After reading the latest supplement to the Newsweek stories on bullying, this time including only one sentence of mine, I looked to the day’s news. As usual, I was given another example of adults demonstrating the kind of civility which would make most kids blush. This time, the topic was…
Yesterday morning, as I was driving to the Boston Municipal Court, I received a text message from Altman & Altman’s fearless leader, Attorney Steven Altman. Uh-oh. What to do when the big man summons? Well, in this case, what I did was…nothing. In case you have not been paying attention,…
The teen mother accused of throwing her newborn 17 feet into an East Boston Alley after giving birth to him in a bathtub on September 20 has been arraigned. In East Boston District Court on Tuesday, 18-year-old Eva Flores pleaded not guilty to the charges of Massachusetts assault and battery…
The federal white collar trial for City Councilor Chuck Turner is set to begin today. Already, the human drama and strategic dances have begun and nary a juror has been selected (or rejected) yet. And, actually, that’s the way it should be. The trend is for courts to try to…
Police in Springfield have Impressed criminal justice onlookers this past weekend. They went out a-hunting and made 50 arrests which should keep the local district court humming for a day or so. These arrests were for the most serious crimes, of course. They range from drug possession to prostitution all…
Given how this country was wrestled from the American Indian so long ago, it seems appropriate to return to the topic of bullying today on Columbus Day. As you know, schools are back in session. This subject has hit the headlines anew. If you are you waiting to hear that…
Rutgers University freshman Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei say that they did not bully Tyler Clementi. Ravi and Wei have been charged with third- and fourth- degree invasion of privacy in the death of Clementi, who committed suicide by jumping into the Hudson River. Clementi and Ravi were roommates. Ravi…
Kimani W., the Dorchester gentleman whom the police have arrested in connection with the four murders in Mattapan (hereinafter, the “Defendant”) is on his way to court. He will be charged with two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition, marijuana and receiving a stolen motor vehicle.…
Yesterday, we discussed whether an investigating officer’s failure to read a suspect in custody his or her Miranda Rights (hereinafter, the “Rights”), means that the case against said suspect must be dismissed. The answer, in most cases, is no. The remedy is to suppress the statement so that the Commonwealth…
This is a question I encounter many times from clients. People do not seem to understand the rules regarding what rights the police must read them at the time of arrest, or around that time, and what happens if they do not. The rules are the same here in Massachusetts,…