Fall 2014
Using Your Own Words Against You
By Erin H. Cancienne
In this business, we often see witnesses changing their stories regarding what happened. Sometimes the changes are major and sometimes the changes are small, but often the changes make a world of difference. The question is always how we can provide the fact finder (judge or jury) with evidence of…
Recent Developments - Maryland
Rodriguez v. State
Philip E. Parker, Jr., was an inmate murdered by another inmate in 2005. His parents, the Plaintiffs, filed a lawsuit individually and on behalf of their deceased son against the State of Maryland, various State officials whom Plaintiffs alleged were responsible for their son’s murder, and five correctional officers who…
W.R. Grace & Co. v. Swedo; Florida Rock Industries, Inc. v. Owens; Coffee v. Rent-A-Center, Inc.
Section 9-633 of the Labor and Employment Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland provides that if an award of permanent partial disability compensation in a workers’ compensation case is reversed or modified on appeal, the employer/insurer is entitled to a credit for compensation previously awarded and paid. The Court…
Recent Developments - Virginia
Harman v. Honeywell International, Inc.
The Supreme Court of Virginia recently reversed a verdict in favor of the manufacturer of an airplane autopilot system in a wrongful death action. The case involved claims brought by the estates of an airplane pilot and his passenger who were killed when their airplane crashed shortly after takeoff. The…
McMahon v. Wirick
Melanie White and Stacy McMahon were the mother and father of a child, Addison White. They were never married. At some point after the child’s birth, Melanie White married another man and took his surname, Wirick. After the child entered school, the father petitioned to have Addison’s surname changed from…
Recent Developments - District of Columbia
Aguilar v. RP MRP Washington Harbor, LLC
The Plaintiffs sued their employers’ property manager in negligence for lost income after the Potomac River flooded Washington harbor and the businesses where they worked. The Plaintiffs alleged that the property manager negligently failed to raise sea walls despite receiving sufficient warning of the coming flood. The property manager moved…
Holmes v. District of Columbia
While reviewing a real-time security feed, a store detective at Saks Fifth Avenue noticed that the Appellant, and an accomplice, were apparently stealing shirts. The detective notified a colleague, who apprehended the Appellant a few feet from the door with the stolen merchandise. At trial, the defense objected (on hearsay…
Folks v. District of Columbia
A District of Columbia police officer arrested the Plaintiff, restrained him with handcuffs, and transported him in his police cruiser (but did not restrain the Plaintiff with a seatbelt). When operating the police vehicle, the officer applied his brakes suddenly, and the force of the stop threw the Plaintiff into…
Did You Know...
New OSHA Reporting Mandate
Effective January 1, 2015 OSHA will require employers to report, within 24 hours, any work related incident that results in (a) the in-patient hospitalization of one or more employees; (b) an employee’s amputation; or (c) an employee’s loss of eye. 29 C.F.R. Section 1904.2 and 29 C.F.R. Section 1904.39.
About the Firm
About the Firm
This summer, DeCaro, Doran celebrated the start of its 23rd year as a firm. Part of this celebration included the launch of a completely redesigned website built for both mobile and desktop users. The new website has a fresh look with an improved layout and much easier-to-navigate design. What did not…