Product Description

Recent updates:

• Update: August 2024

  Dear Subscriber:

  Thank you for updating your library with the 2024 edition of Massachusetts Evidence: A Courtroom Reference .

  This latest edition incorporates developments on a wide range of topics in Massachusetts evidence, such as

  • the inadmissibility of abuse prevention orders to show only that another judge believed the victim's allegations;

  • further guidance on when a statement will be considered testimonial for purposes of the Confrontation Clause;

  • disallowance of frequent location history (FLH) cellular phone data and related expert testimony to identify the defendant's proximity to the crime scene;

  • deference to the trial judge's decisions on witness competency;

  • application of the rape counselor—victim privilege in circumstances where documents are sought by an out-of-state jurisdiction;

  • scope of the privilege protecting the identity of confidential informants;

  • limitations on expert testimony describing the capacity of the adolescent brain;

  • proposed expert testimony on hair growth to show that the defendant could not have displayed the cornrows observed by eyewitnesses;

  • admissibility of the grand jury testimony of a deceased witness to establish that the witness may have been a third-party culprit;

  • substantially revised materials discussing the authentication of electronic communications; and

  • changes to the evidentiary rules applied in self-defense cases.

  We trust you will find the 2024 edition of Massachusetts Evidence: A Courtroom Reference a valuable resource, as we at MCLE continue our efforts to bring you the latest solutions to the issues you face in your practice.

  Cordially,

  MCLE Press

Table of Contents

Chapter 01 expand

Introduction and Exclusion of Evidence; Burdens of Proof

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J.W. Carney, Jr., Esq., Carney, Gaudet & Carney
Addison R. Gamliel, Esq., Committee for Public Counsel Services, Children and Family Law Program

Chapter 02 expand

Judicial Admissions and Evidentiary Admissions

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J.W. Carney, Jr., Esq., Carney, Gaudet & Carney
Daniel J. Gaudet, Esq., Carney, Gaudet & Carney

Chapter 03 expand

Witness Competency

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Neerja Sharma, Esq., Burns & Levinson LLP
Ellen J. Zucker, Esq., Burns & Levinson LLP

Chapter 04 expand

Evidentiary Privileges

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William Eugene Evans, Esq., Goodwin Procter LLP

Chapter 05 expand

Hearsay

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Gilda Tuoni Russell,

Chapter 06 expand

Expert Testimony

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Erin J. Meehan, Esq., Doherty, Wallace, Pillsbury & Murphy, PC
L. Jeffrey Meehan, Esq., Doherty, Wallace, Pillsbury & Murphy, PC

Chapter 07 expand

Unavailable Witnesses

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J.W. Carney, Jr., Esq., Carney, Gaudet & Carney
Nat Carney, Esq., Carney, Gaudet & Carney

Chapter 08 expand

Real Evidence

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J.W. Carney, Jr., Esq., Carney, Gaudet & Carney
Andrea L. Davulis, Esq., McCormack Suny LLC

Chapter 09 expand

Documentary Evidence

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Barbara T. O'Toole, SEVITA
Payal Salsburg, Esq., Laredo & Smith LLP

Chapter 10 expand

Impeachment

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J.W. Carney, Jr., Esq., Carney, Gaudet & Carney
Daniel J. Gaudet, Esq., Carney, Gaudet & Carney

Appendix

Massachusetts Guide to Evidence, 2023 Edition—Quick Reference Version

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