Surprise encounter with squirrel leaves woman in the dumps

Few would argue that taking out the trash can be a stinky chore, but who knew it can also be downright dangerous? A woman who was depositing her garbage in a dumpster where she resided was so surprised when a squirrel leapt out of the receptacle that she fell and injured herself. She subsequently sued her condominium association and the waste removal contractor, arguing that a hole in the dumpster lid gave squirrels an unfettered means of access and that the defendants were negligent in failing to... More

Westborough attorney hopes to bring Hollywood home

Q. From a moviemaking perspective, it seems a bold move to leave L.A. to return home to New England as you did. What makes you so optimistic about the industry’s potential here in Massachusetts? A. I’m excited about the Massachusetts Film Tax Credit, which was amended this past July by the Patrick administration. It offers a 25 percent return in the form of a credit or rebate to filmmakers working on a minimum budget of only $50,000, making the tax incentive to shoot here one of the best... More

In home sale, buyer gets not quite full disclosure from seller

You probably know more about your house and its quirks than anyone else, including the leaky faucet, the noisy neighbors and that occasional moldy smell in the basement. When it’s time to sell it, you may also want to know what you need to disclose to prospective purchasers. Unlike many states, Massachusetts does not generally require sellers to disclose either minor or major defects in their house to a prospective purchaser unless there is a special relationship between the parties, such as... More

The nuts and bolts of hiring a reliable home contractor

First of two parts Most people approach a home renovation project with a combination of excitement, anticipation and fear. Adding an improvement to one’s home can make the house more livable and modern and can increase resale value. At the same time, however, most homeowners have heard at least one horror story about a job that has gone badly, one in which the contractors never show up, delay the project endlessly, perform substandard work or increase costs dramatically beyond the budget. Homeowners... More

The law of employment

Q. I just got a new job where I will be an “exempt” employee. What does that mean, and is it a good thing? A. It means you are exempt from certain laws, which require companies to pay overtime to “non-exempt” employees — generally, non-managerial workers, among others — for working more than 40 hours a week. While that may seem like a disadvantage, the flip side is you are not an hourly employee and, therefore, not really “on the clock.” Because you... More

The law of personal injury

Click here to visit Crowe & Mulvey, LLP's website. Q. While walking with friends in my town center, I tripped over a metal bike rack in front of a convenience store and suffered a serious knee injury. I knew the rack was there, but I just didn’t see it. What types of proof would I need to hold the store owner (who owns the rack) responsible for my injury? A. The store owner is responsible only if there was something unreasonably or unexpectedly dangerous about the bike rack, such as... More

Elect judges in Massachusetts? Not so fast, voting public …

Changing the law to permit judicial elections in Massachusetts would be akin to pouring Tabasco sauce on a paper cut. You may be infuriated by the occasional decision of a judge. You may wish they were more accountable. You might wonder why they are appointed for life with virtually no meaningful evaluation of their performances. And, in all likelihood, you would have valid arguments at every turn. But electing judges in our state would create combustible politics like never before and encourage... More

A plan for bailing out criminal justice system

Massachusetts has a population of 6.4 million people. As of the end of 2007, there were 380,807 outstanding warrants in the state Warrant Management System, including 213,424 default warrants for defendants who failed to return to court after arrest or arraignment. If that fact means one defendant for each warrant, the number of defendants would equal the populations of the cities of Taunton, Worcester and Springfield combined. The more likely scenario is that many defendants have multiple warrants... More

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