Gareth W. Notis

Gareth is a partner in the Boston office of Morrison Mahoney.  His practice focuses on transportation, employment and labor, municipal liability, premises and products liability, tort and liability defense, education law, civil rights, defamation, and discrimination.  He litigates in Massachusetts State Courts and in Federal Court, and provides labor and employment consultation. He has been with the firm since 1998 and a partner since 2004.

Gareth represents a broad range of clients, including national transportation companies, municipalities, housing authorities, public officials, retailers, and insurance companies. Gareth regularly defends individuals, corporations and municipalities in employment related matters, including claims of discrimination, harassment, wage and hour claims, whistleblower claims, and wrongful discharge claims, before the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD), the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations (DLR), and courts throughout Massachusetts.

Gareth is an MCAD-certified discrimination and harassment investigator.  In this capacity, he conducts investigations on behalf of employers into complaints of discrimination and harassment.  He also is certified by the MCAD in discrimination and harassment prevention training for managers and non-supervisory employees.  He provides discrimination and harassment prevention training to employers.

In labor matters, he represents both public and private organizations in contract negotiations, grievance administration, arbitration, and actions before administrative agencies. Gareth drafts and revises employee handbooks and workplace policies, along with negotiating and drafting non-competition and severance agreements. In addition, he investigates claims of sexual harassment and discrimination for public and private entities. In this role, he makes recommendations regarding appropriate remedial training and action.

REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE

• Successfully tried numerous cases to verdict before juries throughout Massachusetts and in Federal Court, including matters involving wrongful death, catastrophic injuries, traumatic head injuries, discrimination, sexual harassment, whistleblower act violations, product liability, and breach of contract.
• Wrote appellate briefs and argued appeals before the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, and the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, including N. Am. Site Developers, Inc. v. MRP Site Dev., Inc., 63 Mass. App. Ct. 529 (2005); City Fuel Corp. v. Nat’l Fire Ins. Co., 446 Mass. 638 (2006); Massachusetts Bay Transp. Auth. v. Kinney Parking of Suffolk Cty., Inc., 74 Mass. App. Ct. 1128 (2009); Needleman v. Clancy, 74 Mass. App. Ct. 1119 (2009); Plummer v. Town of Somerset, 601 F.Supp.2d 358 (D.Mass 2009); Chamberlin v. Town of Stoughton, 609 F.3d 10 (1st Cir. 2010); Cohen v. Eagle Tribune Publ’g Co., 79 Mass. App. Ct. 1102 (2011); Pritchard v. Malm, 85 Mass. App. Ct. 1120 (2014); Tobin v. Federal Exp. Corp., 775 F.3d 448 (1st Cir. 2014); Templeton v. Mansfield Pub. Sch., 88 Mass. App. Ct. 1112 (2015); Pierce v. Somerset Sch. Dep’t, 45 N.E.3d 612 (Mass. App. Ct. 2016); Swartz v. Sylvester, 53 F .4th 693, 695 (1st Cir. 2022); Ralph v. Town of Dedham, 102 Mass. App. Ct. 1104, 200 N.E.3d 531 (2022); Eaton v. Town of Townsend, No. 22-1334, 2023 WL 3317986 (1st Cir. May 9, 2023); Mirabella v. Town of Lexington, Massachusetts, 64 F.4th 55 (1st Cir. 2023).
• Defense verdict for employer in religious discrimination, harassment, and retaliation matter – United States District Court (Boston).
• Defense verdict in wrongful death action brought by estate of minor arising out of motor vehicle accident – Suffolk Superior Court.
• Successful verdict for insurance company in product liability action alleging breach of warranty and Chapter 93A violation against dryer manufacturer arising out of a residential fire – United States District Court (Boston).
• Defense verdict in matter involving amputation of minor plaintiff’s fingers allegedly caused by landowner – Suffolk Superior Court.
• Defense verdict in wrongful termination/§1983 violation/conspiracy claim against Police Chief and Assistant Police Chief arising out of interrogation of City Solicitor – United States District Court (Boston).

• Named “Go To Lawyer” for Higher Education by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly (2024)
• Elected by his peers to The Best Lawyers in America© Labor and Employment Litigation guide (2024-2025)
• Selected to the Massachusetts Super Lawyers magazine list in Civil Litigation: Defense (2017–2020)