Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 31 § 45

Current through Chapter 223 of the 2024 Legislative Session
Section 31:45 - Reimbursement for defense expenses

A tenured employee who has incurred expense in defending himself against an unwarranted discharge, removal, suspension, laying off, transfer, lowering in rank or compensation, or abolition of his position and who has engaged an attorney for such defense shall be reimbursed for such expense, but not to exceed two hundred dollars for attorney fees for each of the following: (1) a hearing by the appointing authority; (2) a hearing pursuant to section forty-two or forty-three; (3) a judicial review pursuant to section forty-four; and not to exceed one hundred dollars for each of the following: (1) summons of witnesses; (2) cost of stenographic transcript; (3) any other necessary expense incurred in such defense.

Any person seeking such reimbursement shall file with his appointing authority a written application therefor within thirty days after final disposition of his case. The appointing authority shall, within thirty days after receipt of such application, pay such reimbursement from the same source as that from which the salary of the person seeking the reimbursement is paid, but only upon receipt of satisfactory proof that such expenses were actually incurred for the purposes set forth in this section.

Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays shall not be counted in the computation of any time period specified in this section.

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 31, § 45