the National Institutes of Health reveals family and domestic violence affects 10 million people in the United States each year.
After a night of drinking one such call came into Officer Right’s Massachusetts police department from a distraught mother whose middle-aged son, John, was drunk and “out of control.” John was well known to Officer Right from similar calls involving domestic violence, a crime in Massachusetts as per Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 265, Section 13M. When the officers arrived, they were greeted at the door by John and his strong stench of booze. The officers asked John to step outside. John initially complied before becoming agitated, telling the officers to f-off and leave, then turned to head back inside. With children and the family previously subjected to domestic abuse inside, another officer ordered John to step down off the front steps onto the walkway. John continued moving back inside. When John resisted the officer’s attempt to get him off the stairs, Officer Right stepped in to assist. John became increasingly agitated. He swore at the officers and flailed, effectively pushing Officer Right off the steps. Officer Right landed on the ground several feet below tearing a meniscus in his knee, which required surgery and kept him out of work for six months. This resulted in a loss of significant income on which he financially relied from working long hours of overtime shifts and details.
Quick Contact To Our Police Injury Attorneys Made A Difference
Officer Right quickly contacted our specialized team of injured on-duty police officer attorneys, and we got to work immediately, building his case to lock in the valuable insurance coverage he would need for compensation. We knew the insurer would do whatever it could to disclaim coverage. Given our 30 years of experience on similar injured Massachusetts police officer cases, we hired an investigator who quickly gathered the witnesses and evidence we would need to counter any future attempt by the insurer to disclaim coverage. With insurance coverage looking strong, we successfully batted down the rest of the insurer’s excuses not to pay. From there we were able to successfully negotiate a $145,000 settlement for Officer Right, which compensated him for his injuries and time out work without ever having to step foot in court or even testify at a deposition.
Injured At Work? Contact BallinLaw For A Free Consultation
If you or anyone you know has been injured at work or otherwise, please reach out to us as soon as possible. Regardless of whether the person injured at work is an injured Massachusetts police officer, our greatest advantage is often our ability to get out in front of the insurers to seal in the truth before they can obscure it. Visit BallinLaw to learn more about how we help injured Massachusetts police officers and other workers. Injured Massachusetts police officers can learn more about their rights by watching a recording of our free webinar regarding their rights to make personal injury claims when they are injured on duty.
In order to protect the privacy of the injured officer and witnesses, all names have been changed. Any resemblance to names of real persons, past or present, is merely coincidental and not intended. The injured officer agreed to have this article published in order that public safety officers around the Commonwealth be better educated about their legal rights to compensation when injured.
