Appeals Court upholds Chelmsford defamation ruling
CHELMSFORD — The Massachusetts Appeals Court has affirmed a Superior Court judgment against Roland Van Liew and the $2.9 million awarded to former Selectman Philip Eliopoulos in the pair’s dueling defamation lawsuits.
The decision, released Friday, pertains to the long, bitter battle that began in 2010 over a member of Eliopoulos’ family purchasing and developing the property at 9 North Road.
“Phil, his family and all of us are thrilled that the Appeals Court affirmed what we believed to be a well-reasoned and thoughtful verdict of the jury,” said David Rich, one of the attorneys who represented Eliopoulos.
CHELMSFORD — The Massachusetts Appeals Court has affirmed a Superior Court judgment against Roland Van Liew and the $2.9 million awarded to former Selectman Philip Eliopoulos in the pair’s dueling defamation lawsuits. The decision, released Friday, pertains to the long, bitter battle that began in 2010 over a member of Eliopoulos’ family purchasing and developing the property at 9 North Road. “Phil, his family and all of us are thrilled that the Appeals Court affirmed what we believed to be a well-reasoned and thoughtful verdict of the jury,” said David Rich, one of the attorneys who represented Eliopoulos. Van Liew had accused Eliopoulos of shady political dealings in his work as a real-estate attorney. While Eliopoulos served as a selectman in 2009, his father, Michael Eliopoulos, purchased 9 North Road. In 2007, the town had considered the property as a possible option for rebuilding and expanding the crumbling Center Fire Station next door, but ultimately decided against it. The town later asked the owner, Eastern Bank, if it would consider subdividing the property, but the bank was not interested because it had already decided to sell it to Michael Eliopoulos, according to the decision. After Philip Eliopoulos’ term expired in April 2009, he assisted his father in developing the 4-acre property, which included rehabilitating its historic home and constructing an office building.