The Privilege of Union: Examining the Long Arc of Privileges in Massachusetts
Massachusetts has long enshrined the sanctity of the attorney-client privilege. In civil cases, Massachusetts also recognizes the common interest or joint litigation doctrine, the work product doctrine, the marital disqualification doctrine, the priest-penitent privilege, the psychotherapist-patient privilege, the allied mental health professional-client privilege, the social worker-client privilege, the rape counselor-victim privilege, the domestic violence counselor-victim […]
Acknowledgement, Participation and Consent: SJC Examines The Hallmarks of Parentage
In 2014, Plaintiff Karen Partanen filed a complaint in the Probate and Family Court seeking to establish legal parentage of two young children. The complaint alleged that she and the defendant, Julie Gallagher, had been in a committed, non-marital relationship between 2001 and 2013. Using in vitro fertilization, and with Partanen’s “full acknowledgment, participation, and […]
