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Bristol Superior Court Issues Preliminary Injunction Decision in Favor of Fall River Mayor, Represented by Peter Mello and Matthew Feeney of Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP

On October 10, 2019, the Bristol Superior Court issued a decision denying the Fall River City Council’s motion for a preliminary injunction, through which the City Council sought to require Fall River Mayor Jasiel F. Correia II to relinquish control of his Office. While the City Council argued that a certain provision of the Fall River Charter affords the Council broad discretion to take such action, in denying the City Council’s motion the Court rejected the Council’s interpretation, in part upon principles of statutory construction requiring that the Court construe the relevant Charter provision in its context. The Court also noted, among other things, that the Charter’s history likewise supports the Court’s decision.

Peter Mello and Matthew Feeney, of Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP represented Mayor Correia in this matter. MHTL is a law firm that serves private, public and nonprofit clients in the full range of practice areas, including litigation, labor and employment, governmental and municipal law. Attorney Mello serves as the President of the Massachusetts Municipal Lawyers Association. The Massachusetts municipal law bar association is comprised of hundreds of members who provide legal services to cities and towns or otherwise devote a substantial portion of their practice to the advancement of municipal law. At MHTL, Attorney Mello advises and represents clients with respect to a variety of legal issues in litigation and other matters. Peter Mello’s clients include private companies and organizations, municipalities and other governmental entities.

Latest News

Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP Receives Favorable Decision for Town of Dracut

  On April 11, 2023, MHTL Attorneys Peter Mello and Madison Harris-Parks represented the Town of Dracut, and successfully obtained a preliminary injunction order requiring, among other things, that the Defendant homeowners cease renting out their pool to the public. The case, Town of Dracut by and Through Its Building Inspector vs. Nason, Gilbert et al., was initiated by the Town after the Defendants failed to comply with the Town’s associated underlying zoning enforcement order. The Town requested the injunction Read More

Legal Updates

EXTENSION OF MUNICIPAL RELIEF MEASURES - INCLUDING OPEN MEETING LAW REMOTE OPTION - SIGNED BY THE GOVERNOR

The option for public bodies in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to hold public meetings remotely or in a hybrid fashion, which came into play at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, has been extended by the General Court for another two years, until March 31, 2025. The Governor signed the legislation, which will be codified at Chapter 2 of the Acts of 2023, on March 29, 2023. Because of the inclusion of an emergency preamble, the law goes into effect immediately.

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