Jack Coakley is a Shareholder of Murphy & Riley, P.C. Jack joined the firm in 1996 and has extensive litigation experience representing insurance companies, their insureds and self-insured entities in federal court and the Courts of the Commonwealth and before the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and other administrative agencies. He has represented and counseled numerous entities and individuals in hundreds of cases throughout Massachusetts on a myriad of issues including employment-related litigation, discrimination claims, civil rights claims, wrongful death claims, medical and legal malpractice claims, state administrative investigations, and numerous other matters. In addition to being an experienced trial attorney, Jack has extensive appellate experience in the Massachusetts Appeals Court and the Supreme Judicial Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Jack has been selected to the Massachusetts Super Lawyers list every year since 2016.

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Jack graduated magna cum laude from both Providence College and Villanova University School of Law. At Villanova, Jack was a Case and Comment Editor on the Villanova Law Review and earned admission to the Order of the Coif honorary scholastic society.

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After graduating from Villanova, Jack served on active duty for four years with the United States Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, where he served as a Trial Counsel, Senior Trial Counsel and Operational Law Attorney, representing the United States in Courts-Martial and administrative proceedings in both garrison and deployed environments. He was a member of the United States Army Reserve for 24 additional years, where he held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Jack also was an adjunct faculty member for the Defense Institute of International Legal Studies providing Rule of Law and Human Rights Training to military personnel of foreign nations engaged in partnership programs with the United States Armed Forces.

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Practice Area

• Civil litigation

• Insurance coverage

• Product liability

• Premises liability

• Automobile and land transport

• Employment litigation

• Professional malpractice

• M.G.L. c. 93A litigation

• Civil rights litigation

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Bar and Court Admissions

• Massachusetts, 1991

• U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts, 1997

• U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit, 2002

• U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals, 1991

• Court of Appeals of the Armed Forces, 1992

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Education

• Providence College, B.A., magna cum laude, 1988

• Villanova University, J.D., magna cum laude, 1991

• United States Army Command and General Staff Course, 2004

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Professional Memberships

• Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association

• Frank J. Murray American Inn of Courts

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Legal Publications and Significant Cases          

• Mammone v. President & Fellows of Harvard College, 446 Mass. 657 (2006)

• Lee v. President & Fellows of Harvard College, 60 Mass. App. Ct. 836 (2004)

• Korper v. Weinstein, 57 Mass. App. Ct. 433 (2003)

• Shervin v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, 804 F.3d 23 (1st Cir. 2015)

• Afrasiabi v. Harvard University, 39 Fed. Appx. 620, 2002 U.S. App. LEXIS 13136 (1st Cir. 2002)

• Flowers v. FLLAC Educational Collaborative, Order on Motion to Dismiss, C.A. 14-40044-DHH (D. Mass.2017) (Hostile work environment claims dismissed)

• Shervin v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, Memorandum and Order on Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 29636 (D. Mass. 2014)

• Silva v. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Inc., Memorandum of Decision and Order on BIDMC’s Motion for Summary Judgment, C.A. No. SUCV2012-04558-F (Mass. Super. Ct. 2014)

• Kasper v. G&R Construction Enterprises, Order on the Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment, C.A. No. PLCV2011-01352A (Mass. Super. Ct. 2014)

• Abruzzi v. Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Order on Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgement, C.A. No:1312cv347 (Massachusetts District Court 2016)

• Fredique v. Toward Independent Living and Learning, Inc., MCAD docket No. 16BEM01600 (MCAD 2017) (race discrimination claims dismissed)

• Sekkat v. Fellsway Donuts, Inc. d/b/a Dunkin Donuts, EEOC Docket Number 523-2014-00669 (handicap discrimination claims dismissed)

• Flowers v. FLLAC Educational Collaborative, MCAD Docket No. 16C-2013-00382 (hostile work environment claim dismissed)

• Maishya v. Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Memorandum and Decision on Order on the Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment, C.A. No. SUCV 2008-05539-A (Mass. Super. Ct. 2012);

• North American Family Institute, Inc. v. Argonaut Insurance Company, Memorandum and Order on Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgment, C.A. No. 2010-03041-BLS2 (Mass. Super. Ct. 2012)

• Soni v. Harvard University, Order on Defendant Harvard's Motion to Dismiss, C.A. 1:08-cv-11875-NG (D. Mass. 2009)

• Abbott v. Controlled Security Systems, Inc. 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5008 (D. Mass. 2005).

• Correia v. RFK Children's Actions Corps, MCAD Docket No. 16NEM02320 (MCAD 2017) (dismissal of handicap discrimination claims)

• Nilson v. Home Site Insurance Group, Memorandum of Decision on Cross Motions for Summary Judgment, C.A. No 1863CV0030 (Mass. Dist. Ct. 2019) (insurance coverage)

• Suazo v. Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton, Inc., Memorandum of Decision and Order on Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment, C.A. No. 1656-SV-0001417 (Mass. Dist. Ct. 2017) (premises liability)

• Quinlan v. Hessco Elder Services, MCAD Docket No. 16 (MCAD 2017) (dismissal of handicap discrimination claims)

 

Charitable and Civic Participation

• Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States

• Duxbury Youth Baseball (2006-2012) - Board Member

• American Legion, Post 223 (Duxbury, MA)