Lynch would not comment on the subject yesterday, but his spokesman, Scott Ferson, said he agreed to represent the defendants because he believed they had been "overcharged." The case ended with protective orders against all the teenagers and criminal charges against some. Lynch also helped six of them thwart eviction attempts by the Boston Housing Authority.

For his defense of the white teens, Lynch was hailed by such powerful neighborhood figures as John Ciccone, director of the South Boston Information Center. "The BHA assumed, no doubt, that these white tenants would be easy victims . . . ," Ciccone enthused in the South Boston Tribune. "However, attorney Steve Lynch has again come to the rescue."

One youth, wearing a cast over his right arm, allegedly tried to strike [Manuel Rodriguez], but was held back. Another then allegedly smashed a beer bottle over Rodriguez's head, drawing blood. A third youth allegedly struck Rodriguez with his foot and smashed a second bottle over his head, the court documents state. Then, after yet another youth knocked Rodriguez down, others kicked him in the side and punched him, according to the documents.