IPSE DIXIT: Do You Really Need to Ask a Question?
April 23, 2014 By Alan R. Siciliano
After thirty-seven years I have come to the conclusion that attorneys need not feel compelled to ask questions just because they are attorneys. Too many…
Breaching the Privacy of Jury Deliberations: Jurors Conducting Online Research
April 15, 2014 By Emily F. Belanger
In the case of Cooch v. S&D River Island LLC, et al., suit was brought against an apartment building owner and the property management company (the…
Update: Maryland House Judiciary Committee Conducts Hearing on Non-economic Damages Bills
April 1, 2014 By Abby V. Uzupis
On March 5, 2014, the Maryland House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on House Bills 930 and 1009 to hear testimony for and against a…
IPSE DIXIT: Partially True Tales from the Litigation Trenches
March 19, 2014 By Jennifer L. Rowlett
Recently, I was sitting in a courtroom waiting for my trial to begin. There were trials before mine so I used the opportunity to provide…
Maryland Court of Appeals Sticks With “Limited Voir Dire”
March 18, 2014 By Abby V. Uzupis
On February 21, 2014 the Court of Appeals in Pearson v. State declined to abandon the doctrine of “limited voir dire” in favor of “intelligent use voir dire,” which…
Enforceability of an Oral Settlement Agreement
March 18, 2014 By Emily F. Belanger
Maryland courts have routinely treated settlement agreements just as any other contract, concluding that as long as the basic requirements to form a contract are…
My Dog Isn’t Vicious, I Can Prove It
March 4, 2014 By Jennifer A. King
The Maryland Senate recently passed Senate Bill 247 which would overturn Tracey v. Solesky, a 2012 decision of Maryland’s highest court imposing strict liability for owners…
Maryland to Triple or Reduce Non-Economic Damages? Two Bills with Competing Purposes
March 3, 2014 By Erin H. Cancienne
There are two important House Bills in this legislative session that could affect recovery of non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases in Maryland. Non-economic damages…
Fourth Circuit Defines “Nominal Party” in Cases Removed from State Court to Federal Court
February 24, 2014 By Jennifer L. Rowlett
The federal courts have the power to decide cases originally filed in State court in limited circumstances. Federal courts have what is termed “diversity jurisdiction”…
Restaurant Held Liable for Shooting Death of Two Patrons
February 5, 2014 By Abby V. Uzupis
On January 13, 2014, the Court of Special Appeals for Maryland affirmed a jury verdict holding Uno Restaurant Holdings Corp. liable for failing to protect…