Maryland

6 Law Firm Notaries Lose Office, Suit Filed in Probe of Fake Lawyer Signatures on Foreclosure Docs

Six notaries who worked for two Maryland law firms have lost their commissions as an apparent result of a continuing probe into who signed documents in mortgage foreclosure cases, although it isn’t clear whether their jobs at the law firms have otherwise been affected. The probe began after a lawyer…

Oct 14, 2010 6:31 PM CDT

Taking Their Pains to the Clinic

Legislators punish law school clinics for suing community businesses

Oct 1, 2010 7:50 AM CDT

Helmet Cam Was Legal, Ditto Taping Arresting Officer, Judge Rules

A motorcyclist who was jailed and charged with violating Maryland’s wiretap law after he used a helmet cam to film the state trooper who had pulled him over for speeding is off the hook. Hartford County Circuit Judge Emory Pitt Jr. ruled that a uniformed police officer doing his job…

Sep 28, 2010 12:02 AM CDT

Judge Dismisses Baltimore Blight Suit Against Wells Fargo, Will Allow Refiling

A federal judge has dismissed an unusual “reverse redlining” lawsuit in which Baltimore contends Wells Fargo Bank’s subprime mortgage loans cost the city tax revenue by targeting minority homeowners for high-interest debt that encouraged them to default. As a result, the city contended, not only these properties but surrounding areas…

Sep 15, 2010 1:27 AM CDT

Pillsbury Winthrop Tax Attorney May Have Been Victim of Domestic Murder-Suicide, Authorities Say

A 35-year-old tax associate at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman has been found slain, apparently shot to death, in her Washington, D.C.-area home. Authorities are saying she may have been a victim of domestic violence. Clare Lenore Stoudt, a mother of five who graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 2008,…

Sep 14, 2010 6:08 PM CDT

Court Tosses Suit Claiming Beveridge & Diamond Partner Squandered Marital Money

A Maryland appeals court has handed a victory to a partner and former managing principal of Beveridge & Diamond embroiled in a battle with his ex-wife over alleged financial malfeasance during their marriage. The ruling (PDF) affirms the dismissal of Nancy Lasater’s tort suit against her former husband, Beveridge &…

Sep 14, 2010 4:24 PM CDT

Lawyer Sues for $700K After His Arrest for Failing to Show ID in Courthouse

A Maryland lawyer in a hurry to file some briefs decided to take a stand when an officer at the appeals court in Annapolis asked to see his ID. Norman Christopher Usiak refused, the Baltimore Sun reports. His resulting arrest spurred Usiak to file a $700,000 lawsuit claiming false arrest,…

Sep 3, 2010 12:23 PM CDT

Lawyer Swindled in E-Mail Scam Gets 5 Years for Stealing from Clients

A Maryland med-mal lawyer whose own wrongdoing was revealed after he was swindled in an e-mail scam was sentenced Monday to five years in prison. Bradley Schwartz, 62, will be eligible for parole in 15 months, the Washington Post reports. Still, his sentence is longer than recommended by state guidelines.…

Aug 24, 2010 1:23 PM CDT

Lawyer Gets 60 Days in Fatal Horse Neglect Case

Sentenced last year in state district court to six days in jail for fatally neglecting a horse and, the judge said, showing no remorse, a Maryland lawyer and his wife made things worse for themselves by appealing. Now Hilton and Donna Silver have been sentenced to 60 and 30 days,…

Aug 3, 2010 5:11 PM CDT

Five-Day Suspension Ordered for Tire-Deflating Judge

A Maryland judge who let the air out of the tires of a car belonging to a courthouse worker has been suspended without pay for five days. Maryland’s highest court signed the suspension order on Wednesday, according to the Washington Post blog The Crime Scene and the Baltimore Sun. The…

Jul 22, 2010 2:23 PM CDT

Crash Kills One Senior Veteran Prosecutor, Injures Assistant Prosecutor

A 25-year veteran of the Wicomico County, Md., prosecutor’s office was killed Friday and another attorney in the office was injured when a driver reportedly pulled out in front of them on a state road. Members of the legal community expressed shock at the sudden death of Sampson Vincent, 52.…

Jun 28, 2010 10:24 PM CDT

Swindle By Purported Client Brings Lawyer’s Alleged $1.56M Scam to Light

For several years, a Maryland lawyer dipped into client funds without being caught. But then he received a $385,000 cashier’s check purporting to be a payment for legal work needed by a company in Asia. The check turned out to be bogus, and when the bank called in authorities to…

Jun 25, 2010 11:00 AM CDT

Chaos Continues at Debt Collection Law Firm Now in Receivership

The checks are still coming into Mann Bracken, often from wage garnishments won by the Maryland-based national law firm before it shuttered its doors earlier this year. But a receiver is still struggling to figure out how the debtor payments should be handled. The Montgomery County Circuit Court dismissed tens…

Jun 21, 2010 10:23 PM CDT

Mistrial Declared After Juror Argues with Judge

A Washington, D.C.-area judge has granted a mistrial in an attempted murder case after a juror argued with the judge, telling him he couldn’t be forced to deliberate. The juror, Uros Novakovski, was forced, however, to go to jail. He spent 24 hours there on a contempt of court charge…

Jun 15, 2010 2:26 PM CDT

Veteran Gets 4 Months for Throwing 4-Pound Dog Off Bridge After Driveway Dispute

A unemployed cell-tower technician and Marine Corps veteran got a four-month jail term yesterday for throwing a 4-pound Chihuahua off a bridge in Maryland last year, presumably causing the dog’s death. David Beers, 35, pleaded guilty earlier this year to felony animal cruelty and misdemeanor theft in the case. He…

Jun 8, 2010 5:55 PM CDT