News
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP Attorney Triumphs in Appeals Court for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Kevin S. Freytag, an attorney with Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP, represented the Town of Milton in front of the appeals court in February of this year. This case, Kali Family Limited Partnership v. Town of Milton & another, was brought to appeals court by the plaintiff after a final judgement ruled in favor of the defendant. The plaintiff originally filed a lawsuit against the Town of Milton because “the town was unjustly enriched by what Kali described as excessive tax assessments”, but the trial judge later ruled that “Kali was not entitled to equitable relief.” Once taken to appeal, the plaintiff referenced the case Tax Collector of Braintree v. J.G. Grant & Sons, Inc. as an administrative remedy of abatement. However, the plaintiff failed to adequately provide proof that the circumstances mentioned in Tax Collector of Braintree were also present in this case. Ultimately, the appeals court agreed with the trial judges verdict that “Kali’s exclusive remedy was the administrative remedy of abatement.
Kevin S. Freytag is a member of the firm’s Litigation practice. He represents individuals, businesses and municipalities in a wide range of disputes in the areas of construction, labor and employment, land use and real-estate tax. He has also effectively represented clients at the Appellate Tax Board as well as the Massachusetts Appeals Court. Mr. Freytag received his Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School. He was a member of the Trial Team and earned the honor of 2006 New England National Trial Competition Regional Champion. Mr. Freytag received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stonehill College. Before entering private practice, he spent five years working at the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office where he prosecuted countless cases in District and Superior Court. Mr. Freytag is admitted to practice in all state courts in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
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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