This, should it occur, would strike me as a form of extortion, a brazen manipulation of the criminal-justice system in order to settle a civil claim by forgoing a criminal charge. This would be the reverse of the Powers Fasteners indictment, which raises the suspicion that the company was indicted in order to strengthen the Commonwealth's position in its civil litigation by deflecting blame from the Highway Department. In either case, one has to approach with healthy skepticism the prosecutors' charging decisions and analyze carefully any ulterior motives.
As the legal scenario unfolds over the coming months and years, appearances may not always reflect realities, and careful students and reporters will have to delve into the real motives of the players, rather than rely on what's said in news releases and at press conferences.
In other words, stay tuned, and don't rush to judgment.
Related:
Roast pork, While you were out . . ., Truth and illusion, More 
- Roast pork
Back in January, Governor Deval Patrick declared a "season of significant government reform" on Beacon Hill.
- While you were out . . .
When you’re a student, it can seem as if reality just freezes when you leave town for the summer.
- Truth and illusion
There is a word for when a private party threatens to get someone indicted unless money is paid: extortion.
- Deval and the lawmen
For the past few weeks, Kerry Healey has pounded the Bay State with the message that Deval Patrick is dangerously weak on crime. Soft on crime? Arrest rates for violent crimes have plummeted under the Romney-Healey administration. By David S. Bernstein
- Whatever happened to Memogate?
If the Big Dig tunnel collapse that killed Milena Del Valle is the biggest Boston news story of 2006, the media story of the year is the Globe reporting — incorrectly — that a safety officer at the site all but predicted Del Valle’s death back in 1999. Key moments in memogate: Anatomy of a gaffe. By Adam Reilly
- Taxi turmoil
Taxis are an under-appreciated and often little-considered component in urban mass-transit systems. They fill the gaps left by the MBTA and offer a sort of curb-to-curb, citywide Zipcar service.
- Mitt's Katrina
It seems callous to talk about the political implications of Milena Del Valle’s death Monday night, which came when she was crushed by a three-ton chunk of ceiling inside a Big Dig tunnel. The fallout: Monday's Big Dig collapse won't just affect Romney's national ambitions. By Adam Reilly
- Brown Bagging
If you are finding it hard to get enthused about the seemingly preordained drubbing that Democratic Attorney General Martha Coakley will give to the GOP nominee, State Senator Scott Brown, in the special election for US Senate, you are not alone.
- Revenge of the Idiots
To my fellow Massachusetts Democrats: please don’t blame Martha Coakley for this shocking defeat.
- AG screws up 'hoax' prosecution
In rushing to charge self-proclaimed "performance artists" Sean Stevens and Peter Berdovsky with disorderly conduct and placing a hoax device, Attorney General Martha Coakley's office violated a cardinal rule of the criminal-justice system.
- Weenie Roast!
A year ago, with scandals and embarrassments swirling around Massachusetts state politics, the Phoenix tossed some well-deserving pols on the flames in our first annual Memorial Day political roast. I'm pleased that I've been invited back.
- Less
Topics:
This Just In
, Crime, Transportation, Accidents and Disasters, More
, Crime, Transportation, Accidents and Disasters, Milena Del Valle, Structural Collapses, Martha Coakley, Manslaughter, Massachusetts Highway Department, Less
