News
Murphy Hesse Toomey and Lehane Attorneys Secure Appellate Court Victory
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane attorney, Sarah Spatafore represented the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston in Alessendrinia Menard vs. Archdiocese of Boston. This case concerned allegations of discriminatory conduct from a former employee of a Parish towards her former employer. The employee held the position of Director of Music Ministries for the Parish. All claims of discrimination were denied by the Archdiocese.
Following a Lack of Probable Cause dismissal by the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination on the basis of the ministerial exception and failure to state a prima facie case of discrimination, this case was brought in Massachusetts Superior Court. On Tuesday, citing precedent from both the U.S. Supreme Court, various circuit courts, and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court upheld the decision of the Superior Court to dismiss the complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction due to the ministerial clause of the First Amendment. This decision focused on the fact that the plaintiff in this matter met the legal definition of a ministerial employee, within the scope of the ministerial exception and applicable case law. Prior to issuing its decision, the Appeals Court invited amicus briefs. This case was affirmed by full court.
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane LLP is also known throughout New England for its labor and employment practice as well as its extensive business litigation and advising employers on internal reviews and strategic legal approaches when dealing with the government. The firm also has an extensive education law practice representing public, private, and nonprofit educational institutions from pre-K through the college and university level.
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP Partner Prevails in U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
Attorney Felicia Vasudevan, a partner at Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP, received a favorable decision on behalf of her client, Marshfield Public Schools. The Plaintiff appealed the district court’s judgement that upheld a decision of the Massachusetts Bureau of Special Education Appeals (“BSEA”). However, as the notice was filed more than 30 days after entry, the First Circuit ultimately dismissed the appeal for being untimely. The Plaintiff also appealed the district court’s order, denying her motion to vacate. Read More
New Features of Public Participation at School Committee Meetings
Following our Alert from March 16, 2023, Civility is Dead – The Supreme Court Rules Municipal Control of Public Speak Limited to Reasonable Time/Place/Manner Restrictions, which discussed the holding to the Supreme Judicial Court’s decision in Barron v. Kolenda and the Town of Southborough (SJC-13284), we promised to bring you more detailed guidance on developing a Public Speak policy for your public body or municipality. The Barron case involved a constitutional challenge to the Town of Southborough’s public comment policy, which attempted to impose a code of civility on members of the public who participated in public comment before public bodies. In Barron, the court interpreted the state constitution to mean that public bodies may request, but not require, that public commentators be respectful and courteous. Instead, a public body may set restrictions on reasonable time, place, and manner comments to ensure that the meeting retains an orderly and peaceable manner.

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