name = "Atlas Commons research objects — civil legal aid capacity for Massachusetts (FY2025)"
description = "Massachusetts's LSC-funded civil legal aid capacity from the LSC Basic Field grant directory, with each figure's status labeled so a consuming agent can weight it correctly: the measured LSC records (provider count, awarded grant dollars, service-area types, and the Census-based poverty population LSC allocates by); one computed figure — LSC funding per person in poverty — a transparent ratio neither LSC nor Census publishes, with its formula disclosed; and the interpretive boundary (what this funding/capacity surface is, and is not). Source: LSC Basic Field grant directory. CC0."
license = "CC0-1.0"
jsonld = "https://justice-atlas.ryanjhunter.workers.dev/justice/states/ma.jsonld"

[[claims]]
id = "https://justice-atlas.ryanjhunter.workers.dev/justice/states/ma/lsc-funding"
warrant = "RECORDED"
name = "4 LSC-funded civil legal aid providers received $8,292,014 in Massachusetts (FY2025)"
text = "The LSC Basic Field grant directory records 4 LSC-funded civil legal aid grantees in Massachusetts for fiscal year 2025, awarded $8,292,014 in total. A re-tally of published LSC grant awards."
source = "Legal Services Corporation (LSC) Basic Field grant directory (FY2025)"
sourceUrl = "https://www.lsc.gov/about-lsc/who-we-are/our-grantees"
falsifier = "A RECORD of measured/reported events (occurred=true) from Legal Services Corporation (LSC) Basic Field grant directory (FY2025); superseded when Legal Services Corporation (LSC) Basic Field grant directory (FY2025) publishes its next release."

[[claims]]
id = "https://justice-atlas.ryanjhunter.workers.dev/justice/states/ma/poverty-population"
warrant = "RECORDED"
name = "699,243 people in poverty live in the LSC service areas covering Massachusetts (FY2025)"
text = "The poverty population in the LSC Basic Field service areas covering Massachusetts is 699,243, the figure LSC uses to allocate Basic Field grants. A Census/ACS-based poverty count summed across the state's service areas."
source = "Legal Services Corporation (LSC) Basic Field grant directory — poverty population (U.S. Census/ACS)"
sourceUrl = "https://www.lsc.gov/about-lsc/who-we-are/our-grantees"
falsifier = "Re-tally of LSC's published service-area poverty figures (occurred=true), from a named authority — BUT the underlying poverty count is a U.S. Census/ACS SURVEY ESTIMATE with sampling error, not a hard census enumeration. Superseded with each LSC grant cycle / ACS vintage."

[[claims]]
id = "https://justice-atlas.ryanjhunter.workers.dev/justice/states/ma/service-area-types"
warrant = "RECORDED"
name = "LSC grant counts by service-area type in Massachusetts (FY2025): Basic Field 4"
text = "Counts of the 4 LSC grants by LSC service-area type: Basic Field 4. A count of grants per LSC-defined service-area category."
source = "Legal Services Corporation (LSC) Basic Field grant directory (FY2025)"
sourceUrl = "https://www.lsc.gov/about-lsc/who-we-are/our-grantees"
falsifier = "A RECORD of measured/reported events (occurred=true) from Legal Services Corporation (LSC) Basic Field grant directory (FY2025); superseded when Legal Services Corporation (LSC) Basic Field grant directory (FY2025) publishes its next release."

[[claims]]
id = "https://justice-atlas.ryanjhunter.workers.dev/justice/states/ma/funding-per-poverty-person"
warrant = "DERIVED"
name = "LSC civil legal aid funding is $11.86 per person in poverty in Massachusetts (FY2025) — a derived ratio"
text = "Dividing the $8,292,014 in LSC Basic Field funding for service areas with a reported poverty population by the 699,243 people in poverty there yields $11.86 of LSC civil legal aid funding per person in poverty in Massachusetts. A transparent ratio neither LSC nor Census publishes."
source = "Justice Atlas — derived ratio (LSC allocation ÷ service-area poverty population, over the same set of grants)"
sourceUrl = "https://justice-atlas.ryanjhunter.workers.dev/"
falsifier = "occurred=FALSE (a constructed ratio, not an event) and adjudged=FALSE (the atlas's calculation, not an LSC/Census figure). Reproduce it: $8,292,014 ÷ 699,243 = $11.86. Falsified if either input is wrong; it counts ONLY LSC Basic Field funding for grants with a reported poverty figure, not total civil legal aid spending, so it understates total per-capita legal aid."

[[claims]]
id = "https://justice-atlas.ryanjhunter.workers.dev/justice/states/ma/boundary"
warrant = "INTERPRETATION"
name = "What this legal-aid surface is — and is NOT — for Massachusetts (the epistemic boundary)"
text = "Every figure above describes LSC Basic Field grant CAPACITY and FUNDING for Massachusetts (FY2025). It is NOT all civil legal aid (LSC funds only part of the field; it excludes non-LSC legal aid, pro bono, and self-help), NOT a measure of cases handled, outcomes, or unmet need, and NOT a statement of whether you personally qualify for legal aid. For eligibility and help, use LawHelp.org / your local LSC grantee; for the full justice gap, see LSC's Justice Gap research."
source = "Justice Atlas framing (over the LSC facts above)"
sourceUrl = "https://justice-atlas.ryanjhunter.workers.dev/"
falsifier = "occurred=FALSE (a framing, not an event) and adjudged=FALSE (the atlas's reading, not an LSC verdict) — the LOWEST-warrant claim here. The figures above are LSC records plus one disclosed derived ratio; the four-status labels each, and this is the only interpretation."

[[claims]]
id = "https://justice-atlas.ryanjhunter.workers.dev/justice/states/ma/sol-defamation-libel-slander"
warrant = "RECORDED"
name = "Massachusetts sets a 3 years civil statute of limitations for defamation (libel / slander) (Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 4)"
text = "Under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 4, the civil statute of limitations for defamation (libel / slander) in Massachusetts is 3 years. Note: Fraudulent-concealment tolling possible in rare cases.. This is the STATUTE as written (verify at the cited code), last verified 2026-04-29 — NOT a calculation of any person's actual deadline, which depends on accrual and tolling."
source = "CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026)"
sourceUrl = "https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIII/TitleV/Chapter260/Section4"
falsifier = "A RECORD of measured/reported events (occurred=true) from CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026); superseded when CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026) publishes its next release."

[[claims]]
id = "https://justice-atlas.ryanjhunter.workers.dev/justice/states/ma/sol-fraud"
warrant = "RECORDED"
name = "Massachusetts sets a 3 years civil statute of limitations for fraud (Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 2A)"
text = "Under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 2A, the civil statute of limitations for fraud in Massachusetts is 3 years. Note: a discovery rule may apply (the clock may start at discovery, not occurrence); Fraudulent concealment tolls under § 12.. This is the STATUTE as written (verify at the cited code), last verified 2026-04-29 — NOT a calculation of any person's actual deadline, which depends on accrual and tolling."
source = "CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026)"
sourceUrl = "https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIII/TitleV/Chapter260/Section2A"
falsifier = "A RECORD of measured/reported events (occurred=true) from CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026); superseded when CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026) publishes its next release."

[[claims]]
id = "https://justice-atlas.ryanjhunter.workers.dev/justice/states/ma/sol-medical-malpractice"
warrant = "RECORDED"
name = "Massachusetts sets a 3 years; max 7 years (repose) civil statute of limitations for medical malpractice (Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 4)"
text = "Under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 4, the civil statute of limitations for medical malpractice in Massachusetts is 3 years; max 7 years (repose). Note: a discovery rule may apply (the clock may start at discovery, not occurrence); an outer statute of repose of 7 year(s) may also bar the claim; Foreign-object exception to the 7-year repose; tolling for minors under age 6.. This is the STATUTE as written (verify at the cited code), last verified 2026-04-29 — NOT a calculation of any person's actual deadline, which depends on accrual and tolling."
source = "CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026)"
sourceUrl = "https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIII/TitleV/Chapter260/Section4"
falsifier = "A RECORD of measured/reported events (occurred=true) from CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026); superseded when CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026) publishes its next release."

[[claims]]
id = "https://justice-atlas.ryanjhunter.workers.dev/justice/states/ma/sol-personal-injury"
warrant = "RECORDED"
name = "Massachusetts sets a 3 years civil statute of limitations for personal injury (Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 2A)"
text = "Under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 2A, the civil statute of limitations for personal injury in Massachusetts is 3 years. Note: a discovery rule may apply (the clock may start at discovery, not occurrence); Tolling for minors under § 7 and incapacity.. This is the STATUTE as written (verify at the cited code), last verified 2026-04-29 — NOT a calculation of any person's actual deadline, which depends on accrual and tolling."
source = "CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026)"
sourceUrl = "https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIII/TitleV/Chapter260/Section2A"
falsifier = "A RECORD of measured/reported events (occurred=true) from CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026); superseded when CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026) publishes its next release."

[[claims]]
id = "https://justice-atlas.ryanjhunter.workers.dev/justice/states/ma/sol-product-liability"
warrant = "RECORDED"
name = "Massachusetts sets a 3 years civil statute of limitations for product liability (Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 2A)"
text = "Under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 2A, the civil statute of limitations for product liability in Massachusetts is 3 years. Note: a discovery rule may apply (the clock may start at discovery, not occurrence); Express-warranty claims governed by UCC 4-year limit (§ 2-318).. This is the STATUTE as written (verify at the cited code), last verified 2026-04-29 — NOT a calculation of any person's actual deadline, which depends on accrual and tolling."
source = "CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026)"
sourceUrl = "https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIII/TitleV/Chapter260/Section2A"
falsifier = "A RECORD of measured/reported events (occurred=true) from CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026); superseded when CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026) publishes its next release."

[[claims]]
id = "https://justice-atlas.ryanjhunter.workers.dev/justice/states/ma/sol-property-damage"
warrant = "RECORDED"
name = "Massachusetts sets a 3 years civil statute of limitations for property damage (Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 2A)"
text = "Under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 2A, the civil statute of limitations for property damage in Massachusetts is 3 years. Note: a discovery rule may apply (the clock may start at discovery, not occurrence); Standard tolling rules apply.. This is the STATUTE as written (verify at the cited code), last verified 2026-04-29 — NOT a calculation of any person's actual deadline, which depends on accrual and tolling."
source = "CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026)"
sourceUrl = "https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIII/TitleV/Chapter260/Section2A"
falsifier = "A RECORD of measured/reported events (occurred=true) from CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026); superseded when CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026) publishes its next release."

[[claims]]
id = "https://justice-atlas.ryanjhunter.workers.dev/justice/states/ma/sol-wrongful-death"
warrant = "RECORDED"
name = "Massachusetts sets a 3 years from death or discovery civil statute of limitations for wrongful death (Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 229, § 2)"
text = "Under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 229, § 2, the civil statute of limitations for wrongful death in Massachusetts is 3 years from death or discovery. Note: a discovery rule may apply (the clock may start at discovery, not occurrence); Underlying claim must have been timely as of death (Fabiano rule).. This is the STATUTE as written (verify at the cited code), last verified 2026-04-29 — NOT a calculation of any person's actual deadline, which depends on accrual and tolling."
source = "CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026)"
sourceUrl = "https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIII/TitleV/Chapter229/Section2"
falsifier = "A RECORD of measured/reported events (occurred=true) from CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026); superseded when CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026) publishes its next release."

[[claims]]
id = "https://justice-atlas.ryanjhunter.workers.dev/justice/states/ma/sol-contract-oral"
warrant = "RECORDED"
name = "Massachusetts sets a 6 years civil statute of limitations for contract oral (Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 2)"
text = "Under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 2, the civil statute of limitations for contract oral in Massachusetts is 6 years. Note: UCC 4-year limit governs sales of goods.. This is the STATUTE as written (verify at the cited code), last verified 2026-04-29 — NOT a calculation of any person's actual deadline, which depends on accrual and tolling."
source = "CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026)"
sourceUrl = "https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIII/TitleV/Chapter260/Section2"
falsifier = "A RECORD of measured/reported events (occurred=true) from CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026); superseded when CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026) publishes its next release."

[[claims]]
id = "https://justice-atlas.ryanjhunter.workers.dev/justice/states/ma/sol-contract-written"
warrant = "RECORDED"
name = "Massachusetts sets a 6 years civil statute of limitations for contract written (Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 2)"
text = "Under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 2, the civil statute of limitations for contract written in Massachusetts is 6 years. Note: Sales of goods under UCC subject to 4-year limit.. This is the STATUTE as written (verify at the cited code), last verified 2026-04-29 — NOT a calculation of any person's actual deadline, which depends on accrual and tolling."
source = "CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026)"
sourceUrl = "https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIII/TitleV/Chapter260/Section2"
falsifier = "A RECORD of measured/reported events (occurred=true) from CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026); superseded when CaseFleet Civil Statute-of-Limitations Reference (2026) publishes its next release."

[[claims]]
id = "https://justice-atlas.ryanjhunter.workers.dev/justice/states/ma/sol-boundary"
warrant = "INTERPRETATION"
name = "Why these statute-of-limitations periods are NOT your deadline (the L5 boundary)"
text = "The periods above are the statutes Massachusetts has on the books. They do NOT tell you YOUR deadline. When a claim \"accrues\" (starts the clock), whether the discovery rule, tolling, a minor/incapacity, or a statute of repose changes it, and which cause of action even applies, are fact-specific legal determinations. A missed deadline can permanently bar a claim. This atlas informs and routes — it is not legal advice and not a substitute for a licensed attorney. If you may have a claim, consult an attorney in Massachusetts immediately; for free civil legal aid see this state's legal-aid page."
source = "Justice Atlas framing (over the statutes above)"
sourceUrl = "https://justice-atlas.ryanjhunter.workers.dev/"
falsifier = "occurred=FALSE (a framing/legal boundary, not an event) and adjudged=FALSE (the atlas's reading, not a court's ruling on any case) — the lowest-warrant claim. The period+citation claims above are recorded statutes (verifiable at the cited code); this boundary is the only interpretation on the SOL data."

[[legalAidIndicators]]
indicator = "LSC-funded providers (distinct organizations)"
value = 4
warrant = "RECORDED"
source = "Legal Services Corporation (LSC) Basic Field grant directory"

[[legalAidIndicators]]
indicator = "LSC service-area grants"
value = 4
warrant = "RECORDED"
source = "Legal Services Corporation (LSC) Basic Field grant directory"

[[legalAidIndicators]]
indicator = "Total LSC allocation (USD)"
value = 8292014
warrant = "RECORDED"
source = "Legal Services Corporation (LSC) Basic Field grant directory"

[[legalAidIndicators]]
indicator = "Poverty population in service areas"
value = 699243
warrant = "RECORDED"
source = "Legal Services Corporation (LSC) Basic Field grant directory (U.S. Census/ACS)"

[[legalAidIndicators]]
indicator = "LSC funding per person in poverty (USD)"
value = 11.858558469659332
warrant = "DERIVED"
source = "Justice Atlas — allocation ÷ poverty population"

[[legalAidIndicators]]
indicator = "Fiscal year"
value = 2025
warrant = "—"
source = "Legal Services Corporation (LSC) Basic Field grant directory"

[[serviceAreaTypes]]
service_area_type = "Basic Field"
grant_count = 4

[[providers]]
organization = "Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association"
service_area = "MA-11"
service_area_type = "Basic Field"
allocation_usd = 2978618
poverty_population = 251179

[[providers]]
organization = "Community Legal Aid, Inc."
service_area = "MA-10"
service_area_type = "Basic Field"
allocation_usd = 2498686
poverty_population = 210707

[[providers]]
organization = "South Coastal Counties Legal Services"
service_area = "MA-12"
service_area_type = "Basic Field"
allocation_usd = 1579769
poverty_population = 133218

[[providers]]
organization = "Northeast Legal Aid, Inc."
service_area = "MA-4"
service_area_type = "Basic Field"
allocation_usd = 1234941
poverty_population = 104139
