General Liability

Farrar v. Staehle, Watson v. Real Property Management and Spry v. Cavalier Realty, Inc
Partner James A. Rothschild recently obtained summary judgment on behalf of the President of a property management company in three recent lead paint cases: Farrar v. Staehle, Watson v. Real Property Management, and Spry v. Cavalier Realty, Inc. The plaintiffs sought to impose individual liability on the President of the management company for their alleged neurocognative injuries claimed to be caused by exposure to lead paint.

James Rothschild & Jason Beaulieu Obtain Summary Judgment in Epps v. Rite Aid Corporation
Partner James A. Rothschild and associate Jason P. Beaulieu obtained a summary judgment on behalf of Rite Aid Corporation in the matter of Epps v. Rite Aid Corporation, et al. The case concerned a drug store patron who tripped and fell over a pallet of boxes. In granting Rite Aid’s motion for summary judgment, the Circuit Court for Baltimore City found no primary negligence and concluded that the plaintiff was contributory negligent as a matter of law. The Court of Special Appeals recently affirmed the decision.

James Aist Wins Summary Judgment in Simmons v. Jelniker
In the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, Partner James S. Aist won summary judgment on behalf of the owners and manager of the Sunrise Gardens Apartments in the matter of Simmons v. Jelniker. The case concerned an apartment fire in which the plaintiff was severely burned, resulting in medical expenses in excess of $500,000. Despite the apartment owners receiving fire code violation citations from the Prince George’s County Fire Department, Mr. Aist demonstrated there had been no violation of the fire code and obtained summary judgment. The case was affirmed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Matthew Angotti & Rachel Stewart Successfully Defend Appeal of Spengler v. Sears
Partner Matthew T. Angotti and associate Rachel L. Stewart successfully defended an appeal of the Wicomico County Circuit Court’s verdict in Spengler v. Sears, Roebuck and Co. The case concerned state law claims arising from a credit contract and subsequent reporting of adverse credit information to credit reporting agencies. The Maryland Court of Special Appeals affirmed the trial court’s holdings in favor of Sears and the Maryland Court of Appeals denied plaintiff’s peetition for a writ of certiorari.

Emily Hammann Wins Defense Judgment in Jimenez v. Home Depot USA, Inc.
Associate Emily Jordan Hammann obtained a defense judgment in the Prince George’s County District Court case of Jimenez v. Home Depot USA, Inc. The case involved an injury sustained by the Plaintiff while he was using a bungee cord that left him blind in one eye. The Court found that the Plaintiff failed to meet his burden of proof that the Home Depot was negligent. The Court also found that even if Home Depot had been negligent,the Plaintiff was contributorily negligent, thus barring recovery in any event.