» Beverly

Posts tagged "Beverly"

City of Beverly v. Bass River Golf Management, Inc., et al. (Lawyers Weekly No. 11-002-18)

NOTICE: All slip opinions and orders are subject to formal revision and are superseded by the advance sheets and bound volumes of the Official Reports. If you find a typographical error or other formal error, please notify the Reporter of Decisions, Supreme Judicial Court, John Adams Courthouse, 1 Pemberton Square, Suite 2500, Boston, MA, 02108-1750; (617) 557-1030; SJCReporter@sjc.state.ma.us 15-P-171 Appeals Court CITY OF BEVERLY vs. BASS RIVER GOLF MANAGEMENT, INC., & another.[1] No. 15-P-171. Essex. November 14, 2016. – January 5, 2018. Present: Sullivan, Maldonado, & Neyman, JJ. Contract, Municipality, Performance and breach. Municipal Corporations, Contracts. Consumer Protection Act, Trade or commerce, Unfair or deceptive act. Bankruptcy, Stay of other proceedings. Practice, Civil, Directed verdict, Amendment, New trial, Instructions to jury. Judgment, Amendment. Civil action commenced in the Superior Court Department on March 11, 2011. The case was tried before Robert A. Cornetta, J., and a motion to alter or amend the judgment, or for a new trial, was heard by him. Denis J. Sullivan for the defendants. Eitan Y. Goldberg, Assistant City Solicitor (Stephanie M. Williams, City Solicitor, also present) for the plaintiff. MALDONADO, J. In this case, we consider the propriety of actions taken by the city of Beverly (city), which owns the Beverly Golf and Tennis Club (Golf Club), and by Bass River Golf Management, Inc. (Bass River), which operated the facility for almost two years pursuant to a management contract with the city. On March 11, 2011, the city commenced an action in the Superior Court against Bass River and 31 Tozer Road, L.L.C. (Tozer), the guarantor of Bass River’s payment obligations to the city, asserting claims for breach of contract against each party and seeking damages. Bass River filed counterclaims against the city (subsequently amended) which alleged violations of G. L. c. 93A, breach of contract, breach of an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, breach of warranty, and conversion. Following a trial, the jury, in response to special questions, found that Bass River had breached its management contract with the city, that Tozer had guaranteed Bass River’s payment obligations, and that the city was entitled to damages of $ 631,969.63. The jury also found that the city had violated the covenant of good faith and fair dealing in its contractual relationship with Bass River, and that the city had converted Bass River’s property. The jury awarded Bass River damages of $ 48,967.33. Thereafter, the judge determined that Bass River had not proved that the city violated G. L. c. 93A. Bass River and Tozer filed a motion to amend the findings of facts and rulings of law, to amend the judgment, […]

Beverly Port Marina, Inc. v. Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, et al. (Lawyers Weekly No. 11-145-13)

NOTICE: All slip opinions and orders are subject to formal revision and are superseded by the advance sheets and bound volumes of the Official Reports. If you find a typographical error or other formal error, please notify the Reporter of Decisions, Supreme Judicial Court, John Adams Courthouse, 1 Pemberton Square, Suite 2500, Boston, MA 02108-1750; (617) 557-1030; SJCReporter@sjc.state.ma.us 12‑P‑2010 Appeals Court BEVERLY PORT MARINA, INC. vs. COMMISSIONER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION & another.[1] No. 12‑P‑2010. Essex. September 12, 2013. ‑ December 11, 2013. Present: Green, Grainger, & Fecteau, JJ. Department of Environmental Protection. Administrative Law, Agency’s interpretation of regulation, Regulations. Regulation. Real Property, Littoral property, License. License. Civil actions commenced in the Superior Court Department on July 22 and November 7, 2011. After consolidation, the case was heard by David A. Lowy, J., on motions for judgment on the pleadings. Adam J. Brodsky for the plaintiff. Louis M. Dundin, Assistant Attorney General, for Department of Environmental Protection. Richard A. Nylen, Jr., for city of Beverly. GREEN, J. Under the regulations governing issuance of licenses under G. L. c. 91 for projects on filled tidelands, a license may not issue for a project proposed in a “designated port area” (DPA) if a proposal for a “competing project” submitted during the public comment period on the license application would promote water-dependent industrial uses of the project site to a greater extent than the project proposed in the license application. See 310 Code Mass. Regs. § 9.36(5)(a) (1994). During review by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) of an application by the city of Beverly (city) for licenses authorizing, inter alia, construction and operation of a restaurant on a waterfront site, the plaintiff, Beverly Port Marina, Inc. (BPM), submitted a proposal to, inter alia, build and operate a boatyard on the site instead. A DEP hearing officer (presiding officer) concluded that BPM’s submission failed to demonstrate that its proposal was feasible, and recommended issuance of the licenses, with conditions, for the city’s proposed project. The DEP commissioner adopted the recommended decision, and BPM appealed the decision to the Superior Court, where a judge affirmed the decision on cross motions for judgment on the pleadings. We conclude that BPM’s competing proposal adequately satisfied the criteria established by the applicable regulations, and we vacate the judgment. Background. The site at the center of the controversy among the parties is a parcel owned by the city known as “Glover’s Wharf,” located along the Beverly waterfront. The site is at the westernmost end of a DPA established in 1978 under the Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Plan. See 301 Code Mass. Regs. […]