BHPK Welcomes Three New Associates

BHPK is excited to introduce three new attorneys to the firm – please join us in welcoming Natasha Meserve, Crystal Huff and Michael Glennon to our award-winning team of attorneys!

Natasha Meserve joins BHPK after working as counsel for a major insurance company, where she represented policyholders in both individual and business lawsuits, as well as first-party claims, motor vehicle accidents, construction and premises liability cases. She also represented the company on matters of breach of contract and auto body claims. At BHPK, she practices primarily in the areas of employment, civil rights, and insurance defense litigation.

Crystal Huff previously served as Town Solicitor for the Town of Braintree, representing the Town in litigation before administrative agencies, state and federal courts, as well as sec courts of appeal in matters of labor and employment law, land use and environmental law, construction law, election law, permitting and contractual disputes. She also provided comprehensive legal counsel to the Mayor, municipal departments, boards, and the Town Council. She brings extensive experience representing municipalities across the Commonwealth and focuses her practice at BHPK on defending public employers and public entities in complex civil rights and discrimination cases before state and federal courts.

Michael Glennon is an experienced trial attorney specializing in all manner of personal injury and tort claims, criminal law, construction site injuries, civil rights claims, sexual assault and sex-trafficking, and premises liability. Prior to BHPK, he spent over a decade with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, as both an Assistant District Attorney and finally, as Chief of the Juvenile Unit for seven years where he handled youth and adult indictments and investigations of sexual assault, gang crimes involving firearms and significant violence, human trafficking, child pornography, and robberies. He also created and supervised the nationally recognized Juvenile Alternative Resolution (JAR) diversion program. In addition to case work, Mike has been an adjunct faculty member at Suffolk University Law School since 2022, teaching courses in professional responsibility.

Sam Perkins has been inducted into the Lawyers Weekly Hall of Fame for 2024

BHPK is thrilled to share that Sam Perkins has been inducted into the Lawyers Weekly Hall of Fame for 2024! A founding partner here at BHPK, Sam has been an integral part of important and precedent-setting litigation over the past several decades, the likes of which have had wide-ranging implications across the Commonwealth and beyond. In 2006, he was named a Lawyers Weekly Lawyer of the Year for his work to protect women’s reproductive health rights – litigation that forced Wal-Mart to stock Plan B nationwide. His class action victories resulted in both Staples and Pep Boys having to grant substantial refunds to consumers for pricing violations. He has also achieved multi-million-dollar settlements in claims against auto manufacturers and ridesharing companies and scored major recoveries for employees experiencing ethnic and racial discrimination in their jobs.

He is everything the best lawyers should be and we are proud to celebrate every deserving accolade that comes his way. To see the full list of 2024 inductees, please click here: https://masslawyersweekly.com/event/massachusetts-lawyers-hall-of-fame/

 

 

First Circuit Court of Appeals Affirms District Court Decision Granting Summary Judgment to BHPK’s Municipal Clients

Greg Pagnini and Deidre Regan recently scored a major win in the First Circuit Court of Appeals for their municipal clients. The Plaintiff – a former teacher – alleged that she was terminated from her employment with the Hanover Public Schools after controversial memes she’d posted to her personal TikTok account came to light. The Appeals Court agreed that the Defendants had not violated the Plaintiff’s First Amendment rights, and affirmed the district court’s decision granting summary judgment to BHPK’s municipal clients.

Read the full decision here: https://www.ca1.uscourts.gov/…/opnfiles/23-1817P-01A.pdf

Appeals Court Overturns Denial of Summary Judgment Based on Common Law Immunity

After oral argument in March, the Appellate Court overturned the lower court’s denial of summary judgment for Beverly Police Chief John LeLacheur. BHPK’s Francesca Papia successfully argued that an unintentional disclosure of information cannot form the basis for an invasion of privacy claim under common law immunity principles.

https://www.salemnews.com/news/local_news/lawsuit-over-police-chiefs-tweet-dismissed/article_ca262a76-12cf-11ef-a423-a3217d9dec17.html

 

BHPK’s Francesca Papia and Michael Stefanilo, Jr. secured a dismissal on behalf of their municipal client

BHPK’s Francesca Papia and Michael Stefanilo, Jr. secured a dismissal on behalf of their municipal client against claims of age and disability discrimination brought by a part-time employee who was aggrieved by the Town’s decision to combine two positions. Despite being offered other employment opportunities with the Town, the employee refused them and sued. The case was dismissed after investigation and argument from the parties.

Superior Court Rejects Profit-Sharing as a “Commission” Subject to the Wage Act

On January 31, 2024, in Mehra v. Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC, a Massachusetts Superior Court judge held that profits available under a profitsharing agreement were not “wages” subject to the Massachusetts Wage Act. This case serves as a significant point of reference for both employers and employees navigating the complexities of compensation structures within the purview of the Wage Act.

 

 

BHPK partner Michael Stefanilo, Jr.’s federal litigation currently pending in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts

As a result of BHPK partner Michael Stefanilo, Jr.’s federal litigation currently pending in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, after several years of him and his client and co-counsel fighting for what is right, the VA has announced that it will amend its policy to afford IVF to same-sex couples. This follows the Department of Defense committing to similar changes last month.

The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.

https://news.va.gov/129390/va-provide-vitro-fertilization-veterans-same-sex-marriages/

 

 

BHPK attorney Francesca Papia argued before the Massachusetts Appeals Court this week on behalf of Beverly Police Chief John LeLacheur

BHPK attorney Francesca Papia argued before the Massachusetts Appeals Court this week on behalf of Beverly Police Chief John LeLacheur, arguing that an unintentional disclosure of information cannot form the basis for an invasion of privacy claim under common law immunity principles.

https://www.salemnews.com/news/appeals-court-holds-hearing-on-police-chiefs-tweet-%20case/article%20_%20b72080ac-e075-11ee-a6e6-13581c365fd7.html?fbclid=IwAR2ioBeLpOhdxoL_9vBql9pBtJGNhDzs0VmAsaJg1CrU-Aoia7HPRN6a4Oc

 

 

 

BHPK’s Michael Stefanilo, Jr. spoke on behalf of his client in response to the Commonwealth’s proposal to reimburse LGBTQ+ veterans

BHPK’s Michael Stefanilo, Jr. spoke on behalf of his client in response to the Commonwealth’s proposal to reimburse LGBTQ+ veterans who were wrongfully denied IVF services by the VA, and the federal government’s forthcoming amendments to its policy, ending several years of disparate treatment against a marginalized group of veteran heroes.

“Ms. Sheffield is extremely moved by the Healey Administration’s dedication to advancing the rights of LGBTQ+ veterans, and is honored to learn that her bravery in coming forward has inspired the creation of a pilot program that will serve to protect a vulnerable subset of the veteran population from acts of invidious discrimination,” her attorney, Michael Stefanilo Jr., wrote in an email to GBH News.

https://www.wgbh.org/news/health/2024-02-08/many-lgbtq-unmarried-veterans-in-mass-could-soon-get-ivf-benefits-for-the-first-time?fbclid=IwAR18P74Ea47AHpP0EHusHtFbx8s0-F9aodR4BzKFGDF3J-uhZ-WjYkHL4dU