Questions tagged [massachusetts]
Questions concerning the laws, criminal justice system, civil court procedures and related topics specific to the state of Massachusetts.
130 questions
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If one creates a copy of a copyrighted work for a licenced purpose can one reuse the copy for another purpose?
Multiple lawsuits have been filed relating to training of generative AI models on copyright protected works. A recent suit seems to focus particularly on this aspect. It seems there could also be a ...
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Repair obligations in Massachussets house lease
I am reading the language for a lease. This specific provision stood out to me as potentially significant:
Subject to applicable law, Tenant shall keep and maintain the Leased
Premises and all ...
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Can I be sued for defamation where the subject of the defamation became provable after the alleged defamation?
Suppose I write in a public Facebook post that Joe the Roofer is a liar and a dishonest person. My post causes Joe to lose customers and his revenue decreases.
Joe sues me for defamation.
Shortly ...
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Can a car's infotainment system, or Android Auto, be used while driving as a minor in Massachusetts?
In Massachusetts, the law is that minors cannot use electronic devices. It's not really clear what this involves though. It sounds like I cannot mount my phone to the dashboard and use it that way, ...
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In Massachusetts, is it legal for a management company to knowingly lock someone out of their condominium unit?
In responding to a report of a potential broken water pipe, a condo management company gained access to a unit to investigate the possibility of a broken water pipe. The initial call reporting the ...
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Is a medical provider required to provide a bill and/or receipt for a payment in Massachusetts?
We are currently self-payers for medical services. We found that many providers have trouble dealing with this and in particular it's very difficult to get proper documentation of the services ...
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Legal definition of a "child" in the United States
I notice that in several criminal cases women who are clearly post-pubescent teenagers are being legally characterized as "children", so I am wondering about the terminology here. For ...
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Grounds For Divorce in Massachusetts
If my wife wants to divorce me, does she need my consent? Does she need grounds - like I cheated (which I didn't and would never do).
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After I paid deposit and booked the car, dealer sold it without notifying me [closed]
Day 1: I live in MA, USA. Last month I booked my first car from a local, small dealer by paying $300 deposit and signed the contract agreement. I also notified him that I'm going to take loan so I won'...
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Did I sign a non-solicitation agreement? If so, how do I get out of it? [US, Massachusetts]
Exactly as I described: Wondering if the below contains a non-solicitation agreement or is it referring if any was signed in the past?
What are the terms here exactly?
You acknowledge your continuing ...
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Is a company obligated to pay out vacation time lost due to a use-it-or-lose-it vacation policy?
Let's assume an employer has a use-it-or-lose-it vacation policy that allows employees to carry over 40 hours of vacation time from one year to the next. An employee ends the year with 60 hours of ...
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Are maps from the Massachusetts State Transportation Library in the public domain?
MBTA is the transit agency for Greater Boston, Massachussetts, USA.
The website for the Massachusetts State Transportation Library contains many old MBTA maps and other transit-related items. A user ...
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Red flag laws in MA after threats and evidence of crime [closed]
I will paste my research so far.
Under what circumstances may person A make use of Massachusetts’ red flag law against person B without police cooperation, and what are the consequences of that? ...
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What is a police car?
Is a police department allowed to duct tape lights and a siren to a private vehicle and start using it as a police cruiser? If the only law in question is whether one is "impersonating an officer,...
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Audio recording of intruders in all party consent states
What is the legality of using audio recording in surveillance systems in all party consent states?
For example, suppose I have a security system that has cameras and also microphones located in an all-...
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Was Gay Marriage Legalized in Massachusetts in 2005?
The organization MassResistance claims otherwise:
MassResistance had an interesting day yesterday (4-12-05) at the
Judiciary Committee hearing on the three bills submitted by Article 8
Alliance and ...
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Which has right of way: a funeral procession or a stopped school bus?
In Massachusetts, I recently witnessed a funeral procession going one way on a road. In the other direction on the road was a school bus that stopped opposite the middle of the funeral procession and ...
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What are a debtor's risks in a small claims action
Suppose that several people share an apartment in Massachusetts. Suppose that the utility bills for that appartment were in the name of one resident, A, and A collected shares of the amounts due from ...
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Restrictions on For-Profit Businesses Operating Similar to Non-Profits
Let's say an individual wanted to create a for-profit corporation in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as they have evaluated the non-profit/tax-exempt options and they do not fit the business model ...
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Do 501(c)(7) organizations have to charge dues or fees to members?
(US/MA)
I plan on registering a 501(c)(7) organization out of an existing gaming community. This community is one that requires membership applications, and meets only online. It is highly irregular, ...
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Kids climbing fence to pass through yard - homeowner's liablity?
Suppose a property owner does not mind if children, say aged 11 to 13, climb over their fence to use their property as a shortcut.
What would their liability be if one of these children hurt ...
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Can one use evidence obtained in NY in an MA court - specifically about wiretapping laws
New York is a one-party consent state. This means that only one party must consent to the recording of an in-person or telephone conversation. It is an E felony under New York's wiretapping law to ...
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Boston, MA Condo association occupancy limitations
I was looking at apartments in Boston, MA and found one that I liked. 2 bedrooms 1 bathroom.
I was going to move with my partner and one other friend. My partner and I would share a room.
I was told ...
NoobsWeStand
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Is blacklisting allowed after I have put my notice in and acquired a new job elsewhere?
I am a Massachusetts citizen and I am also a disabled vet.
I work at a large company as a programmer/developer, and I have decided to put my 2 week notice in after many frustrations and overall ...
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Naturalized Certificate required for Shall-Issue Firearms License
In my state of Massachusetts, before being able to purchase any firearms, you must obtain a Firearms Identification (FID) license or a License to Carry (LTC).
Suppose that someone is in the process ...
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As a paid-hourly employee, am I subject to wages over the maximum hours set forth by a contract?
I work in MA.
I am currently paid hourly. My current contract states
Number of work hours per week: 40 hrs
however, the employer and I have an understanding that I may work more hours. The employer ...
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Are there laws protecting borrowers from predatory practices in early loan payoff
In many cases, when you have a loan, you are able to pay the entire loan off early with a lump sum, rather than continuing to make regular, scheduled payments over an extended time period. The general ...
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Can A Person Be Convicted For Impersonating A Medical Professional Through Text Messaging?
Given that there's Person A and Person B:
Let's say that Person B decides to play two pranks - maybe with the intent to cause emotional distress to Person A - both instances by pretending to be in a ...
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Court order during custody battle [closed]
If it's relevant, this is in Massachusetts.
I have a situation where there is a custody battle going on and the two parties are under a temporary court order while the case is being processed (...
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Can my landlord ask for a fee for a non-executed lease?
In my lease, my landlord stipulated that on or before March 1st, he was going to email us a new lease (presumably for the next year), and we had to respond within 5 days whether or not we accepted ...
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What's the penalty for selling stolen digital files?
Is there a penalty for selling stolen digital files? Is it the same as selling other illegal goods? Is there no specific provision about it? If applicable, is there a Massachusetts-specific provision ...
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Does anyone know if there's an equivalent to the New South Wales Property and Contract act in Massachusetts?
I'm looking to see if there's an equivalent to the (Property and Contracts) Act 1970 of New South Wales in the US, specifically the part pertaining to minors.
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Can a minor act as an officer or director of a corporation?
I have two questions:
I was wondering if a minor could act as an officer of a corporation; and
if a minor can act as a director on a board of directors in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
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Is it legal for public schools to require video for remote classes?
Is it legal for public schools to require a student to run a webcam-video for remote classes in Massachusetts?
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Can a minor serve as a company's registered agent?
Can a minor serve as a registered agent for a company in Massachusetts?
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Is it lawful for banks to turn away minors?
Is it okay for a bank to turn away minors solely based on age even if they have a parent/guardian to sign/co-sign on the minor's behalf? Would it be considered age discrimination?
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Is it unlawful for a minor to own shares of a company?
I was wondering if it was unlawful for a minor to own shares of a company in Massachusetts if the company bylaws allow for it.
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Liability for felony theft in Massachusetts [closed]
I recently discovered that my recent ex-girlfriend had been stealing money from me. She had stolen my credit card information and used it to purchase Visa Gift Cards on Amazon. This occurred during ...
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What is the difference between the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts and the Supreme Judicial Court for Suffolk County?
It is my understanding that the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts is the highest state court in the state of Massachusetts. However, I have also heard reference to the Supreme Judicial Court for ...
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Knives out - inheritance
In the movie Knives Out (2019) there is a specific type of inheritance.
Could he really do it like this ? Could he omit all of his descendants and bequest his property to a non-family member ? (...
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Adverse possession in MA, USA
X bought property recently in MA.
X does land survey for the purpose of building fence.
Survey reveals:
(1) row of small plants of neighbor Y is inside X property.
(2) old fence between neighbor Y and ...
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I owe rent for a month and my landord is threatening me to move my stuff out of the house
(Note: I know a similar question has been asked but this is slightly different in terms of the agreement and I also have specific location information which might help come up to a better conclusion.)
...
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What is the most effective way to contest poorly enforced speed restrictions?
I live in a fairly desirable area with one drawback: my apartment overlooks a multi-lane restricted access parkway. I'd prefer not to say more for privacy reasons. Until recently, it's been only a ...
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Do You Have to Identify Yourself to Police if Suspected of Underage Drinking? [MA, U.S.]
I was doing some reading on the laws relating to this, and I can't seem to get a clear answer. According to this source https://www.mattmlaw.com/blog/2013/04/underage-drinking-convictions-can-be-...
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Circumstances where Eminent Domain cannot condemn intellectual property?
Would it be possible to effectively prevent Eminent Domain from being used on intellectual property?
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Is There a Legal Distance to Slow Down After Passing a Speed Limit Sign of a Lower Speed? [MA]
I recently moved to Western Massachusetts from New Hampshire, where speed limit changes of 10+ MPH are always marked with "reduced speed ahead" signs. According to the Massachusetts government website:...
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paying debt collector's invalid rent claim, then suing landlord for money back [closed]
TLDR: terminated lease after continued upstairs noise, landlord sent debt collector, trying to decide if should pay debt collector and sue landlord for money back.
We had been renting an apartment in ...
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Increased speed limit and decreased speed limit signs located ~1/3 mile apart on opposite side of road. When is it legal to increase speed?
Sorry for the confusing title, this is kind of hard to describe. I just moved to western MA. In my new town, there is this road where on one side, the speed limit goes from 40 to 30, but on the other ...
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Should I be worried about an illegal statement from my landlord?
In a letter I received when moving into a new apartment (which mostly covered standard move-in logistics) my landlord wrote that there would be a late fee imposed if rent was received more than 5 ...
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How does the prohibition on late rent fees work in MA?
In Massachusetts, USA,
a landlord cannot charge interest or a penalty on late rent until 30
days after the due date. However, the landlord can begin the eviction
process immediately, even if ...
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