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Image via the Boston Globe
— News via Quincy Quarry News – News, Opinion and Commentary
Wrongfully convicted and then incarcerated for thirty-six years
Image via the Patriot Ledger
The Town of Braintree just announced that it agreed to pay out $15 million dollars over a wrongful conviction that had caused now 72 year old Frederick Weichel to suffer 36 years in prison for a crime that he did not commit.
Braintree officials settled as they were validly concerned that should the matter go to trial a jury could well impose an even greater damages award.
Accordingly, Braintree officials deserve props for their handling of this matter.
Further,, Mr. Weichel’s Attorney Mark Loevy-Reyes said his client appreciated the respect showed to him:
In an aside, the controversial and now late William “BIll” Delahunt was the Norfolk County District Attorney at the time of Weichel’s conviction and so arguably setting the stage that wrongful prosecutions look to perhaps be a pattern or practice of Norfolk County District Attorneys over the decades to arguably the present time.
City Hall, Sh*tty Hall …
A Quincy Quarry News exclusive file photo
In any event, Braintree’s recently doing the right thing to right a wrong baits the question: will the City of Quincy now follow Braintree’s lead?
How so?
For starters, the City of Quincy has been slapped with a wrongful death suit over the 2019 Squantum sucker punching homicide with the widow seeking $8 million at last report.
Reasonable assessments of this tragedy have found that the City of Quincy has no viable defense whatsoever for the wrongful death suit.
For example, the City of Quincy is the landlord of the bar tied to the homicide and is thus legally in the crosshairs as regards liability as the deep pocket given the legal doctrine of joint and several liability.
Down and out …
Image via dontmesswithtaxes.com
Further problematic, the City of Quincy had not duly suspended the bar’s license to pour adult libations, much less shut it down, at the time of the killing given the bar’s failure to fulfill various requirements to duly secure its annual liquor license renewal.
in particular, how the former Public Health Commissioner, the former police chief who is one of Mayor Koch’s brothers-in-law, and the City Clerk, all of whom made up the local liquor licensing board at the time were woefully remiss at seeing mandatory rules and regulations duly upheld.
So remiss that all three are named as codefendants.
Further problematic yet, the City of Quincy did not duly insist that the bar have liability insurance in place per standard operating practice by any and all landlords who rent space to a tenant who serves liquor.
Adding insult to fatal injury, it is Quincy Quarry News’ understanding that the Koch Maladministration has long slowed walked reaching a settlement, if not arguably all but blown off paying the piper for its woeful malfeasance.
Burn baby burn!
A 2009 Reuters image
In short, the Koch Machine’s now years-long dragging out of things in this matter is playing with fire.
At a minimum, the damages claim expectation is likely increasing per the standard 12% annual simple interest penalty for slow paying damages..
Even worse, this is the sort of lawsuit no defendant in her or in this case his right mind wants to see decided by a jury.
Simply put, a jury would likely hammer the defendant with significantly greater damages given both the underlying facts in this matter and how dragging out things has further added to the emotional damage of the victim’s family.
The City of Quincy is also facing grave problem with its illegal taking control of the land underneath the Adams Academy and where the Quincy Hysterical Society is a long time as well as controversial tenant.
The stolen property …
Image via Wikipedia
Specifically, the City of Quincy looks to be endeavoring to shortchange and so stiff the school girls at the Woodward School for Girls for a projected $10 million to $12 million for land illegally seized by the City.
How so?
Via the the Koch Maladministration engaging in basically de facto grand theft by wrongly claiming that the City of Quincy owned the land underneath the building.
So what for the fact that multiple court decisions, appellate rulings, and various other judicial findings against the City of Quincy over the years have gutted its bogus claim of owning the land.
In turn, given comparable land purchases, what should be paid to Woodward, including late payment penalties as well as all court costs likely to be imposed upon the city, upwards of $18 million or more looks to be the least local taxpayers should expect to be stuck with paying to cover the cost of just this Koch Machine koching-up of things from among many others.
“It’s only taxpayer’s money …”
Image via cheatsheet.com
Further, if one figures in how interest rates on municipal bonds have gone up since when the City of Quincy could have settled both of these indefensible matters, the Koch Maladministration’s truculence has likely fueled upwards of a doubling the all inclusive costs than would have been the case if they had been resolved straightaway and as should have been down.
Even worse for local taxpayers who would be stuck with covering the tab, punitive damages could further be added to the cost should this matter go to trial.
In short — as well as yet again: Only in Quincy …
Who needs the headache of paying even more when you can just cut your losses and run? Let’s see if Quincy Mayor Tom Koch takes notes on this masterclass in damage control or if he’ll stand firm like a deer caught in headlights. Honestly, at this point, it might be easier to just put ‘avoid lawsuits’ on a poster in the mayor’s office—though I’m sure that’s not on the agenda during the weekly ‘let’s pretend everything’s fine’ meeting!
Yes — and maybe the rubber stampers rubber stamps will get worn out from overuse.
Can you tell me how much did the new navy park at Marina Bay cost? And where did the money come from to build the navy park?
The small naval memorial park is said to have cost $1.8m and it is my recollection that federal COVID relief/recovery aid covered the nut.
Also, QPD had their own officers working on the case that night even though the suspect had allegedly had a relative on the QPD. (Sounds like Canton) I bet there were texts/pics sent about the scene much like good Ole Trooper Proctor et al did. Be interesting to see what other elected officials are members of that club….. Howie Carr would have a field day with this story. Maybe the family should ask for 80 percent interest like the Mayor’s raise! I was watching the news this week & wondering if Mayor Adams is the only Mayor who got perks for moving projects along for wealthy people or got people jobs who donated to their campaign. I am sure that stuff never happens in Quincy.