CIVIL LITIGATION

EMPLOYMENT LAW

If you are an employee and your employer has infringed upon your rights to a safe, nondiscriminatory, harassment-free workplace, or has terminated your employment for reporting these injustices to a law enforcement or administrative agencies, we are here to aggressively protect your rights and pursue the perpetrators to the full extent of the law.

We represent employees against their employers for wrongful termination, discrimination, sexual harassment, and wage and hour violations. We also represent executives and high level employees in matters regarding severance packages, bonus, termination, offers, breach of contact, and stock options.

We zealously represent employees and employers in matters including, discrimination, retaliation, sexual harassment, whistleblower complaints, wrongful termination, mediations, arbitrations, and wage and pay violations. Expertise.com has ranked our firm in the top 20 firms for employment law in 2021 in both Quincy and Boston.

Both Massachusetts law (Massachusetts False Claims Act) and Federal law (False Claims Act) protect whistleblowers, employees who disclose or report certain employer/company misconduct, financial malfeasance, public safety violations, or attempts to defraud the government, the public, or investors from retaliation and adverse employment actions from their employer. Employers are prohibited from taking adverse employment action against an employee or independent contractor (such as termination) simply because that worker disclosed/reported information related to misconduct or a legal violation. All Massachusetts workers should be able to report possible employer misconduct without fearing reprisal, retaliation, or wrongful termination.

In addition, when contractors defraud government entities, whistleblowers can make protected disclosures under the Massachusetts False Claims Act or the federal False Claims Act (31 U.S.C. §§ 3729-3733).

Examples of unlawful employer actions which employees report or disclose and may be legally protected from retaliation include the following:

• Billing government programs for unnecessary services or services that were not provided;
• State or federal wage violations, including overtime pay and employee misclassification;
• Engaging in workplace safety violations;
• Discriminatory hiring, promoting, or paying practices;
• The use of bribes, kickbacks, or misrepresentations to win government contracts; and
• The employee exposes or threatens to expose a policy that is a threat to public health, safety, or the environment.

If your employer has retaliated against you for reporting illegal, unethical, or wrongful activity, you could be entitled to damages under state or federal whistleblower protection laws. We will evaluate your case and if meritorious, we will prosecute your rights against your employer or the offending entity and seek maximum damages under state and our federal statutes.

WORKERS COMPENSATION

The Law Offices of Matthew J. Kidd & Associates P.C. represents individuals throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for all types of workplace injuries and we have a proven track record of results.

If you’ve been injured on the job or on company business away from the workplace, we will provide exceptional representation from the filing the claim through a successful resolution. Our experience and expertise will be invaluable in navigating the complex workers compensation process with the goal of maximizing your compensation and benefits to the full extent of the law.

PERSONAL INJURY

The Law Offices of Matthew J. Kidd & Associates P.C. has represented personal injury victims of all varieties, including negligent security, medical malpractice, professional malpractice, and sexual harassment. The firm handles medical malpractice claims where patients suffered substantial injuries or fatalities due to negligent health care, treatment, and surgery. If you have been injured by a defective medical device or if your device has been recalled, you may be entitled to file a product liability claim for damages. Our legal team is here to handle your case so you can square your focus on recuperating and returning to work. Let us accumulate evidence, identify witnesses, and handle all the complex legal challenges necessary to obtain the compensation you deserve. We will manage your case and zealously assert your rights and interests from the moment you decide to work with us, to trial, settlement negotiations, and beyond.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LITIGATION

TRADEMARK, COPYRIGHT, ADVERTISING LITIGATION & BRAND MANAGEMENT

The Law Offices of Matthew J. Kidd & Associates P.C. both prosecutes and defends the intellectual property rights of businesses to protect their investment in their products and services. Further, effective intellectual property representation effectively protects and defends the integrity and strength of its product branding and goodwill.

Intellectual property (IP) law protects the rights of individuals who, through mental labor, have created an original product. Generally speaking, trademarks protect a symbol or a name that identifies a particular producer of goods or services. Copyrights protect works of expression, such as written or artistic pieces, and the rights to reproduce, display, or create derivative works based thereon. Trade secrets are any particular formula, technique, process, or sensitive marketing piece of information that gives a particular company an advantage in the marketplace. If you have invested time and money in developing your business, technology, or talent, you should retain legal representation to protect your intellectual property.

TRADEMARK REGISTRATION

Trademarks are registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Many things must be determined, including the mark format, identifying what goods and/or services the mark will apply to, and ensuring that no one else is already claiming a similar design or wording.

TRADEMARK LITIGATION

Trademark litigation typically arises when someone feels that another inventor or company has infringed on their trademark by using the mark unauthorized or for particular goods or services in a way that creates confusion and misleads consumers about the source of them.

COPYRIGHT REGISTRATION AND INFRINGEMENT

Copyrights are registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. The process differs depending on whether the work is literary, a computer program, a performing arts piece, a single periodical, multiple periodicals, a group of newspapers or newsletters, a sound recording, or a work of the visual arts.

TRADE SECRET PROTECTION

It is important that trade secrets are not generally known. The holder takes reasonable precautions to prevent disclosure of the information, and the secret has commercial value. Trade secrets can be protected for an unlimited time without registration, just as long as the holder diligently preserves the right.