Latest Massachusetts Headlines
All the headlines from our Massachusetts Topic Page, ordered by recency.
NOAA: U.S. Withstands Record 25 Disasters in 2023
Nov 15 2023 // Another billion-dollar disaster was confirmed in October, bringing the total to a record 25 such disasters in the first 10 months — the largest number of disasters for any year since NOAA began tracking the events. These...
Judge Upholds $24M Award in Suit by Employee With Social Anxiety Disorder
Nov 14 2023 // A federal district court judge in Massachusetts has upheld a $24 million jury award for a woman who sued her employer for retaliation and discrimination because of her social anxiety disorder. The employer, PPD...
GE Settles Claims a Massachusetts Plant Sold Improperly Inspected Parts to Army, Navy
Nov 13 2023 // General Electric’s aerospace unit agreed on Monday to pay $9.4 million to settle federal government claims that a Massachusetts plant sold parts to the U.S. Army and Navy that were not properly inspected or did not...
Plumbing Supply Firm Fights Sales Reps’ Court Award of $3.2M Overtime Wages
Nov 7 2023 // The U.S. Department of Labor expects to recover more than $3.2 million in overtime back wages for more than 700 inside sales representatives of the F.W. Webb plumbing supply company. DOL has accused F.W. Webb of...
Member of Crew Tied to 490 Catalytic Converter Thefts Pleads Guilty
Oct 30 2023 // A Springfield, Massachusetts man pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston last week to his role in a regional organized theft crew that stole catalytic converters from over 490 vehicles. According to Acting U.S. Attorney...
EPA Urges Ban on Chemical Cited in ‘Civil Action’ Movie About Massachusetts City
Oct 30 2023 // The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week proposed banning the cancer-causing chemical trichloroethylene, which can be found in consumer products including automobile brake cleaners, furniture care and arts and...
Asleep at Wheel: When a Medical Emergency Does Not Negate a Driver’s Negligence
Oct 19 2023 // A driver who suffers a sudden medical emergency and crashes into another vehicle may be held liable for the accident even if never diagnosed with the condition or never advised not to drive. If the driver knew or should...
70-Year-Old Man Settles With Catholic Diocese Over Sex Abuse Suffered at Age 8
Oct 16 2023 // A 70-year-old man who recently reached a settlement with a Roman Catholic diocese in Massachusetts over sexual abuse he suffered at age 8 said Wednesday he is speaking out because “my voice was taken away from me for...
Injured Worker Compensated in Rhode Island Barred From Suing in Massachusetts
Oct 3 2023 // An injured worker who collects workers’ compensation in Rhode Island cannot sue his employer in Massachusetts, according to a ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Court. Both states bar any other recovery once an...
Automakers Delay Complying with Massachusetts Data Repair Law
Sep 26 2023 // An auto industry group said on Friday carmakers do not plan to immediately comply with a Massachusetts law requiring them to share vehicle data with independent repair shops citing concerns about potential hacking. The...
Gallagher Buys Massachusetts-based Eastern Insurance
Sep 21 2023 // Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., the global insurance brokerage, has agreed to acquire Massachusetts-based Eastern Insurance Group, a subsidiary of Eastern Bank, Gallagher announced. The move is subject to regulatory...
New England Braces for Lee After Days of Torrential Rains
Sep 14 2023 // Soaked and stunned residents in neighborhoods across Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut have begun surveying and fixing damage from several days of flooding and a reported tornado, while they and others in the...
Already Soaked New England Warned of More Flooding Today, Hurricane Lee on Weekend
Sep 13 2023 // Already saturated communities in New England are facing continued heavy rains with additional flooding today and the prospect of even more bad weather from Hurricane Lee over the coming weekend. The National Weather...
Insurer Mapfre Faces Class Actions Over Data Breach
Sep 13 2023 // Two proposed class actions have been filed in federal court in Massachusetts against Mapfre U.S.A. Corp. and its affiliate Commerce Insurance Co. over a recent data breach that one of the lawsuits contends may have exposed...
Central Massachusetts Experiencing Severe Flash Flooding
Sep 12 2023 // The central Massachusetts city of Leominster and other nearby communities are dealing with severe flash flooding from excessive rainfall. A state of emergency has been declared in Leominster, a city of about 43,000...
Allstate Wins Trade Secret Tiff With Former Agents
Sep 8 2023 // Allstate Insurance has emerged victorious in litigation against two of its former exclusive agents who retained and used Allstate spreadsheets with policyholder information after the insurer terminated their agency...
Roman Bust Seized from Massachusetts Museum in Ongoing Investigation
Sep 7 2023 // A bronze bust believed to depict the daughter of an ancient Roman emperor has been seized from an art museum in Massachusetts by New York authorities investigating antiquities stolen from Turkey. The seizure is the latest...
NHTSA Shifts Gears, No Longer Opposes Massachusetts’ Vehicle Data Access Law
Aug 24 2023 // The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has dropped its opposition to a motor vehicle right-to-repair law in Massachusetts that unlocks vehicle data after the state explained how manufacturers may comply...
Weather Service Confirms Five Tornadoes Hit New England Last Week
Aug 23 2023 // The National Weather Service confirmed that a tornado touched down in Connecticut last Friday, joining a spate of four other twisters detected Friday in New England, including three in Massachusetts and another in Rhode...
Rare New England Tornado Damages Homes, Floods Roads, Topples Trees
Aug 21 2023 // A rare Rhode Island tornado lifted a car off an interstate highway Friday as severe weather swept already storm-weary New England, damaging homes, flooding roads and toppling trees. Tornadoes were reported in several spots...
