Ianello v. Court Management Corp.

The plaintiff appeals from a judgment of the Housing Court awarding him damages for violations by the defendants of G. L. c. 186, §§ 14 and 18 (1984 ed.). The judge awarded the plaintiff damages in the sum of $1,020 plus a reasonable attorney’s fee of $450 under § 14 and an equivalent award under § 18, “subject to one recovery with the first claim.” The plaintiff argues that, because the two statutory provisions were intended to protect separate and distinct interests, the judge erred in determining that the damages under the two statutory provisions were duplicative. We agree, and…