public defenders Massachusetts pay Maura Healey.

More than 120 defendants in Massachusetts have had their charges — ranging from assault to drug possession — dropped after public defenders refused to take new cases over a long-running pay dispute. The dismissals Monday in Boston were the result of a court ruling that requires they be dropped if a defendant has not had representation for 45 days. Earlier, scores of suspects in jail were released under the same rule, known as the Lavallee protocol, if they have been held without an attorney for at least seven days. Public defenders started refusing new cases after their calls for a raise were rebuffed by state lawmakers.