Latest news with #AmyKarangekis
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Most claims against AG's office in wrongful termination suit to move forward
SPRINGFIELD — Most claims made in a wrongful termination suit alleging age discrimination and retaliation within the state Attorney General's Office will continue, according to court documents. Last August, Bart Q. Hollander, a former employee with the AG's office, filed a lawsuit against 10 of his former employers and colleagues, alleging that he was discriminated and retaliated against because of his age and for speaking out. He also claims he was wrongfully terminated. One of the named defendants in the lawsuit is prosecutor Amy Karangekis, who was nominated to be a judge for the Massachusetts Superior Court late last month. Karangekis was confirmed by the Governor's Council, the eight-member elected body that confirms judicial nominations at a hearing earlier this month, according to Karissa Hand, the spokesperson for Gov. Maura Healey. She will be sworn in on June 30. Hollander was a former senior employee of the Springfield Regional Office of the AG's office, serving in two roles — regional chief of the office and senior trial counsel — over the course of a decade between 2013 and 2023, according to his complaint. He made 13 claims against his former employers in the civil complaint, including coercion and intimidation, aiding and abetting, and deprivation of his First Amendment rights. Hampshire Superior Court Judge Bertha D. Josephson upheld six of those claims, and partially maintained a seventh claim in a memorandum an order filed June 6. The claim that was partially upheld was a state violation. The federal law violation counterpart was dismissed. Josephson also dismissed Hollander's claims of his First Amendment rights being violated. To have a successful age discrimination claim, Hollander must prove that he was over 40 and was harmed by discrimination, according to Josephson's memorandum and order. The Supreme Judicial Court has held that age disparities of less than five years are 'too insignificant,' the memorandum and order said. Hollander, who was 54 when he was terminated, claims he was replaced by someone about 22 years younger. A claim, the judge said, is sufficient. Hollander states that he complained about age-based discrimination and/or retaliation for complaining about the discrimination on five specific occasions. Inferences Hollander made about certain statements he alleged his employers said to him referred to 'his longevity at his job and, inferentially, his age,' the memorandum said. The AG's office and 10 employees named in the complaint in February filed a motion to dismiss Hollander's allegations that he was retaliated against; Josephson denied the motion. Hollander claimed that other than Liza Tran, the primary defendant, the other nine defendants each played a role in aiding and abetting the alleged discriminatory statements based on his age. 'Here, the plaintiff has adequately alleged that his employment was terminated because of his age,' the judge said about specific allegations against two of the defendants, AG Andrea Joy Campbell and her first assistant, Patrick Moore. Hollander alleges Campbell and Moore received an email from Hollander where he complained of Tran's and others' discriminatory and retaliatory conduct, and that they decided to terminate his employment as a result. The only claim that was wholly dismissed was Hollander's allegation that his First Amendment rights were infringed upon when he spoke out about the alleged discrimination as a public employee. To successfully argue the First Amendment retaliation claim as a public employee, Hollander must establish that he was 'speaking as a citizen on a matter of public concern,' that his interests in commenting on matters of public concern outweighed his employer's interest in its efficiency in performic public services through its employees, and that what he said was a 'substantial or motivating factor in the adverse employment decision,' the memorandum and order said. The defendants must now submit discovery documents as the case moves forward. Campbell, the attorney general, and Moore, her first assistant attorney general, 'face personal liability' for Hollander's wrongful termination claim, according to an emailed statement from Tim Kotfila, the Springfield attorney representing Hollander. 'The (AG's office) and these 10 individual defendants have dodged and delayed properly-served discovery for nine months, and now that Mr. Hollander will receive discovery responses from the defendants, his case is going to strengthen with every passing day,' the statement continued. The AG's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Commission OK's more casino mitigation money, but the well may be running dry Walter Gunn resigns from Longmeadow Planning Board amid town tensions Celebrating Latino heritage: Pedro Veras leads mural project in Springfield Springfield police confiscate 11 guns, arrest 8 in 3 operations over 2 days Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Confirmation hearings next week for WMass AG's regional chief nominated for judgeship
SPRINGFIELD — There will be two public confirmation hearings next week for the regional chief of the Western Massachusetts division of the Attorney General's Office who was nominated recently for judgeship. Attorney Amy Karangekis, who has served as the regional chief since 2018, was nominated by Gov. Maura Healey for a judgeship on the Massachusetts Superior Court bench earlier this month. On June 2 and 4, there will be public confirmation hearings for Karangekis, the next step of the judicial process before a judge is appointed. The hearings will be chaired by Tara Jacobs, the District 8 representative for the Governor's Council, the body responsible for confirming nominated judges. Jacobs is the council's only member from Western Massachusetts. If confirmed, Karangekis would be the fifth person from Western Massachusetts nominated by the Healey administration to Superior Court. Judges Tracy E. Duncan, Deepika Shukla, Jeffrey Trapani and Charles Groce III were all previously nominated and appointed. Throughout her tenure with the AG's office, Karangekis has overseen staff and attorneys in the criminal and civil divisions, according to a statement. She also has prosecuted human trafficking cases, organized crime, gaming enforcement, and enterprise and major crimes. Last year, Karangekis represented the commonwealth in a case against two massage parlors in Springfield that were involved in a prostitution and money-laundering operation. She was also named as a defendant in a wrongful termination lawsuit against the AG's office. The plaintiff in that case, Bart Q. Hollander, alleged members of the AG's office discriminated against him because of his age. A request to the AG's office to interview Karangekis about her nomination went unanswered. Prior to becoming the regional chief, Karangekis was the deputy regional chief and the managing attorney for the Springfield office, a role she'd had for three years, between 2015 and 2018. She was hired to be an assistant attorney general in 2008. Before joining the Attorney General's Office, Karangekis was a contract attorney for law firms in Massachusetts and Maine. She was also an adjunct professor at the New England School of Law. Karangekis was nominated alongside Judge Asha White, who has served as the first justice of the Woburn District Court since last July. Shots-fired call leads to 2 arrests in Holyoke Muppet-based dollmaker in Wilbraham helps PBS with $10K fundraising effort After four decades, Cornucopia prepares to leave Northampton E-bike rider killed in collision in Springfield Read the original article on MassLive.
