Legislature

Mass. Lawyers Weekly reports that a bill under consideration by the Legislature would restrict the use of nondisclosure agreements in the settlement of employment cases involving sexual assault and discrimination. In January, Republican Rep. Alyson M. Sullivan-Almeida introduced a bill to prohibit nondisclosure agreements in the settlement of employment cases involving claims of sexual assault, sexual […]

Brothers Taverna and Mercy Tavern will be able to offer diners alcoholic drinks year round, following the approval of liquor law changes by the state legislature. The two Derby Street restaurants had previously held seasonal licenses. The legislature also approved a new beer and wine license for Salem. That license will be granted to Minzu […]

The Associated Press reports that backers of a drive to gradually boost the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour told a legislative committee that many people who work full time at their jobs still live in poverty and struggle to support their families. The group Raise Up Massachusetts is collecting signatures to put a […]

In a ruling hailed by survivors of child sexual abuse, the state’s highest court has upheld a 2014 law that gave victims an additional 32 years to file civil lawsuits against alleged perpetrators, according to the Boston Globe. The Supreme Judicial Court’s unanimous decision also upheld the part of the law that applies the extension […]

Massachusetts legislators have passed a bill to extend by 32 years the statute of limitations for filing civil suits against perpetrators of sexual abuse of minors. The new law gives child victims of sexual abuse until age 53 to sue their alleged abusers. The law also allows lawsuits against abuser’s supervisors and the institution that […]

After years of trying to strike a compromise, the House voted unanimously on Wednesday to extend the statute of limitations for victims of child sexual assault to bring civil claims against their abusers. The bill (H 4126) would allow victims of child sexual abuse to file civil lawsuits up until the time they turn 53 […]

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has proposed a plan to create a separate Child Protection Division within the Department of Children and Families (DCF). This new division would be empowered to investigate allegations of child abuse and neglect with a sole focus on the safety of the child or children involved. Coakley, who as former […]

Good story on boston.com concerning lawmakers contemplating the creation of a state task force charged with developing policies and training requirements for organizations that serve children.

The Boston Globe reports that the state’s highest court says a state child pornography law does ban an obscene video chat that a 34-year-old man had with a 10-year-old boy in cyberspace. Jeffery Bundy was convicted of violating the state law that bars people from posing or exhibiting a child in a state of sexual […]

The Patriot Ledger reports that a bill to keep 17-year-old offenders out of adult courtrooms and jails in Massachusetts aims to reduce sexual assault in prisons and bring the state into compliance with federal law. The bill, which could come to a vote in the State House, would move 17-year-olds into juvenile jurisdiction and abolish […]

Governor Deval Patrick on Jan. 3 signed S. 2402, “An Act Relative To Housing Rights for Victims of Domestic Violence, Rape, Sexual Assault and Stalking.” The legislation will provide housing rights and protections for victims of domestic violence, rape, sexual assault and stalking. “We must do all we can to protect victims of sexual and […]

The Massachusetts Legislature is contemplating new legislation, The Protection from Sexual Predators Act of 2011, House Bill No. 469 (amended as House Bill 4326). The Bill is designed to elongate the statute of limitations significantly, to allow sex abuse victims until age 43 to bring civil claims against their abusers. The current statute is 3 […]

The Boston Globe reports today that Stephen Embry has filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against Harvard University, contending he was repeatedly molested by a swimming coach at the campus from 1969 to 1972. The alleged abuse began when Embry, now 55, was barely 12. Embry, along with his lawyer, Carmen Durso, also asserts that Harvard […]

Good piece in the Boston Globe summarizing the Legislature’s approach to possibly extending further protection to abuse victims. I wholeheartedly support legislation that would eliminate or elongate statutes of limitations for sex abuse.