News

SJC VICTORY ON JUVENILE RECORD SEALING

February 19, 2024
Righting the wrongs. On February 14, 2024, the GBLS CORI & Re-entry Project scored a huge win in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. The SJC's ruling stops the Commissioner of Probation from treating juvenile court youthful offender records as adult records, a practice which was giving…

WORKERS SUE CHINESE RESTAURANT “SICHUAN TASTE” FOR MORE THAN $230,000 OVER WAGE THEFT AND RETALIATION

October 12, 2023
Three former employees of Sichuan Taste in Malden, represented by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) and the Asian Outreach Center (AOC) at GBLS, filed a lawsuit against the restaurant for wage theft and retaliation in the United States District Court for the District of…

PUBLIC INTEREST LAW FIRMS FILE DIRECT ACTION WITH SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT TO ENJOIN USE OF “EQUITY THEFT” LAW  

October 12, 2023
The Pioneer Public Interest Law Center and Greater Boston Legal Services filed an action with Massachusetts’ Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) to enjoin the City of Springfield from foreclosing on a home worth about $230,000 because of a $22,000 unpaid tax bill without returning the more than $200,000…

PROPOSED SETTLEMENT ABOUT EA FAMILY SHELTER PROGRAM

March 3, 2023
GBLS and Ropes & Gray sued the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) about problems in the EA family shelter program. We negotiated for more than 2 years. We finally have a proposed settlement agreement. The court has to decide whether to approve the settlement. The court will hold…

INFORMATION ABOUT EXTRA COVID SNAP ENDING AND MASSHEALTH REDETERMINATION

March 3, 2023
Mass Health: Starting April 1, 2023, you may need to take action to keep MassHealth coverage. The protection from termination due to the public health emergency is ending. MassHealth members should make sure that MassHealth has their most up to date address, phone number, and email so that they do…

Three hour wait, three days in a row: Mass. shelter hotline leaves some families desperate

November 22, 2022
Long waits on shelter hotlines are putting people in danger: “'I have had clients who went back to their abusers because they weren't able to access a shelter.' Liz Alfred, Greater Boston Legal Services Attorney." Please click here to read the full article.

How a tweak to a popular rental voucher program is reshaping where people live in Boston

November 12, 2022
"Every year a child spends in a high-opportunity neighborhood increases the likelihood that they attend college and boosts their lifetime earnings . . . . Living in the midst of poverty hurts people’s emotional and behavioral health and reduces the chances for upward mobility. Lauren Song, a…

What to do if you are sued on an old credit card debt?

November 9, 2022
"The most important advice is to go to court to contest the debt. If your case is in the Small Claims sessions (for cases under $7,000) in Roxbury, Dorchester, BMC Central, East Boston, Charlestown or Chelsea, there are free legal services lawyers who can advise you of your rights, and in some…

State launches investigation into whether BPS violates education rights of students with disabilities

October 25, 2022
"Massachusetts Advocates for Children and Greater Boston Legal Services . . . [allege that] BPS transportation services are 'inadequate, in complete disarray, and disproportionately impact students of color and students with disabilities.'” Please click here to read the full article.

For labor trafficked immigrants, T-visas are a life-saving but flawed relief

October 24, 2022
“It's both that people don't necessarily know about it, but it's also that identifying cases as being appropriate for [T-visas] and having folks who would be able to take advantage of it come forward are difficult things,” said Audrey Richardson, GBLS managing attorney. Please click here to read…