6 Mass. App. Ct. 914 | Mass. App. Ct. | 1978
1. The appeals of Martin, Conti, the Millettes, and Bemnowicz are to be dismissed as they were not filed within the six days from judgment allowed by G. L. c. 239, § 5, as appearing in St. 1975, c. 667, § 3, in effect at the time relevant to these appeals. The judge of the Housing Court had no power to extend the time for filing either the appeals or the bonds required by that section. The power to extend was not given in c. 239, § 5, which provided that appeals in summary process actions "shall be taken by filing á notice of appeal within six days of entry of judgment” (emphasis supplied). See Snow v. Dyer, 178 Mass. 393, 395-396 (1901); Megliola v. Municipal Court of the West Roxbury Dist., 299 Mass. 325, 327-328 (1938). See also Davis v. Alden, 2 Gray 309, 311-312 (1854). Although much of the older common law regarding the landlord-tenant relationship has been changed by statute (see G. L. c. 239, § 8A) and by recent judicial decisions (see Boston Housing Authy. v. Hemingway, 363 Mass. 184 [1973]), the justification of these older cases for summary disposition of eviction cases is still applicable. Nor can the power to extend the time for filing an appeal be found in Mass.R.A.P. 4, 365 Mass. 846 (1974) , which by its own terms is applicable only to periods of time established by that rule. 2. There was error in the judge’s denial of Rita Bernard’s motion to dismiss the summary process action brought by the plaintiff to evict her from the mobile home park. The plaintiff sent her a written notice giving the reasons for termination, dated February 3,1977, which was actually received by her on February 4, 1977. A summary process complaint dated February 17, 1977, and returnable February 28,1977, was served on Bernard on February 18,
So ordered.