Commonwelth v. Robideau (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-047-13)
Murder and robbery conviction from 1964 upheld; defendant's motion for new trial denied where counsel was not ineffective for failing to pursue direct appeal.
Massachusetts Legal Resources
Commonwealth v. Winfield (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-048-13)
Court reporter's backup audio recording of trial not a judicial document subject to First Amendment or common-law public access rights where official transcript available.
Commonwealth v. Benitez (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-049-13)
Affirmed felony-murder conviction where defendant proposed robbery, supplied gun, acted as lookout. Vacated duplicate armed robbery conviction.
Week in Review: TV Show Filming, Restaurant Week
The following are the top headlines on South End Patch from March 11 to March 15, 2013: TV Show Filming in South End Next Week ABC’s new drama “Hatfields & McCoys,” will shoot on Waltham, Harrison and Washington…
Commonwealth v. Hardy (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-043-13)
Murder conviction affirmed. Trial counsel was not ineffective for failing to object to courtroom closures during extraordinary circumstances involving threats and violence.
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company v. Cotter (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-044-13)
Own-occupation disability policy requires insured to receive care designed to enable return to prior occupation. Insurer not entitled to reimbursement absent proof of unjust enrichment.
Commonwealth v. Romero (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-045-13)
Vehicle owner's conviction for carrying firearm without license reversed where evidence insufficient to prove intent to control weapon despite knowledge and ability.
Mahajan, et al. v. Department of Environmental Protection, et al. (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-046-13)
Article 97 does not apply to land acquired by urban renewal authority for urban renewal purposes, even if the land incidentally serves conservation goals.
Commonwealth v. Montoya (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-041-13)
Cocaine trafficking conviction vacated where drug certificates were admitted without analyst testimony and error was not harmless, as jurors could not determine precise weight of small bags.
Commonwealth v. Greineder (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-042-13)
DNA expert opinion admissible despite reliance on nontestifying analyst's test results when expert subject to meaningful cross-examination on opinion and underlying data reliability.