Massachusetts Superior Court Civil Practice Jury Instructions
Be the advocate your client needs

- Product Number: 2192858WFM
- Publication Date: 12/31/2018
- Edition: 3rd Edition 2014, with 2016 & 2018 Supplements
- Copyright: © 2018 MCLE, Inc.
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Massachusetts Superior Court Civil Practice Jury Instructions
Be the advocate your client needs
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- Product Description
- Table of Contents
- Editors & Authors
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Product Description
Product Description
A powerhouse resource for family law practitioners, this practical and comprehensive reference takes you through each step of the divorce process, from tips for conducting your first client meeting to post-trial motions. Not only does it provide you with the essential advice you'll need to effectively represent a divorce client; it also covers important collateral issues such as domestic violence, bankruptcy, and estate planning. Each chapter includes sample court forms, motions, checklists, and reference documents.
Recent updates:
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Update: April 2023
Dear Subscriber:
Thank you for updating your library with the latest version of Massachusetts Divorce Law Practice Manual. This newly revised publication brings updated resources within your immediate reach—for fast, accurate, and practical answers to your questions in this highly challenging area of practice.
Highlights from the 2023 edition include
- amended procedures in the Probate and Family Court regarding virtual hearings and registries and interdivisional and interdepartmental case transfers;
- discussions throughout the book of the Supreme Judicial Court's decision in Cavanagh v. Cavanagh , 490 Mass. 398 (2022), which addressed the calculation of alimony and child support and continues to be reviewed and implemented by the Massachusetts courts;
- important amendments to the Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines effective October 2021, including, for example, a specification of three options for parenting time ("shared," two-thirds, and "split"), adjustment of the benchmark child-care cost amount based on the number of children, elimination of the previous 15 percent cap on the health-care credit, and adjustments to the treatment of overtime and income from a secondary job;
- caselaw addressing when to increase the duration of alimony to reflect a premarital period of cohabitation;
- newly added guidance on the selection of guardians ad litem (GALs), discussing the importance of designating an alternate GAL, the distinction between Category E and Category F GALs, securing a GAL during periods when they are in short supply, and use of a special GAL to waive or assert the psychotherapeutic privilege of a minor child;
- the preparation of financial statements and cross-examination on any discrepancies;
- recent Appeals Court cases on the calculation of alimony;
- guidance on e-filing procedures in the Probate and Family Court and variations in procedures among counties;
- recent cases on improper coaching of witnesses during depositions;
- an amendment to the Massachusetts General Laws bringing the state's taxation of payors and recipients of alimony in line with federal practice under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act;
- inflation adjustments to selected dollar amounts in the Bankruptcy Code;
- a Supreme Judicial Court decision on the allocation of postseparation debt;
- the suspension of Standing Order 2-16, which required attendance at an approved parenting education course;
- an Appeals Court decision addressing circumstances where a noncustodial parent living out of state seeks custody of a child and permission to remove the child from Massachusetts; and
- Appeals Court decisions on the enforceability and interpretation of premarital agreements.
The book's ethics commentary has been updated throughout to reflect recent changes in the Massachusetts Rules of Professional Conduct and other developments in the area of professional responsibility.
WWe trust you will find this updated version of the Massachusetts Divorce Law Practice Manual an invaluable resource for your practice.
Very truly yours,
John M. Lawlor, Esq., MCLE Publications Attorney
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Update: April 2023
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
expand allChapter 1 expandChapter 2 expandPersonal Injury
Buy ChapterChapter 3 expandWrongful Death
Buy ChapterExhibit 3A
- Sample Special Verdict Form—Wrongful Death Buy FormInstruction 3.1
- Preliminary Instruction—Wrongful Death Statute Buy FormInstruction 3.10
- Medical Expenses Buy FormInstruction 3.11
- Lost Earning Capacity Prior to Death Buy FormInstruction 3.12
- Conscious Pain and Suffering Buy FormInstruction 3.13
- Allocation of Damages Buy FormInstruction 3.14
- Comparative Negligence Buy FormInstruction 3.15
- Malicious, Willful, Wanton, and Reckless Conduct—Punitive Damages Buy FormInstruction 3.16
- Gross Negligence—Punitive Damages Buy FormInstruction 3.2
- Standard of Proof Buy FormInstruction 3.3
- Negligence Buy FormInstruction 3.4
- Causation Buy FormInstruction 3.5
- Compensatory Damages—Death Buy FormInstruction 3.6
- Fair Monetary Value of the Decedent to the Beneficiaries Buy FormInstruction 3.7
- Net Income Buy FormInstruction 3.8
- Loss of Services Buy FormInstruction 3.9
- Burial and Funeral Expenses Buy FormChapter 4 expandMedical Malpractice
Buy ChapterExhibit 4A
- Special Jury Verdict Form Buy FormInstruction 4.1
- Definition of Medical Malpractice Buy FormInstruction 4.10
- Expert Testimony Buy FormInstruction 4.11
- Res Ipsa Loquitur Buy FormInstruction 4.12
- Medical Publications Buy FormInstruction 4.13
- Informed Consent Buy FormInstruction 4.14
- Public Employee Immunity Pursuant to the Massachusetts Tort Claims Act, G.L. c. 258 Buy FormInstruction 4.15
- Vicarious Liability Buy FormInstruction 4.16
- Statutory Liability Exemptions Buy FormInstruction 4.2
- Doctor-Patient Relationship Buy FormInstruction 4.3
- Elements of Malpractice Buy FormInstruction 4.4
- Mitigation of Damages Buy FormInstruction 4.5
- How to Itemize an Award of Damages Buy FormInstruction 4.6
- Special Jury Verdict Instruction (Alternate Instruction) Buy FormInstruction 4.7
- Specific Elements of Damages Buy FormInstruction 4.8
- Wrongful Birth—Damages Buy FormInstruction 4.9
- Wrongful Conception or Wrongful Pregnancy—Damages Buy FormChapter 5 expandEmployment Discrimination
Buy ChapterChapter 6 expandChapter 7 expandInstruction 7.1
- Introduction Buy FormInstruction 7.2
- Elements—Notion of Privacy in General Buy FormInstruction 7.3
- Right to Privacy Not Absolute Buy FormInstruction 7.4
- Balancing Competing Interests Buy FormInstruction 7.5
- Elements for Publication of Private Facts Buy FormInstruction 7.6
- Elements for Misappropriation of One’s Name or Likeness Buy FormInstruction 7.7
- Damages Buy FormChapter 8 expandEmotional Distress
Buy ChapterJoseph D. Lipchitz, Esq., Saul Ewing LLP
Paul R. Sugarman, Esq.,
Hon. Valerie A. Yarashus, Superior Court, Commonwealth of MassachusettsInstruction 8.1
- Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress Buy FormInstruction 8.2
- Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress—Conduct Directed at Third Parties Buy FormInstruction 8.3
- Damages Buy FormInstruction 8.4
- Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress: First Party Claims Buy FormInstruction 8.5
- Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress: Witnessing Injury to or Death of a Family Member Buy FormChapter 9 expandG.L. c. 21E Claims
Buy ChapterExhibit 9A
- Special Verdict Questions, G.L. c. 21E, § 4 Buy FormExhibit 9B
- Special Verdict Questions, G.L. c. 21E, § 5(a) Buy FormInstruction 9.1
- Introductory Note Buy FormInstruction 9.10
- Response Costs in Two-Site Cases Buy FormInstruction 9.11
- Equitable Share Among Liable Parties Buy FormInstruction 9.12
- Consistency with the Massachusetts Contingency Plan (MCP) Buy FormInstruction 9.13
- Damages—G.L. c. 21E, § 5(a)(5)(iii) Buy FormInstruction 9.14
- Section 5(b) Defense to Property Damage Claim—Divisibility of Harm Buy FormInstruction 9.15
- Third-Party Defense Buy FormInstruction 9.16
- Third-Party Defense—Current Owner Buy FormInstruction 9.17
- Key Definitions Buy FormInstruction 9.18
- Special Defenses Buy FormInstruction 9.19
- Statute of Limitations Accrual—Individual Recovery Buy FormInstruction 9.2
- Persons Liable—G.L. c. 21E, § 5(a) Buy FormInstruction 9.3
- Present Owners or Operators—Oil or Hazardous Material—G.L. c. 21E, § 5(a)(1) Buy FormInstruction 9.4
- Past Owners or Operators Buy FormInstruction 9.5
- Actual Control Buy FormInstruction 9.6
- Arrangers for Transport—Hazardous Material—G.L. c. 21E, § 5(a)(3) Buy FormInstruction 9.7
- Transporters—Hazardous Material—G.L. c. 21E, § 5(a)(4) Buy FormInstruction 9.8
- Persons Who Caused or Are Legally Responsible for Release or Threat of Release—Oil or Hazardous Material—G.L. c. 21E, § 5(a)(5) Buy FormInstruction 9.9
- Damages and Response Costs—G.L. c. 21E, § 4 Buy FormChapter 10 expandEminent Domain Cases
Buy ChapterChapter 11 expandProduct Liability
Buy ChapterExhibit 11A
- Special Jury Verdict—Design Cases Buy FormInstruction 11.1
- Introduction Buy FormInstruction 11.2
- Negligence Buy FormInstruction 11.3
- Breach of Warranty Buy FormInstruction 11.4
- Crashworthiness/Enhanced Injuries Buy FormInstruction 11.5
- Innovator Liability Buy FormInstruction 11.6
- Food Product Liability Buy FormInstruction 11.7
- Special Evidentiary Issues Buy FormChapter 12 expandInstruction 12.1
- Breach of Postemployment Noncompetition Agreement Buy FormInstruction 12.10
- Adverse Inference Regarding Attorney-Client Privilege Buy FormInstruction 12.2
- Breach of Fiduciary Duty by Majority Shareholder in Close Corporation Buy FormInstruction 12.3
- Alternate Sources of Fiduciary Duty Buy FormInstruction 12.4
- Tortious Interference With Contractual Relationship Buy FormInstruction 12.5
- Tortious Interference With Prospective Business Relationship Buy FormInstruction 12.6
- Common Law Unfair Competition Buy FormInstruction 12.7
- Trade Disparagement and Defamation Buy FormInstruction 12.8
- Vicarious Liability Buy FormInstruction 12.9
- Successor Liability Buy FormChapter 13 expandInstruction 13.1
- Absent Witnesses Buy FormInstruction 13.10
- Facts Established in Prior Proceedings Buy FormInstruction 13.11
- Pro Se Party Buy FormInstruction 13.12
- Seating of Alternate Juror Buy FormInstruction 13.13
- Statute of Limitations Accrual—Tort Case Buy FormInstruction 13.14
- Standard of Proof—Clear and Convincing Buy FormInstruction 13.15
- Spoliation Buy FormInstruction 13.16
- Taking a View Buy FormInstruction 13.17
- Violation of a Statute or Regulation Buy FormInstruction 13.18
- When Jurors Cannot Agree Buy FormInstruction 13.2
- Chalks Buy FormInstruction 13.3
- Charts and Summaries Buy FormInstruction 13.4
- Child Witness Buy FormInstruction 13.5
- Computer Animations Buy FormInstruction 13.6
- Diversity Buy FormInstruction 13.7
- Expert Witness Buy FormInstruction 13.8
- Extraneous Publicity Buy FormInstruction 13.9
- Imaging Systems Buy FormChapter 14 expandInstruction 14.1
- Overview of Elements—Breach of Contract Buy FormInstruction 14.2
- Contract Formation Buy FormInstruction 14.3
- Terms of Contract Buy FormInstruction 14.4
- Contractual Performance Buy FormInstruction 14.5
- Contract Substitute: Quantum Meruit Buy FormInstruction 14.6
- Third-Party Beneficiaries Buy FormInstruction 14.7
- Defenses Buy FormInstruction 14.8
- Remedies Buy FormInstruction 14.9
- Damages Buy FormChapter 15 expandIntellectual Property
Buy ChapterChapter 16 expandConsumer Protection Act—Chapter 93A
Buy ChapterExhibit 16A
- Special Jury Verdict Buy FormInstruction 16.1
- Introduction Buy FormInstruction 16.2
- Demand Letters—Section 9 Plaintiff Buy FormInstruction 16.3
- Conduct in Trade or Commerce Buy FormInstruction 16.4
- Unfair or Deceptive Acts Buy FormInstruction 16.5
- Causation—General Charge Buy FormInstruction 16.6
- Damages Buy FormInstruction 16.7
- Supplemental Instructions Buy FormChapter 17 expandInstruction 17.1
- Introduction Buy FormInstruction 17.2
- Disputes Involving Real Estate Brokers Buy FormInstruction 17.3
- Enforceability of Preliminary Agreements Regarding the Purchase and Sale of Real Estate Buy FormInstruction 17.4
- Title Insurance Buy FormInstruction 17.5
- Adverse Possession Buy FormInstruction 17.6
- Prescriptive Easements Buy FormInstruction 17.7
- Survey and Boundary Disputes Buy FormInstruction 17.8
- Condominium Disputes—Introduction Buy FormChapter 18 expandProfessional Malpractice
Buy ChapterInstruction 18.1
- Introduction Buy FormInstruction 18.10
- Statute of Limitations Buy FormInstruction 18.11
- Ethics Violations Buy FormInstruction 18.12
- Accounting Malpractice Buy FormInstruction 18.13
- Architects and Engineers Buy FormInstruction 18.14
- Statute of Limitations and Statute of Repose Buy FormInstruction 18.2
- Elements of Claim—Overview Buy FormInstruction 18.3
- Attorney-Client Relationship Buy FormInstruction 18.4
- Vicarious Liability Buy FormInstruction 18.5
- Burden of Proof Buy FormInstruction 18.6
- Negligence Buy FormInstruction 18.7
- Causation Buy FormInstruction 18.8
- Damages Buy FormInstruction 18.9
- Requirement of Expert Testimony Buy FormChapter 19 expandInstruction 19.1
- Introduction Buy FormInstruction 19.2
- Federal Civil Rights Actions—42 U.S.C. § 1983 Buy FormInstruction 19.3
- Massachusetts Civil Rights Actions—Introduction Buy FormInstruction 19.4
- Statement of the Claim Buy FormInstruction 19.5
- Protected Rights Buy FormInstruction 19.6
- Damages Buy FormChapter 20 expandInstruction 20.1
- Intentional Misrepresentation (Fraud/Deceit)—Elements Buy FormInstruction 20.2
- Negligent Misrepresentation—Elements Buy FormInstruction 20.3
- Negligent Misrepresentation Committed in the Process of Supplying Information for the Guidance of Others [Plaintiff Not in Privity with Defendant] Buy FormChapter 21 expandChapter 22 expandChapter 23 expandChapter 24 expandChapter 25 expandSubmitting the Case to the Jury
Buy ChapterHon. Paul D. Wilson, Superior Court, Commonwealth of MassachusettsInstruction 25.1
- Introduction Buy FormInstruction 25.2
- When the Judge Will Instruct the Jury About the Law Buy FormInstruction 25.3
- Proposed Instructions Buy FormInstruction 25.4
- Special Verdict Forms Buy FormInstruction 25.5
- Charge Conference Buy FormInstruction 25.6
- Charging the Jury Buy FormInstruction 25.7
- Deliberations and Verdict Buy Form -
Editors & Authors
Editor(s)
Hon. Paul D. Wilson, Superior Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, WoburnAuthor(s)
Jody L. Newman, Esq., Lovett O'Brien LLP, BostonMichael Packard, WinchesterHon. Paul D. Wilson, Superior Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, WoburnHarvey J. Wolkoff, Esq., Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP, BostonHon. Valerie A. Yarashus, Superior Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Holliston