News
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP Lawyers Present at the MMHR Labor Relations Law Update
Partner Michael Maccaro and attorney Paul King presented at the Massachusetts Municipal Human Resources Association Labor Relations Law Update on October 29, 2020. Mr. Maccaro and Mr. King were introduced on the virtual update by partner, Katherine Hesse. MHTL’s attorneys discussed recent U.S. Supreme Court, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, and Massachusetts Appeals Court cases. A few of the cases included were Bostock v. Clayton County from June 2020, Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home v. Pennsylvania from July 2020, DaPrato v. Mass Water Resources Authority, Parker v. EnerNOC Inc., and Donis v. American Waste Services, LLC. Next, they gave a brief regulatory update with agency updates and the recent changes and amendments regarding OSHA. Mr. Maccaro and Mr. King also talked about The Families First Coronavirus Relief Act, specifically the employee leave entitlements. Lastly, they reviewed Governor Baker’s COVID-19 Order No. 45, which was signed by the Governor on July 24, 2020.
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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