Representative matters & published decisions

Selected trial results, appellate decisions, and consequential mandates across criminal, civil, family, and business litigation.

Attorney advertising. Each matter depends on its own facts. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.

A record of decisive victories.

Trial results, recoveries, dismissals, acquittals, and appellate decisions shaped by the facts and law of each matter.

$100M+ Verdicts & recoveries
38 Detailed matter pages
18k+ Combined cases handled
15+ Countries · 40+ jurisdictions

Spotlight

High-visibility mandates

Matters with dedicated summaries, press coverage, and video on this site—complex, consequential, and often nationally watched.

State & federal experience
2008 · Wrongful deathMassachusetts civil courts
Recovery

$28.1M reported aggregate recovery

Estate of Del Valle v. Multiple Defendants

Wrongful-death litigation following the Boston Central Artery tunnel ceiling collapse. Public reporting reflects a reported aggregate recovery of $28.1 million; damages always depend on individual evidence, parties, and available insurance.

2012 · Public corruptionMassachusetts criminal courts
Dismissal

All charges dismissed after mistrial

Commonwealth v. Timothy Cahill

High-stakes public-corruption prosecution of a former Massachusetts state treasurer. After a mistrial, all charges were dismissed—a result that reflects focused pretrial strategy, trial preparation, and case-specific dynamics.

2026 · Firearms licensing appealMassachusetts Appeals Court
Appellate win

License ordered granted; denial reversed

Massachusetts Appeals Court firearms licensing appeal

The Appeals Court reversed a firearms-license denial and ordered the license granted, holding that a spouse could not be denied an LTC based on the chief's characterization of the applicant's husband as unsuitable.

2025 · DCF / SJC impoundmentMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Appellate win

SJC held journalist demonstrated good cause for impounded records

Department of Children & Families v. Mother et al.

The Supreme Judicial Court held that a journalist demonstrated good cause to access impounded Juvenile Court audio from high-profile Harmony Montgomery care-and-protection proceedings—a landmark ruling on public access to sealed child-welfare records.

2009 · Criminal trialMassachusetts criminal courts
Trial defense

Nationally televised kidnapping trial defense

Commonwealth v. Gerhartsreiter

Defense counsel in the nationally televised prosecution of Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter—the man who posed as Clark Rockefeller—for kidnapping his daughter amid parallel murder investigations in California and elsewhere.

2026 · DCF / care and protection appealMassachusetts Appeals Court
Appellate win

Dismissal vacated; Juvenile Court proceedings reinstated

Care and Protection of Prince

The Massachusetts Appeals Court vacated dismissal of a father's care-and-protection petition and held that a Juvenile Court action under G. L. c. 119, §§ 24-26 remains distinct from a pending Probate and Family Court custody case under G. L. c. 209C.

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Opinions

Published decisions

Reported opinions—the firm's written record in Massachusetts and federal courts.

Care and Protection of Prince, 25-P-1124 (2026)

Massachusetts Appeals Court · Jennifer Lamanna

Appeals Court vacated dismissal and held that a G. L. c. 119 care-and-protection petition remains distinct from a pending Probate and Family Court custody action.

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S.P. v. S.A.R., 23-P-1455 (2025)

Massachusetts Appeals Court · Jennifer Lamanna

Affirmed a divorce modification awarding sole legal and primary physical custody where the record supported the child's need for ABA therapy.

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Shak v. Shak, 484 Mass. 658 (2020)

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · Jennifer Lamanna

Sweeping nondisparagement orders held unconstitutional prior restraints.

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Partanen v. Gallagher, 475 Mass. 632 (2016)

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · Jennifer Lamanna

Vacated dismissal and clarified presumptive-parent status for qualifying non-biological parents.

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Alameddine v. Karolow, 67 Mass. App. Ct. 1101 (2006)

Massachusetts Appeals Court · Jennifer Lamanna

Medical-malpractice dismissal vacated after the offer of proof was held sufficient to raise a legitimate question of liability.

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United States v. Tedeschi, 774 F.2d 511 (1985)

First Circuit · Jeffrey A. Denner

Published opinion addressing Speedy Trial Act exclusions for suppression-motion practice in a federal conspiracy prosecution.

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United States v. Porter, 764 F.2d 1 (1985)

First Circuit · Jeffrey A. Denner

Consolidated federal criminal appeal addressing Miranda counsel invocation, government conduct, and trial issues.

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Commonwealth v. Almeida, 373 Mass. 266 (1977)

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · Jeffrey A. Denner

SJC opinion applying Terry principles to a threshold inquiry and protective automobile search in a firearms prosecution.

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Socialist Workers Party v. Davoren, 378 F. Supp. 1245 (1974)

District of Massachusetts · Jeffrey A. Denner

Three-judge federal court decision addressing First Amendment, equal-protection, and Massachusetts ballot-access claims.

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Commonwealth v. Selby, 426 Mass. 168 (1997)

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · Jeffrey A. Denner

Published SJC decision reviewing first-degree murder and armed-assault convictions under G. L. c. 278, § 33E.

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Complete library

All case summaries

Every representative matter links to a full page with narrative, official news sources, and related practice areas.

2006Murder defense
Dismissal

All charges dismissed; $400K award

Commonwealth v. Edmund Burke

High-profile murder prosecution ending in dismissal of all charges. The client also obtained a $400,000 award in related proceedings—reflecting the catastrophic stakes of a capital-grade case that never should have reached trial.

2020First Amendment / family law
Constitutional win

Sweeping nondisparagement orders held unconstitutional

Shak v. Shak

The SJC held that broad nondisparagement orders in divorce proceedings constitute unconstitutional prior restraints on speech—protecting a parent's right to discuss the case publicly without court-imposed gag orders.

2016Parentage
Appellate win

SJC vacated dismissal; clarified presumptive-parent status

Partanen v. Gallagher

The SJC vacated dismissal of a non-biological parent's complaint and clarified when a person qualifies as a presumptive parent under Massachusetts law—landmark precedent for LGBTQ+ families and assisted reproduction.

2025Custody modification
Appellate win

Affirmed sole legal and primary physical custody

S.P. v. S.A.R.

The Appeals Court affirmed a divorce modification awarding sole legal and primary physical custody where the record supported the child's need for ABA therapy and a stable custodial environment.

2006Federal criminal trial
Acquittal

Not guilty at federal jury trial

United States v. LaFleur

Federal jury acquittal of a police officer charged in a high-stakes federal prosecution. The verdict followed focused trial preparation challenging the government's evidence and witness credibility.

—Criminal defense
Acquittal

Acquitted at trial

Middlesex Superior Court

Trial acquittal of a Division I college athlete facing sexual assault allegations in Middlesex Superior Court—a case where campus conduct policies, media attention, and criminal exposure converged.

—White collar
Sentencing outcome

48 months with programming

Federal sentencing

Sentencing representation in one of the largest reported private-sector embezzlements in Massachusetts history—securing a 48-month sentence with programming in a case carrying decades of exposure.

—Federal trial
Acquittal

Not guilty at federal jury trial

District of Massachusetts

Federal jury acquittal in an undercover sting prosecution involving alleged luxury-vehicle and money-laundering conduct—a case built on government orchestration that the jury rejected.

—Civil rights
Recovery

Civil recovery after dismissed charges

Section 1983 / state tort

Cluster of high-profile wrongful prosecution and Section 1983 matters securing civil recovery for clients whose criminal cases ended in dismissal or acquittal—holding government actors accountable after failed prosecutions.

2015Murder / insanity defense
Guilty but insane

Guilty but not criminally responsible

Commonwealth v. Edwin Alemany

Defense counsel in the high-profile prosecution of Edwin Alemany for a South Boston assault and murder—presenting insanity defense evidence that resulted in a finding of guilty but not criminally responsible.

2008Civil verdict / appeal
Verdict upheld

$3.6M verdict upheld on appeal

Civil action — Bulger/Flemmi victim estate

The firm secured and defended a $3.6 million civil verdict for victims of Whitey Bulger and Stephen Flemmi—upheld on appeal against challenges from defendants tied to Boston's most notorious criminal enterprise.

2003Federal civil rights
Published decision

Federal civil-rights accountability litigation

McIntyre v. United States

Federal civil-rights and government-accountability litigation resulting in a published District Court decision—addressing government conduct and constitutional obligations.

1995Business litigation
Published decision

High-stakes shareholder and fiduciary dispute

Kettenbach v. Demoulas

High-stakes shareholder and fiduciary dispute litigation in the Demoulas supermarket empire—resulting in a published federal decision at 901 F. Supp. 486 addressing corporate governance and shareholder rights.

—Military appellate
Appellate practice

Courts-martial appellate representation

United States v. Rexroad

Appellate representation before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces in a courts-martial matter—part of the firm's integrated military justice practice.

2006Criminal appeal
Conviction reversed

Conviction reversed on appeal

Appellate review — rape conviction

The Appeals Court reversed a 2004 rape conviction of a Harvard-affiliated student—holding that the trial judge erred in instructing the jury on intoxication and consent.

2006Firearms / violent crime
Trial defense

New Hampshire firearms and violent crime defense

Commonwealth v. LaBarre

Defense counsel in a New Hampshire firearms and violent-crime prosecution—a cross-border matter requiring coordination with out-of-state courts and New England firearms law.

2006Police officer defense
Cleared

Officer cleared of aiding crime boss

Fall River police officer prosecution

A Fall River police officer was cleared of charges alleging he helped a local crime boss—vindicating a law-enforcement client facing career-ending prosecution.

2006International criminal defense
Trial defense

International trial defense — wife's scuba death

International homicide prosecution

Defense counsel for a Rhode Island man facing trial in the Caribbean in connection with his wife's scuba diving death—a matter requiring international coordination and forensic dive-accident analysis.

2007White collar
Defense outcome

Insider trading charges — guilty plea negotiation

Federal insider trading prosecution

Defense counsel for a former Merck analyst facing federal insider trading charges—a white-collar prosecution in the pharmaceutical and securities enforcement context.

1999Murder defense
Released

Suspect freed — charges not sustained

Cape Cod homicide investigation

Defense counsel secured release of a client suspected in a Cape Cod park killing—demonstrating early intervention before charges crystallized into a prosecutable case.

1991Extradition / murder defense
Extradition defense

Suspect held; extradition contested

U.S. extradition proceedings

Defense counsel in extradition proceedings for a client held in the United States on a British murder warrant—contesting removal to the United Kingdom for trial.

2013Police administrative / criminal
Rank challenge

Detective rank restoration litigation

Boston police rank demotion challenge

Representation of a demoted Boston police detective battling to regain rank—a matter combining administrative discipline, criminal exposure, and career preservation.

2006Homicide defense
Trial defense

Defense in double homicide prosecution

Double homicide prosecution

Defense counsel for a woman prosecuted for killing two boyfriends—a nationally covered homicide case where the defense contested the Commonwealth's theory of intentional murder.

2006Medical malpractice appeal
Appellate win

Dismissal vacated; malpractice claim allowed to proceed

Alameddine v. Karolow

The Appeals Court held that the plaintiff's medical-malpractice offer of proof was sufficient to raise a legitimate question of liability, replaced the tribunal's finding, and vacated the judgment of dismissal.

1985Federal criminal appeal
Published decision

First Circuit Speedy Trial Act ruling

United States v. Tedeschi

Published First Circuit criminal appeal addressing Speedy Trial Act exclusions for time reasonably necessary to resolve pretrial suppression motions.

1985Federal criminal appeal
Published decision

Consolidated First Circuit appeal; one conviction reversed

United States v. Porter

Consolidated First Circuit appeal arising from a federal marijuana-conspiracy trial and addressing Miranda counsel invocation, government conduct, confrontation, jury instructions, and evidentiary issues.

1977Firearms suppression appeal
Published decision

SJC ruling on a vehicle protective search

Commonwealth v. Almeida

Published Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court opinion analyzing a Terry-style threshold inquiry and protective search of an automobile in a firearms prosecution.

1974Constitutional election litigation
Published decision

Three-judge federal court ballot-access ruling

Socialist Workers Party v. Davoren

Federal constitutional challenge to Massachusetts ballot-access statutes brought by the Socialist Workers Party, its candidates, and voters before a three-judge District Court panel.

1997First-degree murder appeal
Published decision

SJC plenary review of murder conviction

Commonwealth v. Selby

Published Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision reviewing a first-degree murder conviction, an armed-assault conviction, evidentiary rulings, and the scope of relief under G. L. c. 278, § 33E.

Counsel

Lead counsel

Jeffrey A. Denner

Founding partner

Federal and state criminal defense, First Circuit appeals, civil-rights litigation, and nationally watched trial matters.

Full biography

Jennifer Lamanna

Founding partner

Massachusetts appellate practice, parentage and constitutional family-law issues, and complex civil litigation.

Full biography

Edward Gainor

Attorney

Firearms licensing appeals, civil litigation, and Section 1983 defense in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Full biography

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