LAW OFFICE OF
CARL D. GOODMAN
21 Amherst Road
Marblehead, MA 01945
Tel: (781) 584-6566 *

carl@attorneygoodman.com
RENTAL PROPERTY OWNERS BEWARE  

Warning to Rental Property Owners 

The Massachusetts legislature has enacted laws and the Massachusetts courts have interpreted our laws so as to create a dangerous imbalance between the rights of Landlords and Tenants that undermines the sanctity of contracts, unnecessarily creates delays and additional costs, and deprives Landlords of reasonable remedies for tenants who fails without good cause to pay rent and/or who cause serious damage or interfere with the rights of other tenants.

In a dissenting opinion in a recent case, Ferreira v. Charland, 103 Mass. App. Ct. 194 (2023), Appeals Court Justice Ditkoff, joined by Justices Meade, Neyman, Singh, Englander, Walsh, Brennan, and Hodgens, wrote:

[O]ur decision adds to the steady judicial drumbeat warning every small residential landowner that, whatever you do, do not rent out your property. There are many reasons for the housing crisis in Massachusetts, but we would do well to acknowledge that our landlord-tenant jurisprudence is one of them. [emphasis supplied]

WOKE politics are destroying the impartial administration of justice and undermining basic concepts of equal protection of the law.  

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Firm Overview

Attorney Carl Goodman has retired after 48 years in practice. The office is still available to assist in referring individuals to ethical and competent attorneys who can address current issues and both present and long term legal needs. Please call or email should you wish to receive referral assistance. All inquiries must include the individual's full name. We reserve the right to decline to respond to any and all requests. Any suggested referrals are for the prospective client to obtain advice from another lawyer. We will not be providing any legal advice.

The Law Office of Carl D. Goodman provides a focused spectrum of legal service to small and medium-sized businesses, as well as individuals on the North Shore and throughout Greater Boston serving clients in Essex, Middlesex, Suffolk and Norfolk Counties. With a focus on real estate related litigation and general civil litigation, our office represents commercial and residential landlords and tenants in leasing, landlord- tenant disputes, evictions and eviction defense, boundary disputes and zoning appeals. From business formation to commercial lease agreements and contract review, all your business law needs can be met by our dedicated and experienced attorneys.

The Law Office of Carl D. Goodman has a proven record of success in representing condominium associations in the enforcement of condominium restrictions and rules and in representing condominium unit owners in challenging unlawful restrictions and improper enforcement of rules and regulations.

Carl D. Goodman, founder of our firm, is a graduate of Suffolk University Law School. He has tried cases in all of the divisions of the Massachusetts Trial Court and in the United States District Court. While focusing on litigation, Mr. Goodman works with his clients to avoid litigation utilizing his mediation and negotiating skills. His commitment to mediated resolution is further demonstrated by his volunteer service as a conciliator in the District and Superior Courts.

• Decisions of note in our Recent Cases
  Decision of the Massachusetts Superior Court granting Defendants' Special Motion To Dismiss pursuant to G.L. Chapter 184, §15(c) in a Specific Performance action based upon a Contract to Purchase several parcels of real estate for $12.5M.

• Decision of the Massachusetts Superior Court granting Summary Judgment in favor of commercial condominium unit owner against the Condominium Association and invalidating unlawful rules adopted by the Condominium Board of Trustees.

• Decision of the Massachusetts Building Code Appeals Board (BCAB) invalidating the building permit issued by the Town of Marblehead Building Commissioner for an extension to an unsafe second means of egress/fire escape system and ordering correction of the unsafe condition - a public safety condition and Building Code violation (among numerous others) that the Town of Marblehead Building Commissioner and the Governors of the Glover Landing Condominium Trust have knowingly allowed to exist for several years

• Mass Lawyers Weekly report on Oceanview Condominium Assoc. v. Boucher - Jury verdict for Condominium Association for owner violating no-pet policy and for the Association on owner's counterclaim for discrimination based on alleged handicap status

• Mass Lawyers Weekly News Story about Blumberg v. Jacobs - Jury verdict for libelous YELP review

• Huffington Post News Story about Blumberg v. Jacobs - Jury verdict for libelous YELP review

• Decision in McLeod et al v Town of Swampscott (Greenwood PDD Spot Zoning case)

• Decision in Theophilopoulos v Salem Board of Health (Transfer Station Permit Appeal)

• Decision Confirming Original Decision in Theophilopoulos v Salem Board of Health

• Appeals Court Decision in Fresh Pond Mall v Payless Shoesource (Shopping Center Lease Litigation)

• Superior Court Decision in Fresh Pond Mall v Payless Shoesource

• Decision in Schissel et al v Town of Swampscott - Cases 1 and 2 (Zoning Appeals)

• Decision in Schissel et al v Town of Swampscott - Case 3

• U.S. District Court Decision on Motion to Dismiss in Ross v. Deutche Bank (Foreclosure Defense)

• Memorial Service for Hon. David D. Kerman