Governor Nominates Two to District Court

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BOSTON — Governor Maura T. Healey nominated Sarah Kennedy and Edward Krippendorf to the District Court. 
 
The nominees will now continue forward to the Governor's Council for confirmation.  
 
"Sarah and Edward are two distinguished attorneys who will make excellent additions to the District Court," said Governor Healey. "They have dedicated their careers to the law and I look forward to working with the Governor's Council to confirm their nominations." 
 
The District Court Department hears a wide range of criminal, civil, housing, juvenile, mental health, and other types of cases. District Court criminal jurisdiction extends to all felonies punishable by a sentence up to five years, and many other specific felonies with greater potential penalties, all misdemeanors, and all violations of city and town ordinances and by-laws. In civil matters, the District Court hears cases in which the damages are not likely to be more than $50,000 and small claims cases up to $7,000. The District Court is located in 62 courts across the state. 
 
About Sarah Kennedy 
Sarah Kennedy currently serves as an Assistant Clerk Magistrate in the Dorchester Division of the Boston Municipal Court, a position she has held since 2021. Attorney Kennedy is responsible for conducting hearings for criminal complaints, assisting judges with courtroom sessions, and helping staff, litigants and members of the public with navigating the court system. Prior to that, she served as both a prosecutor for the Middlesex District Attorney's Office and a defense attorney for the Committee for Public Counsel Services. She has a bachelor's from Boston College and a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School and she lives in Waltham with her wife and children. 
 
 
About Edward (Ed) Krippendorf, Jr.
Ed Krippendorf is an accomplished and well-respected trial attorney with broad civil and criminal experience. Attorney Krippendorf began his career as a criminal investigator in the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office before attending New England School of Law. After graduating cum laude, Attorney Krippendorf worked as an Assistant District Attorney in Suffolk County for eight years, prosecuting cases in District, Boston Municipal, and Superior Courts. For the last three years in the DA's Office, he tried complicated Superior Court cases while assigned to the Senior Trial and Homicide Units. Attorney Krippendorf now serves as a partner at Eisenstadt Krippendorf Group in Westwood, MA representing private and indigent criminal defendants as well as handling a broad array of civil and administrative matters in a variety of courts. He also volunteers as a Court Conciliator for the Norfolk County Probate and Family Court. He has a B.S. from Salem State College and a J.D. from New England School of Law. He lives in Braintree with his wife and children. 
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New Nissan Owners Want to Turn Troubled Dealership Around

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The incoming owners of Nissan of Pittsfield want to turn the dealership around after it allegedly left multiple customers "in the hole."

On Monday, the Licensing Board heard from police, customers, and the prospective new owners during a show-cause hearing for its auto dealer license. Located at 25 West Housatonic St., the dealership was investigated for failing to pay off the loans on trade-ins.

"I can tell you that at this point here we are in November, everybody who had contacted me in regards to being in the hole as far as having two loan payments, two car payments, everyone's been made whole so those trade-in vehicles have all been paid off," Lt. Marc Maddalena said.

"There was five individuals who were affected by this dating back to, it was either March or June of this year and we were able to get the ownership to take care of all that. Granted, it took a little bit of pulling some teeth but they ended up doing the right thing when it was all said and done and took care of all that."

This could potentially lead to a criminal charge, he later said.

Maddalena explained that there are still outstanding complaints that need to be evaluated but since the situation has been brought to the forefront, he hasn't received new reports of this activity.

"The complaints that continue to come in is basically breach of contracts in regards to agreements that were made under [previous owner] Haddad Nissan at the time for lifelong oil changes, detailing things of that nature, that Pittsfield Nissan stopped honoring," he added, explaining that the board would have better knowledge about the parameters of contract breaching than himself.

Javier Columbie and Benjamin Farber of Bella Auto Group signed an asset purchase agreement with Nissan of Pittsfield and have a tentative closing date in early December. The current owners, which have been referred to as Team Nissan Inc. or Team Auto Group, were not present.

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