Commonwealth v. Cousin (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-004-18)
Court rejected defendant's claim of actual conflict of interest where trial counsel represented a police officer in unrelated civil case while defending defendant in murder prosecution.
SJC Opinions
Commonwealth v. Lopes (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-003-18)
First-degree murder conviction affirmed where Commonwealth properly excluded young jurors, admitted gang evidence for motive, excluded unrelated misconduct evidence, and prosecutor's aggressive closing argument received curative instruction.
Roma, III, Ltd. v. Board of Appeals of Rockport (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-002-18)
Town zoning bylaw prohibiting private heliports without approval or special permit is not preempted by state aeronautics statutes. Reversed and remanded.
Commonwealth v. Lastowski (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-001-18)
Defendant's motion to withdraw guilty pleas denied where he failed to show prejudice from counsel's alleged failure to explain sex offender registration consequences.
Segal v. Genitrix, LLC, et al. (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-199-17)
Wage Act does not impose personal liability on board members and investors acting in those capacities alone; they must be appointed agents with management responsibility comparable to a corporate president or treasurer.
Commonwealth v. Piantedosi (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-198-17)
Murder conviction affirmed where trial judge properly excluded hearsay statements from defense expert's direct examination and allowed Commonwealth expert to testify about defendant's motivation.
Commonwealth v. Holley (and five companion cases) (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-197-17)
Felony-murder convictions affirmed where evidence showed defendants planned and executed armed robbery of marijuana resulting in fatal shooting, and text messages obtained by warrant were properly admitted despite particularity defects.
Commonwealth v. Woollam (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-196-17)
Murder conviction affirmed despite police presence at grand jury and claimed ineffective assistance of counsel on various evidentiary and procedural issues.
Commonwealth v. Diaz (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-195-17)
Affirmed conviction for first-degree murder based on DNA evidence. Prosecutor's closing argument statements, though some improper, did not warrant new trial given overwhelming evidence.
Commonwealth v. Camblin (Lawyers Weekly No. 10-194-17)
Breathalyzer evidence admissible after scientific hearing establishes dual-sensor device reliably distinguishes ethanol from interfering substances and meets federal certification standards.