News
March 5, 2023
Northeast Legal Aid’s 2021 Annual Report
We are excited to present to our community, Northeast Legal Aid’s 2021 Annual Report. This report is complete with stories from our clients and features details of some of the cases we have been working on throughout 2021. To learn more about the ways in which Northeast Legal Aid & The Northeast Justice Center assist low-income and elderly people in Northeast Massachusetts Click here to see the full report.
July 20, 2021
In Loving Memory of Attorney Marc Potvin (1954-2021)
Marc Potvin, a lifelong spirited anti-poverty activist, loving father and passionate partner for the past thirty-five years passed away on July 9, 2021 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He spent most of his career working for nonprofit organizations that served to empower low-income individuals in the communities of Peabody, Salem, Lynn and Lawrence, Massachusetts. Marc led a life of meaningful purpose. For the last forty-five years, Marc served as a community activist and then community lawyer. As a legal services attorney, Marc was recognized as a leader in helping tenants, community organizations and local government design affordable housing strategies for low-income families and the homeless. He was recently officially recognized by the Trial Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for extraordinary advocacy and commitment to justice for low-income people and his tireless efforts to ensure the right to safe and affordable housing for all residents of Massachusetts . Additionally, the Massachusetts State Senate awarded him an Official Citation for his legal work on behalf of low-income clients and passed a resolution commending him for his career and life long dedication to public service. Marc was a truly caring and committed co-worker and lawyer. He demonstrated tremendous respect for everyone, from clerks and secretaries, to opposing counsel, and, most importantly, to his clients. His strong belief in kindness and compassion will be missed by everyone, including the many law students and young attorneys he mentored throughout his time at legal services.
Donations in tribute to Marc may be made to Lynn United for Change Empowerment Project where Marc and Brenda have established a legacy fund in honor of Marc’s memory. The fund has been endowed with $10,000 of matching funds. Checks may be mailed to Lynn United for Change Empowerment Project, 112 Exchange Street, Lynn, MA 01901, made payable to “City Life” (the sponsor) with “Lynn United Empowerment” written on the memo line. To donate online: http://www.lynnunitedempowerment.org .
November 17, 2021
Oakhill Class Action Settlement
NOTICE OF CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT
Have you lived in the Oakhill Manufactured Housing Community in Attleboro, Massachusetts at any time between September 25, 2012 and March 23, 2021?
If yes, a legal Settlement has been proposed in a class action lawsuit that, if approved by the Court, will affect your rights. So please read this notice carefully and submit a Claim Form today!
September 3, 2019
Northeast Justice Center Celebrates Victory
The Northeast Justice Center celebrated a victory for mobile home owners in September. The Massachusetts Appeals Court handed down a judgment in favor of mobile home residents in a class action suit against the park’s corporate owner, RHP Properties. The Northeast Justice Center represented the mobile home residents in their suit against unfair business practices forcing park residents to pay ballooning costs of maintenance at the park.
The Court found that RHP Properties violated the Massachusetts statute protecting mobile home owners against unfair acts that might require them to shoulder undue financial burdens in operating the mobile home park. In this case, RHP properties demanded that park residents pay for the replacement of their heating systems on the exterior of their home. Many park residents could not afford the unexpected costs. However, the state law maintains that replacement of the heating system must the responsibility of the park owner, in this case, RHP Properties.
The Appeals Court of Massachusetts found that the mobile park residents were being exploited by RHP properties and that RHP Properties was in violation of the Attorney General’s regulations protecting mobile home owners. In this case, some park residents could not get heat during the winter because RHP Properties refused to upgrade their broken heating system. One family with two small girls in the home, suffered with temperatures dipping into the 50 degree range during the winter. They could not afford the costs of a new heating system that the park insisted they must pay. Several residents sought legal help from the Northeast Justice Center, where they joined residents into a class action lawsuit. RHP Properties is the largest owner of mobile park homes in the United States, with a portfolio of over $4 billion dollars. With this lawsuit, RHP Properties attempts to require residents of the Chelmsford Mobile Home Park to take on increasing costs of the park’s operation have been thwarted.
April 24, 2017
Chelmsford Mobile Home Residents Reach Settlement in Rent Suit
"Residents of the Chelmsford Commons mobile home community have reached a six-figure settlement agreement in a class-action lawsuit alleging that the park owner improperly raised rents over the last five years." -Todd Feathers, Lowell Sun
View the full article here.
December 22, 2016
Memorandum and Order, Layes, et al. v. RHP Properties, Inc., et al.
View the written opinion here.
July 18, 2016
Tables Turned on Small Claims Law Practice
"BOSTON -- A Lowell lawyer with a reputation in small-claims court for being the nemesis of those with unpaid debts is on the other end of a lawsuit.
A federal judge in May certified a class-action lawsuit against attorney Robert R. White and his firm, Levy & White, over the way he calculates the interest on debts owed. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani also granted the two local women who filed the lawsuit -- Carol Lannan, of Lowell, and Ann Winn, of Chelmsford -- a partial judgment in some of their claims. The lawsuit is pending."
-Lisa Redmond, Lowell Sun
View the full article here.
May 11, 2016
Memorandum and Order, Lannan, et al. v. Levy & White, et al.
View the written opinion here.