Last week, I wrote about the new Baltimore judges selected by Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Parenthetically, I noted that this is a big story in Baltimore because Judge Christopher Panos is openly gay. I added that I look forward to the day when this is not a story.…
Yesterday I took the deposition of the Defendant truck driver in a crash that occurred on North Point Road near its intersection with Quail Avenue in Baltimore, Maryland. My client suffered permanent injuries to her left hand (she is left-hand dominant) in the accident. The Case This is a classic…
A former insurance law student of mine asked this week whether Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s failure to wear a helmet in his motorcycle accident earlier this month would be contributory negligence under Maryland law. Good question! Under the current state of the law, the answer is a qualified no.…
Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. appointed to the bench three Baltimore City Circuit Court judges yesterday: *Yvette M. Bryant, an insurance defense lawyer at the firm of Bryant, Karpinski, Colaresi & Karp. Judge Bryant attended Towson State and the University of Maryland School of Law. She was admitted to…
In a comment to my May 22, 2006 post on giving recorded statements to insurance companies, Atlanta personal injury lawyer Ken Shigley makes a great point about how lawyers can knock insurance companies off their moral high ground when an injury victim’s car accident lawyer refuses to give a recorded…
Earlier this month, Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. elevated the Honorable Albert Willis Northrop to the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County. Judge Wills had been a District Court judge in P.G. County since Governor Parris N. Glendening appointed him on January 3, 2003. Prior to that, he was an…
In his blog last year, Evan Schaeffer attached an article by Chicago attorney Paula E. Litt titled “Tips for Making Damages Testimony Come Alive.” Ms. Litt’s article offers twelve tips: (1) Speak plainly; (2) Establish credentials wisely; (3) Tell a good story; (4) Play from higher ground; (5) Show pictures;…
A Virginia lawyer wrote me last night asking about a client that was injured in a motor vehicle accident in Maryland. Apparently, the car accident was a by-product of road rage that reached a point where the Defendant arguably intentionally rear-ended the Plaintiff’s car. The Defendant apparently admits positioning his…
The Maryland Court of Appeals issued its opinion this week in Harleysville Mutual Ins. Co. v. Zelinski. This question addressed was whether a named driver exclusion endorsement was valid for a commercial truck insurance policy. The case stems from a head-on truck accident in Cecil County in 2000. A jury…
Today, for the first time in ten years, State Farm’s Baltimore office conducted a “Settlement Day” hosting eight Maryland law firms at their offices to settle State Farm auto and truck accident cases. The day was a success for our office; we settled 70% of the cases up for discussion.…