Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Decisions 2019
Date: December 31, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12698
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court held that the newspaper in this defamation case was not liable for republishing public police logs and requests for assistance received from a police department because the fair report…
Date: December 26, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12674
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the modification judgment that granted sole legal custody of the parties' child to Father, holding that a substantial change in circumstances warranted modification of the custody…
Date: December 23, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12699
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court reversed the order of the motion judge denying Defendant's motion to suppress evidence found in his motor vehicle following a search, holding that the exit order that precipitated the search of…
Date: December 20, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-08998
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction and the denials of Defendant's two motions for a new trial and declined to grant extraordinary relief pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 278, 33E, holding that…
Date: December 20, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-11550
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's convictions and the denial of his postconviction motions and declined to grant extraordinary relief pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 278, 33E, holding that any error in the…
Date: December 17, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-10917
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's convictions of murder in the first degree and conspiracy to commit murder and declined to grant extraordinary relief under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 278, 33E, holding that the…
Date: December 16, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12691
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the decision of the superior court allowing Insurer's motion for summary judgment and dismissing Plaintiffs' action claiming that Insurer failed to effectuate a prompt, fair, and…
Date: December 12, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12718
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the single justice of the county court denying Petitioner's petition for relief in the nature of certiorari pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 249, 4, holding that the…
Date: December 11, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12686
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the single justice denying Petitioner's petition for extraordinary relief under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 211, 3, holding that Petitioner was not entitled to review pursuant…
Date: December 10, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12700
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court held that Congress intended the Federal Volunteer Protection Act (VPA), 42 U.S.C. 14503(a), to provide qualified immunity from suit for officers in nonprofit organizations who receive no…
Date: December 10, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12704
Justia Opinion Summary: In this postconviction action arising from the misconduct of chemist Annie Dookhan at the William A. Hinton State Laboratory Institute the Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the order of the postconviction court denying…
Date: December 5, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12708
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court reversed the decision of the trial court dismissing this case alleging that a Massachusetts assisted living residence's (ALR) charge to new residents of an upfront "community fee" violated the…
Date: December 3, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12711
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court reversed the judgment of the superior court concluding that a police officer who is a member of a municipal retirement system need not remit payments under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 32, 4(2) to…
Date: November 21, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12768
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the single justice denying Petitioner's petition pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 211, 3, in which Petitioner sought a stay of execution of sentence pending appeal,…
Date: November 19, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12436
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated Defendant's conviction of murder in the first degree and remanded the case, holding that errors in the closing argument constituted a miscarriage of justice requiring that Defendant's…
Date: November 13, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12601
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of armed robbery, holding that the motion judge did not err in denying Defendant's motion to suppress evidence of a showup identification but that, for showup…
Date: November 12, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12383
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of murder in the first degree on theories of extreme atrocity or cruelty and felony-murder and related crimes and declined to exercise its authority under Mass.…
Date: November 12, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12766
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the county court denying Petitioner's petition for relief under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 211, 3, holding that where Petitioner had ordinary means to challenge her sentence…
Date: November 8, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-10340
Justia Opinion Summary: In this appeal from a judgment of conviction against Defendant of murder in the first degree the Supreme Judicial Court exercised its authority under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 278, 33E to reduce the degree of guilt to murder…
Date: November 8, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12600
Justia Opinion Summary: In this appeal from ongoing litigation involving adjoining property owners the Supreme Judicial Court vacated the motion judge's order denying plaintiff developer's special motion to dismiss defendant abutters'…
Date: October 31, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12716
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of a single justice of the court denying Petitioner's petition seeking review of an order of a district court judge denying his motion for relief from the requirement that…
Date: October 30, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12653
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the decision of the Civil Service Commission concluding that the Boston police department had not demonstrated reasonable justification for bypassing Michael Gannon for employment in…
Date: October 29, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12723
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated a juvenile court judge's decision to adjudicate Juvenile delinquent for disturbing a school assembly, in violation of Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 272, 40 and declining to apply the amended…
Date: October 28, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12652
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case concerning the application of the standard set forth in Care & Protection of M.C., 479 Mass. 246 (2018) (M.C. I), governing requests for limited relief from impoundment of records in a care and protection…
Date: October 24, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12482
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the superior court judge's judgment concluding that the Parole Board did not abuse its discretion by denying Appellant's application for parole and applying the 1996 amendment to Mass.…
Date: October 22, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-11610
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of murder in the first degree on a theory of felony-murder and the denial of his motion for a new trial and declined to grant relief under Mass. Gen. Laws ch.…
Date: October 22, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12662
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case concerning the legal relationship between the commercial custodian of three nondiscretionary IRAs and a named beneficiary of those accounts the Supreme Judicial Court reversed in part the decision of the…
Date: October 22, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12696
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the district court judge's order denying pretrial detention, holding that a charge of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of fourteen may not form the basis for…
Date: October 21, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12693
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of possession of heroin with intent to distribute, reversed the denial of Defendant's motion for a new trial on the Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 94C, 32J (32J) charge,…
Date: October 16, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12568
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court dismissed the Commonwealth's appeal from the trial court's allowance of Defendant's motion filed under Mass. R. Crim. P. 25(a), holding that the trial judge erred in reserving decision on…
Date: October 15, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12585
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the single justice of the Court denying Appellant's petition for relief under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 211, 3, holding that principles of double jeopardy did not bar…
Date: October 10, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12610
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court vacated the order of the superior court judge allowing Defendant's motion to suppress all evidence related to an illegal seizure on the ground that the stop of his motor vehicle was not reasonable,…
Date: October 7, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12621
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the decision of the Commonwealth Employment Relations Board upholding a certain provision in a collective bargaining agreement between the Board of Higher Education (BHE) and the…
Date: October 3, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-11805
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of murder in the first degree on the theory of deliberate premeditation and the denial of his motion for a new trial, holding that Defendant was not entitled to…
Date: October 3, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12617
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated Defendant's conviction of involuntary manslaughter but affirmed Defendant's conviction of distribution of heroin, holding that the Commonwealth did not introduce evidence showing that…
Date: October 1, 2019
Docket Numbers: SJC-12655, SJC-12656
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the orders denying a motor vehicle insurer's motions to stay trial in a wrongful death action until the question of coverage had been determined in a declaratory judgment action but…
Date: September 26, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12528
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the motion judge denying Defendant's motion for access to evidence and scientific and forensic testing pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 278A, holding that, given the…
Date: September 23, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12618
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the order of the motion judge denying Defendants' special motion to dismiss Plaintiffs' defamation claim pursuant to the anti-SLAPP statute, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 231, 59H, holding that…
Date: September 23, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12675
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the decision of the Land Court judge determining that the primary purpose of Plaintiff's proposed residential program for adolescent males could not be characterized as "educational"…
Date: September 18, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12575
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case involving the pretrial diversion of Defendant, the Supreme Judicial Court held that the language of Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 276A, 3 requires arraignment, at the Commonwealth's request, before a defendant can…
Date: September 16, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12712
Justia Opinion Summary: In this summary process eviction action, the Supreme Judicial Court vacated the housing court judge's order for use and occupancy payments, holding that a court has statutory and equitable authority to order use and…
Date: September 13, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12659
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the superior court challenging the legality of the Boston Redevelopment Authority's (BRA) actions executing a permanent taking of the "Yawkey Way" easement and…
Date: September 13, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12692
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed Defendant's conviction of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of fourteen, holding that because there was no evidence that Defendant was acting in his professional capacity…
Date: September 13, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12695
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the decision of the superior court affirming the Sex Offender Registry Board's (SORB) classification of John Doe No. 23656 as a level two sex offender, holding that Doe's claims on…
Date: September 11, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12634
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the decision of the board of assessors of Boston, holding that taxed personal property owned by and assessed to Veolia Energy Boston, Inc. consisting principally of pipes that Veolia…
Date: September 9, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-11590
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of murder in the first degree on theories of deliberate premeditation and extreme atrocity or cruelty, holding that there was no prejudicial error in the…
Date: September 9, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12681
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court denied the request sought by Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC (the Globe) for declaratory relief under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 211, 3, holding that records of show cause hearings where a…
Date: September 4, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-11573
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of murder in the first degree on theories of deliberate premeditation and extreme atrocity or cruelty and declined to exercise its authority under Mass. Gen.…
Date: September 4, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12429
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court held in this plurality opinion that it is generally advisable for prosecutors to instruct grand juries on the elements of lesser offenses and defenses when such instructions would help the…
Date: August 28, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12562
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court reversed in part the superior court's order denying in part and affirming in part Defendant's motions to suppress, holding that the superior court erred in denying Defendant's motions to…
Date: August 23, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-11496
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the decision of the motion judge denying Defendant's second motion for a new trial, holding that there was no clear error or abuse of discretion and that there was no reason for this…
Date: August 21, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12673
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the superior court's order denying Defendant's second motion filed under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 278A seeking DNA testing of biological material pertaining to his sex offense, holding that…
Date: August 20, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12689
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the superior court's denial of Defendant's motion seeking a refund of fees associated with his vacated convictions, holding that due process principles…
Date: August 16, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12235
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the jury's verdict convicting Defendant of murder in the first degree, holding that the motion judge abused his discretion in denying Defendant's motion for a new trial because defense…
Date: August 13, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12687
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court held that Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 276, 58A permits a superior court judge to conduct a dangerousness hearing upon a defendant's first appearance in that court, regardless of whether that appearance…
Date: August 12, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12694
Justia Opinion Summary: In this matter concerning the search of a warehouse pursuant to a warrant that was issued in part based on the odor of unburnt marijuana the Supreme Judicial Court remanded this matter to the district court for further…
Date: August 9, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12669
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court remanded this case for entry of a judgment vacating the juvenile court's order denying Juvenile's motion to dismiss a delinquency complaint issued against him, holding that the juvenile court…
Date: August 7, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12085
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's convictions for murder in the first degree with deliberate premeditation, assault by means of a dangerous weapon, armed assault with intent to murder, and other crimes,…
Date: August 7, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12636
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court reversed the order of the municipal court denying Defendant's motion to withdraw his admission and vacate the court's finding of sufficient facts for a finding of guilty on two counts of…
Date: July 31, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-08464
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of murder in the first degree on theories of deliberate premeditation and extreme atrocity or cruelty and declined to grant extraordinary relief pursuant to…
Date: July 30, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-11675
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's convictions of murder in the first degree on a theory of deliberate premeditation and declined to exercise its authority under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 278, 33E to grant a new…
Date: July 26, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-11264
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated Defendant's convictions, holding that the motion judge committed reversible error in denying Defendant's motion to suppress evidence obtained from the search and seizure of a motor…
Date: July 26, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-11387
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court reversed the judgment of the trial court convicting Defendant of murder in the first degree on a theory of deliberate premeditation, holding that the Commonwealth erroneously elicited false…
Date: July 24, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12633
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of carrying a loaded firearm unlawfully as an armed career criminal with one predicate offense, holding that Defendant's indictment was not void and that…
Date: July 24, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12654
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court held that because Total Wine & More sold liquor and wine purchased through invoices sales in the record at prices below the net price reflected in those invoices the Alcoholic Beverages Control…
Date: July 17, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12594
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated and set aside a superior court judgment affirming a Sex Offender Registry Board (SORB) decision to classify John Doe as a level two sex offender, holding that there was not substantial…
Date: July 16, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12627
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of a single justice denying Petitioner's petition seeking relief in the nature of mandamus and pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 211, 3, holding that the single justice did…
Date: July 16, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12729
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the single justice denying Petitioner's "Verified Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief" without a hearing, holding that the single justice did not err in…
Date: July 16, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12731
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of a single justice denying Petitioner's petition pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 211, 3, holding that the single justice did not err or abuse his discretion in denying…
Date: July 12, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12643
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the single justice denying Petitioner's document entitled "Abuse of Authority: Judicial Misconduct" arising from the alleged misconduct of an assistant clerk-magistrate…
Date: July 11, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-11910
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of murder in the first degree on theories of deliberate premeditation and felony-murder and declined to exercise its power under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 278, 33E to…
Date: July 11, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12624
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the jury's verdict in favor of Defendant in this medical malpractice action for injuries arising after surgery, holding that while the trial judge did not err under current law of…
Date: July 11, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12639
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated Defendant's conviction of simple assault and threatening to commit a crime, holding that the criminal docket of one of Defendant's friends was improperly admitted as evidence against…
Date: July 9, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-10592
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of murder in the first degree and declined to grant extraordinary relief pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 278, 33E but reversed the order denying Defendant's…
Date: July 9, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12635
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the superior court's grant of summary judgment in favor of Defendants, the former accounts of Plaintiff, the Chelsea Housing Authority, on the ground that Plaintiff's claim of…
Date: July 2, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12672
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated three of the indictments in this case for a new trial, holding that the trial judge improperly failed to include certain language from paragraph three of Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 272,…
Date: June 28, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12216
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's convictions and the denial of his motion for a new trial, holding that there was no reversible error in the proceedings below and that there was no reason for this Court to…
Date: June 27, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12620
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court held that interference with the lawful duties of a police officer is a common-law crime in Massachusetts but that the evidence was not sufficient in this case to establish that Defendant…
Date: June 26, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12244
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's convictions and the order denying his motion for a new trial and further declined to reduce the verdict of murder in the first degree to a lesser degree of guilt or to set…
Date: June 25, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12629
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court vacated the judgments entered against Defendant and remanded this case for further proceedings, holding that the dismissal of a juror was prejudicial error and that there was sufficient evidence to…
Date: June 19, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-11125
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated and set aside Defendant's convictions for murder in the first degree, armed assault with intent to murder, and firearm offenses, holding that four trial errors required that the…
Date: June 17, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12622
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the order of the superior court denying Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC's (Globe) motion for summary judgment in this public records case, holding that the trial judge erred in…
Date: June 12, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12637
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case involving Defendant's failure to properly install child safety seats in her vehicle, the Supreme Judicial Court vacated Defendant's convictions of involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment as to…
Date: June 7, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-11423
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of murder in the first degree on theories of deliberate premeditation and extreme atrocity or cruelty, holding that there was no reversible error nor a reason to…
Date: June 6, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12570
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's sentence of three consecutive terms of life imprisonment, with the possibility of parole after forty-five years, in connection with his conviction of three counts of murder…
Date: June 6, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12663
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court reversed the judgment of conviction in this case as to negligent operation and affirmed the judgment of conviction of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence, holding that the…
Date: June 5, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12651
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the trial judge finding the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) liable for a retaliatory termination and awarding a total damages of $1,332,271, holding that…
Date: May 28, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12638
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court answered in the affirmative a reported question, holding that a defendant who has pled guilty to possession of a large capacity feeding device in violation of Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 269, 10(m) may…
Date: May 24, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12630
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the trial court denying Defendant's motion to suppress drug evidence, holding that the reveal of a plastic bag protruding from the cleft between Defendant's buttocks…
Date: May 23, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12599
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case involving involuntary civil commitment due to mental illness, the Supreme Court held that an individual may not be said to have been "discharged" from a facility within the meaning of Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 123…
Date: May 21, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12508
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case involving the issue of how to allocate responsibility for retaining and preserving exhibits after criminal trials the Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the exhibit-transfer orders in two of three criminal…
Date: May 19, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12623
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court reversed a lower court judge's order of execution on the fifth agreement for judgment between Y.A., an alleged victim of domestic violence, and the Boston Housing Authority (BHA), a covered…
Date: May 17, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12061
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of murder in the second degree and affirmed the trial judge's denial of Defendant's motion to reduce the verdict to manslaughter, holding that the trial judge…
Date: May 17, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12645
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of a single justice of the court denying Petitioner's petition filed pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 211, 3 seeking relief from his sentence imposed as a result of a…
Date: May 17, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12679
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the county court denying Petitioner's petition for relief under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 211, 3, holding that the single justice did not err or abuse his discretion in…
Date: May 16, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12319
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's convictions of murder in the first degree on the theories of felony-murder and extreme atrocity or cruelty and declined to grant extraordinary relief pursuant to Mass. Gen.…
Date: May 16, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12537
Justia Opinion Summary: In this, the second of two cases decided today involving Wayne Chapman, the Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of a single justice of the Court denying Petitioners' petition for relief under Mass. Gen. Laws ch.…
Date: May 16, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12625 & 12660
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the motion judges' denial of two juveniles' motions to dismiss and remanded these matters to the juvenile court with directions to dismiss each case, holding that the amended definition…
Date: May 16, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12632
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the superior court judge's order allowing Wayne Chapman's petition for release from civil commitment as a sexually dangerous person, holding that Defendant was not required to remain…
Date: May 15, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12336
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of armed robbery and murder in the first degree and declined to exercise its authority under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 278, 33E to reduce the verdict or to order a new…
Date: May 14, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12424
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of murder in the first degree on theories of deliberate premeditation and extreme atrocity or cruelty and declined to exercise its extraordinary authority to…
Date: May 13, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12640
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the trial judge denying Defendant's motion for a new trial, holding that a defendant's waiver of his right to a jury of six persons need not be in writing as long as…
Date: May 8, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12542
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case concerning whether retail salespeople who are paid entirely in commissions or draws are entitled to additional overtime or Sunday pay, the Supreme Judicial Court held that such employees are entitled to…
Date: May 8, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12606
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court reversed the superior court's grant of summary judgment to Defendant and dismissing Plaintiff's personal injury action on the grounds that Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 84, 15, the road defect statute,…
Date: May 6, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12597
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of indecent assault and battery, holding that the trial judge did not abuse his discretion in denying Defendant's request that a question be posed to potential…
Date: May 3, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12362
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court Defendant's conviction of first degree murder and declined to exercise its extraordinary powers to grant relief under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 278, 33E, holding (1) where a defendant facing trial on…
Date: May 1, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12431
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's convictions of arson of a dwelling house, felony-murder in the second degree, and two counts of injuring a firefighter, holding that the evidence was sufficient to support…
Date: May 1, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12605
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated Defendant's conviction of accessory after the fact to murder, holding that the evidence was insufficient to sustain the conviction. Defendant, who witnessed a killing, did not provide…
Date: May 1, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12619
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the decision of the Land Court judge reversing the decision of the zoning board of appeals of Brockton (board) denying Plaintiffs' appeal of the denial of their permit to construct a…
Date: April 25, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12263
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed a single justice's denial of Appellant's motion for the appointment of counsel filed in connection with a gatekeeper application that Appellant had filed in the county court pursuant…
Date: April 25, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12661
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court reversed the decision of the Appeals Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of assault and battery as a lesser included offense of attempted murder, holding that the trial court's failure to…
Date: April 24, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12546
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of murder in the second degree and the order denying his motion for a new trial, holding that Defendant's sentence was constitutional and that no prejudicial…
Date: April 24, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12572
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the superior court's order granting Defendant's motion to dismiss the cocaine and cash seized during a warrantless search of his residence, holding that Defendant's consent to a search…
Date: April 23, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12499
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court reversed the motion judge's allowance of Defendant's motion to suppress, holding that police action causing an individual's cell phone to reveal its real-time location constitutes a search in…
Date: April 22, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-11530
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the county court denying Appellant's complaint for relief in the nature of mandamus, holding that the single justice neither erred nor abused her discretion by denying…
Date: April 16, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12469
Justia Opinion Summary: In this criminal case, the Supreme Judicial Court reversed the judgment of a single justice of the court denying the Commonwealth's petition for relief pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 211, 3 and remanded the case for…
Date: April 12, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12604
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case brought under the Wage Act, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 149, 150, the Supreme Judicial Court reversed the denial of Plaintiff's motion for class certification, holding that Mass. R. Civ. P. 23, as amended, provides…
Date: April 11, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12488
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of a single justice of the court denying Appellant's complaint for relief in the nature of mandamus or, in the alternative, for relief pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 211,…
Date: April 11, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12613
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of a single justice of the court denying Petitioner's petition for extraordinary relief from an order of the Housing Court denying Petitioner's motion to remove a receiver…
Date: April 10, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-11666
Justia Opinion Summary: In this appeal brought by Defendant challenging his conviction of murder in the first degree on a theory of felony-murder the Supreme Judicial Court vacated Defendant's underlying felony conviction of armed robbery as…
Date: April 10, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12337
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of a single justice denying Petitioner's petition pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 211, 3, in which Petitioner challenged summary process proceedings in the Worcester…
Date: April 10, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12380
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the single justice's order denying Petitioners' request for relief under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 211, 3 challenging summary process proceedings in the Worcester Division of the Housing…
Date: April 10, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12406
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the single justice denying Petitioners relief under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 211, 3, in which Petitioners challenged summary process proceedings in the Worcester Division of…
Date: April 9, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12560
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court reversed the order of the motion judge denying Defendant's Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 278A, 3 motion, holding that Defendant, who claimed that no crime occurred, made a prima facie case for a chapter…
Date: April 9, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12596
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court reversed the motion court's order denying Defendant's motion filed under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 278A asserting his factual innocence and requesting forensic testing of certain evidence, holding…
Date: April 9, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12603
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated in part and affirmed in part the decision of the Commonwealth Employment Relations Board upholding the Department of Labor Relations' (DLR) dismissal of Employees' challenges under the…
Date: March 29, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12561
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case involving a claimant seeking to enforce a target lien bond by commencing a civil action pursuant to the mechanic's lien statute, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 254, 14, the Supreme Judicial Court vacated the superior…
Date: March 29, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12593
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the decision of the trial judge to grant Defendant's motion to revise and revoke his sentence to match that of his coventurer, holding that a judge may allow a defendant's motion to…
Date: March 29, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12607
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the district court's denial of Defendant's motion to dismiss the complaint charging unlawful possession of a firearm on constitutional grounds and denied Defendant's request for a new…
Date: March 28, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12556
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the single justice's judgment denying Defendant's petition for relief challenging the denial of his bail requests, holding that the bail judge did not abuse his discretion or commit an…
Date: March 26, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12483
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the motion judge's denial of Defendant's motion to suppress and Defendant's convictions of breaking and entering and larceny, holding that the Commonwealth's act of accessing and…
Date: March 26, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12545
Justia Opinion Summary: In this criminal case, the Supreme Judicial Court held that, as applied to Defendant, GPS monitoring as a condition of Defendant's probation was an unconstitutional search under article 14 of the Massachusetts…
Date: March 20, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12214
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendants’ convictions of murder in the first degree by reason of extreme atrocity or cruelty and felony-murder and declined to exercise its authority under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 278,…
Date: March 18, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-11479
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant’s conviction of murder in the first degree and declined to order a new trial or reduct the verdict under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 278, 33E, holding that a new trial was not…
Date: March 15, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12510
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the trial court’s grant of Defendant’s motion to suppress in this case concerning the scope of the emergency aid exception and the exigent circumstances exception to the warrant…
Date: March 15, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12548
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court reversed the grant of summary judgment in favor of Defendants and the denial of Plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment, holding that Plaintiffs, who worked for Defendants’ company that grew,…
Date: March 15, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12592
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial court affirmed the district court judge’s order allowing Defendant’s motion to suppress narcotics seized from Defendant’s crotch area as a result of a strip search that took place in a cell at a…
Date: March 13, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12501
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court held that the common-law doctrine of abatement ab initio, where a criminal conviction is vacated and the indictment is dismissed after the defendant dies while his direct appeal as of right…
Date: March 7, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12551
Justia Opinion Summary: In this divorce case, the Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of divorce nisi that awarded general term alimony to Wife and, among other things, divided the marital estate such that fifty-five percent of the…
Date: March 6, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12564
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court reversed the trial judge’s denial of the Commonwealth’s renewed motion filed pursuant to Commonwealth v. Gelfgatt, 468 Mass. 512 (2014), and remanded for entry of an order compelling Defendant…
Date: March 1, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12544
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court answered a question certified to it by the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts concerning whether the six-year statute of repose set forth in Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260,…
Date: February 28, 2019
Docket Numbers: SJC-12547, SJC-12595
Justia Opinion Summary: In this review of two decisions of the alcoholic beverages control commission (commission) that resulted in the issuance of penalties against Craft Beer Guild, LLC (Craft) and Rebel Restaurants, Inc. (Rebel), the Supreme…
Date: February 26, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12534
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the county court denying Petitioner’s petition under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 211, 3 for relief from a judgment entered in a small claims matter in the district court,…
Date: February 26, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12580
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of a single justice denying Petitioner’s petition pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 211, 3, holding that the single justice correctly denied the petition because there were…
Date: February 21, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12532
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the county court denying Appellant’s petition for relief under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 211, 3, holding that the single justice neither erred nor abused his discretion by…
Date: February 21, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12578
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the county court denying, without a hearing, Petitioner’s petition for relief under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 211, 3, holding that the single justice neither erred nor abused…
Date: February 21, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12644
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of a single justice denying Petitioner’s petition pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 211, 3, holding that the single justice neither erred nor abused his discretion in…
Date: February 20, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-11210
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the trial court convicting Defendant of murder in the first degree on a theory of deliberate premeditation and of carrying a firearm without a license, holding that…
Date: February 19, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12602
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the award of attorney’s fees to Plaintiffs under the fee-shifting provisions of the Wage Act, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 149, 148, 150, holding that the “catalyst test” applied to the Wage…
Date: February 15, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12598
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the superior court allowing Defendants’ motion for summary judgment on Plaintiff’s action for legal fees, holding that Plaintiff’s claim for fees was time barred by the…
Date: February 13, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12530
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant’s convictions of penile-vaginal and digital-vaginal rape, holding that while two errors occurred during the trial proceedings, neither error required reversal of Defendant’s…
Date: February 13, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12549
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant’s conviction of possession of a class B substance with intent to distribute, holding that although the voir dire in this case was incomplete, it did not prejudice…
Date: February 12, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-08635
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the trial court convicting Defendants Kevin McCormack and Brian Porreca of murder in the first degree, holding that there was no reversible error in the proceedings…
Date: February 12, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-11507
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the superior court convicting Defendant of murder in the first degree on a theory of deliberate premeditation, holding that there was no reversible error in the…
Date: February 12, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12574
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the order of the motion judge in this case allowing Defendant’s motion to suppress his postarrest statements, holding that the police lacked probable cause to arrest. Defendant was…
Date: February 11, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12583
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of a single justice of the court denying Petitioner’s petition pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 211, 3, holding that the single justice did not err or abuse his discretion…
Date: February 11, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12665
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of a single justice of the court denying Plaintiff’s petitions seeking relief from a summary process judgment and other orders entered against her in the housing court,…
Date: February 8, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12491
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the single justice of the court denying Petitioner’s petition pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 211, 3, holding that the single justice correctly denied relief because…
Date: February 8, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12497
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of a single justice of the court denying Petitioner’s petition pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 211, 3, holding that the single justice correctly denied relief because…
Date: February 8, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12516
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the land court upholding the action of the board of appeals of Brookline allowing Defendant homeowners’ request for a special permit to modify the roof of their home to…
Date: February 7, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12519
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of a single justice of the Court denying Appellant’s petition for extraordinary relief pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 211, 3, holding that the single justice did not err…
Date: February 6, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12502
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant’s conviction of involuntary manslaughter as a youthful offender, holding that the evidence proved that, by her wanton or reckless misconduct, Defendant caused the victim’s…
Date: February 5, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12481
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of a municipal court judge civilly committing M.C. for a period of two months, holding that the record contained sufficient evidence to support M.C.’s involuntary…
Date: January 31, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12452
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the trial judge’s issuance of harassment prevention orders against Defendant pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 258E, 3(a), holding that Defendant’s conduct amounted to only one act of…
Date: January 30, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-10986
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant’s conviction and the denial of Defendant’s motion for a new trial and declined to exercise its authority under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 278, 33E to grant a new trial or to reduce…
Date: January 29, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12402
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the county court denying, without a hearing, Appellant’s petition for relief in the nature of mandamus, holding that Appellant did not demonstrate any entitlement to…
Date: January 29, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12485
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the superior court’s allowance of Defendant’s motion for summary judgment and remanded this discrimination case, holding that the trial judge erred in determining that Plaintiff had…
Date: January 29, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12514
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant’s conviction of money laundering, holding that the evidence was sufficient as a matter of law to establish “concealment” money laundering, in violation of Mass. Gen. Laws ch.…
Date: January 28, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-11994
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant’s conviction of murder in the first degree as a joint venturer and declined to exercise its authority to grant relief under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 278, 33E, holding that the…
Date: January 28, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12503
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the single justice of the court treating Petitioner’s paper titled “Respondent’s Petition for Interlocutory Appeal and Stay of Proceedings” as a petition pursuant to…
Date: January 25, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12609
Date: January 25, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12614
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of a single justice of the court dismissing Plaintiff’s complaint seeking relief in the nature of mandamus, holding that there was no error. After Defendant prevailed in…
Date: January 25, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12615
Date: January 24, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12587
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court dismissed Appellant’s appeal from a judgment of the county court denying his petition for relief under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 211, 3, holding that the single justice did not err or abuse his…
Date: January 24, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12608
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed a judgment of a single justice of the court denying Petitioner’s petition filed pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 211, 3, holding that Petitioner was not entitled to review pursuant to…
Date: January 24, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12626
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed a judgment of a single justice of the court denying Petitioner’s petition filed pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 211, 3, holding that Petitioner did not show that review of the trial…
Date: January 18, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-10992
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant’s conviction of felony-murder in the first degree and armed robbery, holding that there was no reversible error in the proceedings below, and there was no reason for the…
Date: January 18, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12458; SJC 12511
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the decisions of the superior court judges allowing two police officers’ motions for judgment on the pleadings and vacating the decisions of the Essex Regional Retirement Board and the…
Date: January 15, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12536; SJC 12540
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the superior court judge’s order vacating the district court judge’s Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 278, 58A (58A) pretrial detention order of David Barnes and affirmed the denial of William…
Date: January 14, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12484
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant’s conviction for unlawful possession of drugs found within a locked glove compartment, holding that the trial court did not err in denying Defendant’s motion to suppress and…
Date: January 10, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12486
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the denial of Defendant’s motion for release from unlawful confinement and for a new sentencing hearing, holding that, under the circumstances of this case, the judge did not abuse his…
Date: January 9, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-11467
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant’s conviction of murder in the first degree on a theory of deliberate premeditation and declined to grant extraordinary relief pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 278, 33E,…
Date: January 8, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12531
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court held that, to the extent a surviving spouse’s shares of a deceased spouse’s estate exceeds $25,000, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 191, 15, the Commonwealth’s elective share statute, reduces his or her…
Date: January 4, 2019
Docket Number: SJC-12517
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court reversed the order of the trial judge allowing Defendants’ motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction, holding (1) Massachusetts courts have personal jurisdiction over nonresident…
