Maryland

Judge Asked Too Many Questions, Requiring New Trial

In a rare rebuke to the chief judge in Baltimore, a Maryland appellate court has found that he asked too many questions during a jury trial of an armed robbery case last year, requiring a reversal of the defendant’s conviction and a new trial. The 125 questions that Baltimore City…

Oct 7, 2008 11:50 PM CDT

Judge Warns PD Action Will Bring Md. Criminal Courts to ‘Grinding Halt’

The Maryland Office of Public Defender has warned state judges that starting next week it will no longer pay private lawyers to represent defendants in conflict-of-interest cases. Brian Denton, chief public defender for Prince George’s County, said in a letter that the action was being taken because of a directive…

Sep 25, 2008 4:40 PM CDT

Accused Monkey Thief Tracked Down through MySpace Page

Life as a fugitive from justice ended for an accused monkey thief after he posted his phone number and a partial new address to his MySpace page. Steven Labore had been charged in Pennsylvania with stealing two monkeys with a friend from the Wild World of Animals, the Washington Post…

Sep 24, 2008 1:18 PM CDT

Former Arnold & Porter Partner Pleads Guilty in Tax Shelter Case

A former Arnold & Porter partner who provided opinions on the legality of Ernst & Young tax shelters has pleaded guilty to tax charges. Peter Cinquegrani of Baltimore pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to commit tax fraud, aiding and abetting tax evasion, and aiding in the submission of false and…

Sep 12, 2008 12:37 PM CDT

An Overwhelmed Lawyer Leads to Md. Suspension for Lemon-Law Founders

The founders of Pennsylvania-based Kimmel & Silverman, the “1-800-Lemon-Law” firm, have been suspended from legal privileges in Maryland for failing to supervise a lawyer there unable to keep up with an overwhelming caseload. Maryland’s highest court suspended Craig Kimmel and Robert Silverman in an opinion (PDF) released yesterday, the Maryland…

Sep 3, 2008 11:24 AM CDT

Court Quotes ‘Seinfeld’ Episode in Ruling Involving Author Tom Clancy

Maryland’s highest court is relying on a Seinfeld episode to explain why author Tom Clancy cannot harm a partnership with his ex-wife simply because of spite. The Maryland Court of Appeals cites the Seinfeld episode in which Jerry tries to return a jacket he purchased after an unrelated personal quarrel…

Aug 26, 2008 3:04 PM CDT

Woman Arrested, Shackled After Poodles Pee in Trooper’s Yard

Prosecutors are moving forward with trespassing charges against a suburban Maryland woman who admits walking her two miniature poodles through the yard of a state police sergeant. Linda May Johnson is incredulous about being arrested, shackled and facing trial this month for taking her dogs, Ollie and Hersey, out in…

Aug 12, 2008 12:50 PM CDT

Md. Lawyers in 2 Cases Testify re Attorney Witness-Tampering Claims

In an unusual situation that attracted both prosecutors and defense lawyers as courtroom spectators, veteran criminal defense lawyers in two separate cases in Baltimore were asked to explain themselves in court last week concerning their interactions with witnesses. The two attorneys said they had done nothing wrong, and claims that…

Aug 11, 2008 7:19 PM CDT

Jury to Decide if Md. Defense Attorney Tried to Get Witness to Change Story

A jury will decide whether a veteran Maryland defense lawyer tried to get a prosecution witness to change his testimony in a murder case, because “there is enough there” that the jury in the murder case should hear the evidence, a judge has ruled. “Baltimore Circuit Judge Timothy Doory said…

Aug 8, 2008 6:53 PM CDT

Scientist Kept Security Clearance Even as He Became Lead Suspect

Until government scientist Bruce Ivins was banned from his laboratory on July 10 because of his deteriorating emotional condition, his security clearance allowed him to work in the lab’s most dangerous facilities. Ivins killed himself last week before he could be indicted in the 2001 anthrax attacks that killed five…

Aug 4, 2008 11:16 AM CDT

Evidence Against Anthrax Scientist Is Mostly Circumstantial

The government scientist who killed himself before he could be indicted in the 2001 anthrax attacks was linked to the crime by the DNA of an anthrax strain he handled at a government laboratory. Anthrax spores were found on a bookcase and several other locations in or near the office…

Aug 4, 2008 10:47 AM CDT

Teen Son to be Tried as Adult in Md. Lawyer’s Murder

A teenage son who allegedly murdered his father, a Maryland lawyer, his mother and two younger brothers as they slept earlier this year will be tried as an adult, a judge decided yesterday. Despite testimony from a psychiatrist that Nicholas Browning, who was 15 at the time of the crime…

Jul 30, 2008 4:54 PM CDT

Group Files Ethics Complaints Over DOJ Political Hiring

A watchdog group has filed ethics complaints against two former Justice Department lawyers accused of making hiring decisions based on politics. Named in the complaints are Michael Elston, a McGuireWoods partner, and Esther Slater McDonald, an associate at Seyfarth Shaw, Legal Times reports. Elston was former chief of staff to…

Jul 9, 2008 10:37 AM CDT

Md. Chief Judge Issues Pro Bono Call to Action to Save Homes

In a massive public service effort to help residents in danger of losing their homes, key judges and legal professionals in Maryland are calling on lawyers in the state to join the Foreclosure Prevention Pro Bono Project. Robert M. Bell, chief judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals, wrote a…

Jul 8, 2008 4:15 PM CDT

Back on Bench, Md. Judge Dials It Down But Still Cares

Suspended without pay for 30 work days for uncivil and profane language—the harshest punishment handed out to a Maryland judge in more than 20 years—Baltimore County District Judge Bruce Lamdin was subdued today, his first day back on the bench. He did advise one defendant to listen to his lawyer,…

Jul 2, 2008 10:20 PM CDT