Maryland

DOJ Probe Sought in Jail Slaying of Inmate Charged in Cop’s Murder

The family of an African-American inmate apparently slain in an isolation cell after being charged with first-degree murder in the death of a white Prince George’s County, Maryland, police officer is calling for a Department of Justice investigation. Only seven guards and an unknown number of jail supervisors had access…

Jul 1, 2008 9:40 PM CDT

Wal-Mart to Pay $250K Settlement for Firing Worker Disabled in Shooting

Wal-Mart will pay $250,000 to settle a claim that it violated federal disability law when it fired a pharmacy technician who was injured in a shooting. The employee, Glenda Allen, was working at Wal-Mart in Maryland in 1994 when she was shot in a robbery attempt at a different job,…

Jun 10, 2008 4:51 PM CDT

Judge Blames Guards, Not Inmate for Prison Bus Murder

Finding a prison inmate guilty but not criminally responsible today for strangling another inmate to death on a prison bus, a Maryland judge said the prison system should have been able to prevent the murder. Kevin Johns Jr., who was already serving time for murder, had faced a possible death…

Jun 9, 2008 8:04 PM CDT

Lawyers Defend Long-Distance Supervision of Overwhelmed Associate

Two lemon-law lawyers accused of failing to adequately supervise an overwhelmed associate faced skeptical judges on Maryland’s highest court on Friday. Lawyers Craig Kimmel and Robert Silverman of Pennsylvania, founders of the 1-800-Lemon-Law firm, said they supervised the Maryland associate through phone calls and e-mail, the Daily Record reports. Thirty-four…

Jun 9, 2008 5:15 PM CDT

E-Discovery Disclosure Goof Waived Attorney-Client Privilege, Judge Rules

A federal magistrate in Baltimore has ruled a company sued for infringement has no attorney-client privilege in 165 documents mistakenly turned over to its opponent in e-discovery. The documents included several communications between the company Creative Pipe Inc. and its lawyers. U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge Paul Grimm ruled Creative Pipe…

Jun 4, 2008 11:12 AM CDT

Md. Judge Fined $10K, Gets Probation in Shoreline Dumping Case

A longtime Maryland judge accused of illegally dumping unauthorized materials along the shoreline of his waterfront home, in an apparent effort to build up a storm-damaged beachfront, has entered into a plea deal. “District Judge Askew W. Gatewood Jr. pleaded not guilty to one count of unlawfully filling state wetlands…

Jun 3, 2008 4:47 PM CDT

Money Matters, But So Does the Work, New Law Grads Say

Money matters. But some new associates are prepared to make a bit less in exchange for a better lifestyle. “I’m not going to lie,” Sebastian Kurian, who starts this fall at Miles & Stockbridge, tells the Daily Record. “It definitely played a big role, but at the same time, Miles…

May 27, 2008 4:30 PM CDT

D.C. Area Law Firm Sues Over Outsourced Legal Work, Alleges Privilege Issue

Updated: Outsourcing legal work to India permits the U.S. government to intercept confidential documents, violating attorney-client privilege and the constitutional rights of those accused of wrongdoing, a Washington, D.C., area law firm contends in a federal lawsuit. The government interception is possible because the National Security Agency is free to…

May 23, 2008 8:38 PM CDT

Family Seeks $207M in Death Suit, $1M Per Minute of Suffering

The family of an East Baltimore teen who died in 2007 at a school for juvenile offenders while counselors attempted to restrain him have filed a wrongful-death suit seeking $207 million. The figure represents $1 million for every minute that Isaiah Simmons III, 17, allegedly suffered while counselors at Bowling…

May 16, 2008 1:59 PM CDT

Md. Law Prof Turns Class Into Think Tank

So far lawmakers and law enforcers haven’t had much luck improving conditions in crime-plagued Baltimore. So University of Maryland Law Professor Orde F. Kittrie has put the challenge to his class. He’s asked the 13 students enrolled in “Crime in Maryland: Problems and Proposed Solutions” to spend the semester acting…

Apr 24, 2008 4:21 PM CDT

Why Associates Leave is Clear, But What Would Lure Them to Stay?

Associates are leaving in ever-increasing numbers because of grueling hours, boring work and a poisonous law firm culture, experts say. But it isn’t as clear what can be done to lure many to stay on after their first four to five years in practice. In 2000, not quite 60 percent…

Apr 21, 2008 5:41 PM CDT

Md. Court Allows Rape Charge When Consent to Sex Is Withdrawn

Maryland’s highest court has ruled that a rape can occur if a woman withdraws consent to sex after intercourse has begun. The ruling by the Maryland Court of Appeals overturns a controversial decision by a lower appeals court in the case, the Washington Post reports. The lower court decision was…

Apr 17, 2008 3:31 PM CDT

Md. Police Agree to $400K Settlement in Racial Profiling Suit

The Maryland State Police Department has agreed to pay $400,000 to settle a 10-year-old lawsuit that contends it engaged in racial profiling of motorists. The department will pay $300,000 to six plaintiffs who remain in the litigation and will spend up to $100,000 to hire a consultant to examine whether…

Apr 3, 2008 3:25 PM CDT

Rep. Wynn Resigns Early to Join D.C.‘s Dickstein Shapiro

Veteran U.S. Rep. Albert R. Wynn, D-Md., announced this week he’s resigning from Congress early to become a partner at Dickstein Shapiro, which is known in part for a strong lobbying practice. Wynn will join the firm’s public policy practice, a release notes. “I have known Congressman Wynn since our…

Mar 28, 2008 6:45 PM CDT

Lawyer Suspended After Second Paralegal Steals From Client Account

Maryland lawyer Charles Jay Zuckerman thought the new paralegal he hired would clean up the mess caused by a predecessor who stole from his client trust account. But the new paralegal was also a thief, taking more money than the first, the Daily Record reports. In all, the two paralegals…

Mar 18, 2008 2:14 PM CDT