Commonwealth v. Caterino

In 2016, a District Court jury convicted the defendant of indecent assault and battery on a person age fourteen or older. The defendant filed a timely notice of appeal. The appeal was stayed by this court, and the defendant was given leave to file a motion for a new trial. In the motion for new trial, the defendant argued that his trial counsel was constitutionally ineffective for failing to pursue defenses based on potential side effects of certain medications that he had been prescribed. The trial judge denied that motion. The defendant's appeal from that denial and his direct appeal were…