PETRUCELLY, NADLER & NORRIS NEWS UPDATE

Professor's estate gets $4m in settlement

Represented by Petrucelly & Nadler, the estate of a professor struck and killed by construction equipment received a $4 million settlement. Boston Globe story.

Petrucelly Interviewed About Schiavo Case


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Attorney Jeffrey Petrucelly was interviewed as an experienced legal expert on March 22, 2005, by Emily Rooney host of WGBH's news show 'Greater Boston.'

During the interview, Attorney Petrucelly explained the importance of every person having a Living Will or Health Care Proxy, as it is known in Massachusetts.

A Health Care Proxy specifies a person's wishes with regard to life sustaining and life support so that divisive family feuds, such as in Ms. Schiavo's case need not be repeated.

To get additional information about this important legal document, feel free to contact Attorney Petrucelly by email or telephone.

To view Attorney Petrucelly's interview with Emily Rooney, click here.

Victory for Boston Voters:
Court Orders Legislature to Redraw District Lines

On February 24, 2004, a Three Judge Panel of the First Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States District Court unanimously decided that the 2001 Redistricting Act that established new districts for the Massachusetts House of Representatives was in violation of the United States Voting Rights Act.  As such, the Court enjoined the November, 2004 election of the Boston delegation to the House of Representatives until new representative districts were redrawn to be in compliance with the Voting Rights Act.

Burton A. Nadler of Petrucelly & Nadler, P.C. was co-counsel for the Plaintiffs in the case along with The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the Boston law firm of Foley Hoag. There were numerous institutional and individual Plaintiffs, including, but not limited to, the Black Political Task Force, Boston Vote and 'Oiste'

The Court gave the Massachusetts House of Representatives six weeks to re-draw the district lines and submit the new districts to the Court.  It was also ordered that the legislature consult with the Plaintiffs and their counsel before submitting the new districts to the Court.

This case was a great victory for the voters of the City of Boston, a city that for the first time in its history became a majority minority city according to the 2000 Census.  With this decision minority voters will have a greater opportunity to elect State Representatives of their choice without having their votes diluted by gerrymandering of districts to protect white incumbent Representatives.

Petrucelly and Nadler, P.C. was proud to have worked on this historic case and we look forward to continuing to participate in the redistricting process.