Massachusetts

Ms. Reid, an inmate at MCI-Framingham, slipped and fell on a wet ramp while working in the prison kitchen, breaking her right ankle in two places. As a result of her injury, Ms. Reid contracted persistent MRSA infection. DOC employees failed to rectify the dangerous condition of the kitchen ramp, which they knew, or should have known, to be hazardous, and failed to warn of the danger. Ms. Reid continues to suffer from pain and emotional distress caused by these injuries and illnesses years after the incident.

Mr. Johnson was convicted of a murder he did not commit. Originally sentenced to death, he served ten years in prison before being exonerated. Our firm obtained compensation for him under the Massachusetts Erroneous Conviction statute. The maximum compensation available under the statute is $500,000.

For nearly a decade, the Boston Police Department sent female detainees to the Suffolk County Jail where they were strip searched as part of the admissions procedure. Male detainees were held in police station lockups, where they were not routinely strip searched. We won a judgment that the policy was unconstitutional. Suffolk County agreed to settle, then claimed it could not pay. We obtained a court order holding the county in contempt of court, and Suffolk County paid its share of the settlement plus interest and fines.

On 7/21/03, Kelly Jo Griffen, 24 year old mother of two, was to be held at MCI Framingham for one night before going to court in the morning. Ms. Griffen was experiencing the effects of heroin withdrawal. Medical staff knew that Ms. Griffen was not keeping fluids in her system, but failed to take steps to rehydrate her. Two hours before she became comatose, Ms. Griffen’s vital signs showed that she was in grave danger. Defendant Grodski was unable to obtain a blood pressure reading or a pulse.

Mr. Cosme was a prisoner worker in the Maintenance Department at MCI-Norfolk. He suffered fractures of both wrists and his right elbow when he fell from a roof while laying down tar paper. These injuries are permanent and severe. DOC employees negligently failed to provide plaintiff with any training or proper supervision. No safety equipment was provided to protect the plaintiff from the dangers of working on a rooftop. Settlement was reached after DOC finally agreed to allow Mr. Cosme to see an outside surgeon. The maximum recovery under the state statute is $100,000.

Lawrence officers beat Mr. Figueroa without justification. Officers booked Mr. Figueroa, then ordered that he strip naked and placed him naked in a small lockup cell with a clothed male prisoner. They wanted to teach Mr. Figueroa a lesson: Don’t disrespect police officers. The City of Lawrence had a policy or custom of placing arrestees naked in a cell with another prisoner when a police officer claimed the arrestee was having suicidal thoughts. This unreasonable and easily abused policy permitted officers to degrade and intimidate Mr. Figueroa by falsely claiming he was suicidal.

Three plaintiffs brought consolidated cases against a Lowell detective and the City of Lowell. In 2012, informants planted drugs in the plaintiffs’ cars. Plaintiffs were falsely charged with trafficking in cocaine; charges pended for over 1 year, over 6 months, and over 5 months (w/ 3.5 months in custody). They faced mandatory minimums of 3, 2, and 8 years. All charges were dismissed due to revelation of the informants’ misconduct. The detective knew his informants were not trustworthy.

On 10/6/12, two Bellingham officers entered Ms. Graham’s home without a warrant. When Ms. Graham began to openly video record the encounter and protest the officers’ actions, Defendants arrested her, using unreasonable force. She was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and three misdemeanors. The criminal charges were dismissed. Ms. Graham’s cell phone video shows the officers arresting Ms. Graham and using unreasonable force. The case received local publicity. The case settled after an early mediation.

On March 16, 2006, Somerville officer Freitas, who was off-duty and had been drinking, confronted Gerard Contaldi (15) and his friends about kicking a recycling bin near Freitas’s sports car. Freitas called Gerard an idiot and slapped him. One of Gerard’s friends pushed Freitas, then the boys ran away. Officers stopped Gerard, threw him to the ground, and cuffed him. An officer pressed Gerard’s face in the gravel. Freitas hit Gerard in the eye with a flashlight.

Nantucket Police Officer John Hubbard used unreasonable force on Eric Kaminskas, fracturing his skull. On September 4, 2011, Defendant Hubbard was investigating an altercation at a nightclub on Nantucket Island. He approached Mr. Kaminskas outside the nightclub to question him about his involvement. Defendant Hubbard tackled Mr. Kaminskas with so much force that Mr. Kaminskas’s right frontal skull struck the pavement and broke into pieces. Mr. Kaminskas was airlifted to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston (MGH). After the swelling in Mr.