My hypothetical

[Dave Faneuf]

On Thu, 11 Aug 2005 18:42:03 -0400 "Daniel Billings"
<billings@suscom-maine.net> writes:
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Dave Faneuf" <tklaundry@juno.com>
> To: <bri@bostonradio.org>
> Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2005 12:15 PM
> Subject: My hypothetical
 
> Neither a person or a news organization has a legal duty to report.
> 
> If I heard Person A say that he was going to kill Person B, I have 
> no duty 
> to tell anyone what I know, even if I believe it.  (Some 
> professionals are 
> mandatory reporters under statutes, but they are the exceptions to 
> the 
> general rule.)
> 
> For me to have criminal liability as an accessory, I would have to 
> do 
> something to help or encourage Person A before the killing or I 
> would have 
> to help cover up the crime or help Person A escape or get away.

Again, I'm not an attorney, but didn't they expand the laws regarding
criminal liability following the Big Dan's Rape Case in New Bedford a
number of years ago?   

Regardless of criminal liability I would think it would certainly be
within the realm of possiblity that a successful civil suit might be
filed depending upon the information gathered and withheld and whether or
not it could have reasonably prevented the catastrophic event.
df