Attorney Blogs in Ellicott City, MD

In Maryland it has long been the law that pensions are marital property unless they pre-date the marriage. In most cases the parties agree upon an if, as and when distribution meaning that the portion of the pension earned by the non-receiving spouse will be distributed when the spouse receiving the benefits receives his or  … Read more

In an Opinion released on April 4, 2018 the Court of Special Appeals in Patrick Joseph Thomas v State of Maryland held that as a result of the current opioid epidemic wherein some state’s attorneys have charged the sellers of heroin and other dangerous drugs with homicide crimes when a buyer dies from an overdose  … Read more

In criminal cases or in civil cases there is frequently a controversy as to whether a witness may be cross-examined as to alleged bias or motive with regard to pending criminal charges against the witness. In Manchame-Guerra v State of Maryland, 178 A.3d 1 (2018), the Court of Appeals of Maryland held that a Defendant  … Read more

The Court of Special Appeals on June 30, 2015 issued an opinion in Cash & Carry America, Inc. v. Roof Solutions, Inc. that addresses the issue of whether a contractor doing work on a residence is responsible for damage to personal property contained within the house on tort principals if the contractor was negligent. In  … Read more

The Maryland Court of Appeals in two recent cases Kiriakos vs..Phillips and Dankos vs. Stapf released on July 5, 2016 held that an adult who knowingly and willfully allows underage drinking by persons under 21 in the adults home can create liability . for the host if the underaged driver subsequently injures another person with  … Read more

In an unreported case released on June 16, 2016 the Court of Special Appeals in Miller v. State, Nos. 0444 and 0836, Sept. Term, 2015 reversed a Circuit Court Judge’s determination that a spectator in the courtroom could be held summarily in contempt if the spectator’s cell phone rang during the course of a court  … Read more

In a recent unreported case the Court of Special Appeals in Luckhardt v. Coleman, No. 2149 Sept Term 2015 released June 12, 2016 addressed the issue of under what circumstances grandparents are entitled to a Court Order for visitation with their grandchildren.  The history of the case is that both parents had significant personal issues  … Read more

When a person suffers an injury, whether from an automobile accident, medical negligence of some other injury caused by another person, they can be awarded monetary damages for their past medical expenses, past lost wages, future medical expenses and costs of care, and future lost wages. An injured individual can also be awarded damages for  … Read more

The Maryland Court of Appeals in Efrain v. State of Maryland in an opinion issued on May 23, 2016 clarified the right of a police officer to search a vehicle after a person has been arrested. If the officer can articulate “a reasonable suspicion” that there may be evidence to support a crime to justify  … Read more

(ANNAPOLIS, Md., March 24, 2016) – The Maryland Judiciary is warning the public about a new telephone scam that uses the threat of lawsuits in local courts to extort money or obtain personal information from people by leading them to believe that they are the subjects of legal actions. The new scam, which has been  … Read more