McCrea v. Flaherty

The city council of Boston (council) finds itself, not for the first time, on the losing end of a determination that it has improperly excluded the public from its deliberations. Specifically, the defendants, Michael Flaherty in his capacity as president of the council and the council itself, appeal the grant of summary judgment in favor of the plaintiffs, three residents of Boston who complained of multiple violations of the open meeting law, G. L. c. 39, §§ 23A-23C.

Background. The complaint, amended for reasons not germane here, alleged repeated violations of the open meeting law from 2003…