House Passes Corporate Manslaughter

(BOSTON) – State Representative  Kenneth Gordon joined his colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives to pass legislation that updates the existing corporate manslaughter law and boosts the maximum penalty from $1,000 to $250,000.

The bill will allow the Commonwealth, through the Attorney General, to hold corporations more fully accountable for criminally negligent behavior.

“No amount of money can ever compensate for the loss of a life,” House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo (D-Winthrop) said. “However, we must ensure that companies are held to the highest standard of accountability. I thank Attorney General Coakley and Chairmen O’Flaherty for their unwavering commitment to this bill.”

“I was happy to sponsor and support this important legislation,” said Representative Eugene O’Flaherty (D – Chelsea), Chair of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary. “Recent history has shown corporate negligence leading to tragic consequences with the Big Dig and chemical compounding facilities. Companies doing business in our Commonwealth need to be held to the highest standards and therefore penalties must be increased accordingly.”

“This bill passed unanimously, with bipartisan support,” said Rep. Gordon. “It will not interfere with a family’s right to seek civil damages against a corporation that harm’s a loved one, and it will not prevent the Commonwealth from seeking penalties against individuals personally responsible for the willful disregard of the the health and safety of consumers. What we have done is provided a meaningful penalty when companies ignore the safety of the public, or intentionally introduce a dangerous product or service that harms the public.”