Attorney Quinn-Judge Wins Appeal of Criminal Conviction

The Appeals Court vacated the convictions of our firm’s client, concluding that the Commonwealth “presented evidence that repeatedly violated the first complaint rule” that came from “no fewer than five witnesses and a written exhibit,” and to which the prosecutor specifically directed the jury’s attention during her closing argument. Specifically, the Commonwealth elicited impermissible testimony from multiple witnesses, introduced medical records that included impermissible commentary, and repeatedly presented evidence about the fact of the defendant’s arrest and the police investigation as a whole. The Appeals Court concluded that the “prejudicial effect of the repeated complaints was strong enough to have materially influenced the jury’s ultimate verdicts” and vacated the defendants’ convictions.