Session Laws

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

Section 21 of chapter 218 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 1984 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the third sentence and inserting in place thereof the following sentence:- Actions under this section and sections twenty-two to twenty-five, inclusive, shall be brought, at the option of the plaintiff, in the judicial district where either the plaintiff or the defendant lives or has his usual place of business or employment; provided, however, that actions brought against a landlord or lessor of land or tenements rented for residential purposes, and arising out of such property or rental, may also be brought in the judicial district in which the property is located; provided, further, that each division within the district court department shall have civil jurisdiction of such actions commenced in such division which should have been brought in some other division, to the extent that the action may be heard and disposed of by the court in the division in which it was begun if the venue of said action is waived or, if venue requirements are not waived, the court may, on motion of any party, order the action, with all papers relating thereto, transferred for hearing and disposition to the division in which the action should have been commenced.