Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 112, § 135 (2026)

Definitions applicable to Secs. 135 to 135B

✓ current as of July 2026

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Section 135. As used in this section and sections one hundred and thirty-five A and one hundred and thirty-five B the following words shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:—

''Client'', a person with whom a social worker has established a social worker-client relationship.

''Communications'', includes conversations, correspondence, actions and occurrences regardless of the client's awareness of such conversations, correspondence, actions and occurrences and any records, memoranda or notes of the foregoing.

''Reasonable precautions'', reasonable efforts to take one or more of the following actions as would be taken by a reasonably prudent social worker under the same or similar circumstances:

(a) communicates a threat of death or serious bodily injury to any reasonably identified victim or victims;

(b) notifies an appropriate law enforcement agency in the vicinity where the client or any potential victim resides;

(c) arranges for the client to be hospitalized voluntarily; or

(d) takes appropriate steps, within the legal scope of social work practice, to initiate proceedings for involuntary hospitalization.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 40 cases, 1981–2018 · leading case: Allen v. Holyoke Hosp., 496 N.E.2d 1368 (Mass. 1986).

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Allen v. Holyoke Hosp., 496 N.E.2d 1368 (Mass. 1986). · cites it 42× “831 (1974), regarding whether the social worker privilege contained in G.L.c. 112, § 135, and the provisions of the Fair Information Practices Act (FIPA), G.”

Commonwealth v. Collett, 439 N.E.2d 1223 (Mass. 1982). · cites it 14× “She asserted a social worker's privilege pursuant to G.L.c. 112, § 135. The judge ordered the social worker to disclose "all of the alleged communications" to the judge and to the prosecutor at a pretrial in camera hearing.”

Commonwealth v. Jones, 535 N.E.2d 221 (Mass. 1989). · cites it 14× “The Superior Court judge allowed, under the explicit terms of G.L.c. 112, § 135 ( f ), the defendant's first motion seeking to inspect and copy DSS records filed pursuant to G.”

Commonwealth v. Merola, 542 N.E.2d 249 (Mass. 1989). · cites it 5× “4 Under G. L. c. 112, § 135 (1988 ed.), 5 these records are confidential, unless an exception applies.”

Weisbeck v. Hess, 524 N.W.2d 363 (S.D. 1994). · cites it 4× “1 (1982) (citing Mass.Gen.Laws ch. 112, § 135(b) (revised 1989)) (emphasis added).”

Petition of the Dep't of Soc. Servs. to Dispense With Consent to Adoption, 493 N.E.2d 197 (Mass. 1986). · cites it 3× “In their challenge to the decision, the parents contend that the trial judge erroneously admitted testimony of a social worker privileged pursuant to G. L. c. 112, § 135, and that the Department of Social Services (department) failed to prove by clear and convincing evidence…”

Commonwealth v. Vega, 866 N.E.2d 892 (Mass. 2007). · cites it 2× “That case involved a former version of G. L. c. 112, § 135, as amended through St.”

Three Juveniles v. Commonwealth, 455 N.E.2d 1203 (Mass. 1983). · cites it 2× “They do not involve disqualifications from testifying. The Legislature has recognized a testimonial disqualification as to certain private conversations between spouses.”

Commonwealth v. McDonough, 511 N.E.2d 551 (Mass. 1987). · cites it 2× “G. L. c. 112, § 135 (1986 ed.). He further found that the apparent purpose of introducing the records was to attack the victim’s credibility, by showing that his father had psychiatric problems of his own.”

Adoption of Diane, 508 N.E.2d 837 (Mass. 1987). · cites it 2× “The mother contends that this testimony should have been excluded under the social worker-client privilege created by G. L. c. 112, § 135. 2 That statute provides, with certain *198 exceptions, that “[n]o social worker .”

Torres v. Attorney Gen., 460 N.E.2d 1032 (Mass. 1984). · cites it 2× “G.L.c. 112, § 135. Of course, any such protected information is expressly excluded from "public records" by the language of G.”

Commonwealth v. Berrio, 551 N.E.2d 496 (Mass. 1990). · cites it 2× “" *41 The judge reasoned that the information obtained from the defendant by Bull and Hajjar during Bull's investigation was disclosable under G.L.c. 112, § 135 ( f ), and the information subsequently acquired by Hajjar relative to the defendant's criminal acts was disclosable…”

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— Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 112, § 135(b) — 1 case

Weisbeck v. Hess, 524 N.W.2d 363 (S.D. 1994). “1 (1982) (citing Mass.Gen.Laws ch. 112, § 135(b) (revised 1989)) (emphasis added).”

— Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 112, § 135(d) — 1 case

Custody of a Minor, 483 N.E.2d 473 (Mass. App. Ct. 1985).

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