Maryland Court of Appeals Decisions 2020
Date: December 23, 2020
Docket Number: 75/19
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case concerning the admissibility of jailhouse rap lyrics composed by Defendant as substantive evidence that he shot and killed George Forrester the Court of Appeals held that the rap lyrics were relevant and…
Date: November 24, 2020
Docket Number: 73/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment of the Court of Special Appeals affirming the judgment of the circuit court convicting Defendant of assault in the first degree, use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of…
Date: November 20, 2020
Docket Number: 4/20
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment of the Court of Special Appeals upholding the circuit court's denial of coram nobis relief, holding that the nondisclosure of evidence relating to the alleged misconduct of…
Date: November 20, 2020
Docket Number: 5/20
Justia Opinion Summary: In this workers' compensation action, the Court of Appeals reversed the judgment of the Court of Special Appeals reversing the judgment of the circuit court denying Uninsured Employers' Fund's (UEF) motion for judgment,…
Date: November 20, 2020
Docket Number: 62/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment of the Court of Special Appeals reversing the order of the circuit court directing that Saint Luke Institute, Inc. (SLI) produce a patient's mental health records under seal,…
Date: October 26, 2020
Docket Number: 64/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals held that the evidence in this case was sufficient to support Defendant's convictions for witness tampering and obstruction of justice where Defendant married a witness for the State with the corrupt…
Date: October 26, 2020
Docket Number: 69/19
Justia Opinion Summary: In this workers' compensation action, the Court of Appeals held that the Workers' Compensation Commission did not err in calculating the deduction of decibels from Claimants' total average hearing losses under Md. Code…
Date: August 28, 2020
Docket Number: 47/19
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case, the Court of Appeals chose to adopt Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509 U.S. 579 (1993), as the governing standard by which trial courts admit or exclude expert testimony, thus replacing…
Date: August 24, 2020
Docket Number: 30m/18
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals answered four questions of law concerning the application of the Justice Reinvestment Act (JRA), Chapter 515, Laws of Maryland 2016, specifically, a provision codified in Md. Code Ann. Crim. Law (CR)…
Date: August 24, 2020
Docket Number: 50/19
Justia Opinion Summary: In this medical malpractice action, the Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment of the Court of Special Appeals reversing the judgment of the trial court holding that Defendants had not breached the standard of care,…
Date: August 24, 2020
Docket Number: 59/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment of the Court of Special Appeals affirming the judgment of the circuit court vacating original development approvals by the Frederick Council Council so that the Council could…
Date: August 24, 2020
Docket Number: 71/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment of circuit court judge upholding the order of the administrative law judge (ALJ) ordering Gregory Johnson's involuntary medication, holding that there was no error in the order…
Date: August 18, 2020
Docket Number: 55/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals affirmed Defendant's convictions for sexually abusing several female students while he was their elementary school teacher, holding that any error by the trial court in excluding character evidence…
Date: August 17, 2020
Docket Number: 41/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals held that the City of Baltimore's street vending ordinance that restricts a food truck from parking within 300 feet of a brick-and-mortar restaurant that primarily sells the same type of food (the…
Date: August 17, 2020
Docket Number: 58/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment of the court of special appeals vacating the judgment of the circuit court finding that R.S. was a child in need of assistance (CINA), holding that the court of special appeals…
Date: August 14, 2020
Docket Number: 26/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals held that a juvenile court's decision to deny continued shelter care in a child in need of assistance (CINA) case is appealable under the collateral order doctrine and that the court may authorize…
Date: August 14, 2020
Docket Number: 31/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals reversed the decision of the court of special appeals reversing the decision of the post-conviction court granting Petitioner post-conviction relief based on the court's finding that Petitioner…
Date: August 13, 2020
Docket Number: 57/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment of the court of special appeals affirming the judgment of the coram nobis court ruling that Defendant failed to prove that his attorney performed below constitutional standards…
Date: August 5, 2020
Docket Number: 3m/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals answered certified questions asking whether Maryland recognizes an independent cause of action for breach of fiduciary duty, holding that this Court recognizes an independent cause of action for…
Date: July 28, 2020
Docket Number: 56/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment of the Court of Special Appeals reversing in part Defendant's convictions for involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment, and neglect of a minor stemming from the death of…
Date: July 27, 2020
Docket Numbers: 10m/19, 63 / 19
Justia Opinion Summary: In two cases involving similar underlying facts and an identical legal issue the Court of Appeals held that the phrase "damage to property," incorporated by reference in the uninsured motorist statute, requires an…
Date: July 27, 2020
Docket Number: 40/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment of the Court of Special Appeals affirming the judgment of the trial court in favor of Plaintiffs - a property owner, its insurers, and the subrogee of another property owner -…
Date: July 27, 2020
Docket Number: 44/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals held that the odor of marijuana on or about a person, without more, does not provide law enforcement officers with probable cause to arrest and perform a warrantless search of that person incident to…
Date: July 27, 2020
Docket Number: 61/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals held that a circuit court asked to enforce an administrative order based on a final administrative decision under the State Administrative Procedure Act (APA) is not precluded from considering…
Date: July 27, 2020
Docket Number: 66/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals dismissed this appeal concerning compliance with the law governing Maryland LLCs, holding that this appeal was not properly before the Court. Petitioner 7222 Ambassador Road, LLC initiated this…
Date: July 14, 2020
Docket Number: 3m/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals held that an independent cause of action exists for breach of fiduciary duty and that, to establish a breach of fiduciary duty, a plaintiff must demonstrate the existence of a fiduciary relationship,…
Date: July 14, 2020
Docket Number: 45/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals held that, under the merger rule articulated in State v. Lancaster, 631 A.2d 453 (Md. 1993), offenses and their sentences merge for purposes of sentencing, and therefore, Defendant's convictions for…
Date: July 10, 2020
Docket Number: 67/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals remanded this case, without affirming or reversing, to the court of special appeals with instruction to explain the basis of its order reversing the circuit court's judgment denying postconviction…
Date: June 30, 2020
Docket Number: 30/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals recognized the tort of intentional interference with a prospective gift or inheritance and adopted the standards set forth in Section 19 of the Third Restatement of Torts. Petitioner, the residuary…
Date: June 30, 2020
Docket Number: 60/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals affirmed the opinion of the Court of Special Appeals affirming the circuit court's denial of Petitioner's petition for a writ of habeas corpus, holding that Maryland lacked jurisdiction over…
Date: June 30, 2020
Docket Number: 65/19
Justia Opinion Summary: In this criminal case in which Defendant was charged with various drunk driving offenses the Court of Appeals reversed the judgment of the trail court denying Defendant's motions in limine to exclude field sobriety tests…
Date: June 26, 2020
Docket Number: 48/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals held that the bifurcated hybrid trial procedure split between two factfinders is not permitted under Maryland Rule 4-253(c) and is inconsistent with this Court's holding in Carter v. State, 824 A.2d…
Date: June 9, 2020
Docket Number: 7/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment of the Court of Special Appeals holding that a police-initiated procedure resulting in the identification of Defendant was not governed by constitutional criminal procedure law…
Date: June 5, 2020
Docket Number: 12/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals affirmed the decision of the circuit court holding that the General Assembly's amendment of the Maryland tax code authorizing the State Comptroller to pay refunds to taxpayers affected by a provision…
Date: June 5, 2020
Docket Number: 17/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals reversed the judgment of the Court of Special Appeals reversing the judgment of the circuit court quashing Respondent's writ of garnishment, holding that Md. Code Ann. Cts. & Jud. Proc. (CJ)…
Date: June 3, 2020
Docket Number: 35/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals reversed the judgment of the Court of Special Appeals reversing the circuit court's judgment awarding damages to the Estate of Jeffrey Blair after finding that Baltimore City Police Officer David…
Date: May 26, 2020
Docket Number: 23/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals held that where a waiver of subrogation precludes liability to an injured party, a third-party defendant does not fall within the definition of a "joint tortfeasor" under the Maryland Uniform…
Date: May 26, 2020
Docket Number: 49/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals affirmed the conclusion of the Court of Special Appeals that the release Bernard Collins provided in settlement of his workers' compensation claims did not bar Peggy Collins from asserting her…
Date: May 12, 2020
Docket Number: 53/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals reversed the order of the circuit court invalidating, on due process grounds, an order ratifying the sale of Prime Realty's vacant property, holding that Maryland Rule 3-124(o), which allows for…
Date: May 11, 2020
Docket Number: 54/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals affirmed Defendant's conviction of attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon and other crimes, holding that the circuit court did not abuse its discretion in admitting social media evidence because…
Date: May 7, 2020
Docket Number: 38/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals held that the statute of limitations begins to run in an underinsured motorist claim against an insurer when the insurer breaches the contract to provide underinsured motorist benefits by denying the…
Date: May 1, 2020
Docket Number: 36/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals agreed with the judgment of the hearing examiner granting line-of-duty (LOD) retirement benefits to Petitioner, a retired Baltimore City police officer, based on a finding of fact that Petitioner…
Date: April 28, 2020
Docket Number: 39/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals affirmed the decision of the Court of Special Appeals reversing the judgment of the circuit court granting Petitioner's motion to correct an illegal sentence after Petitioner's earlier filed petition…
Date: April 27, 2020
Docket Number: 42/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals reversed the decision of the Court of Special Appeals affirming the circuit court's judgment denying the petitions for writs of actual innocence filed by David Faulkner and Jonathan Smith under Md.…
Date: April 24, 2020
Docket Number: 46/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals affirmed Defendant's conviction for, among other charges, unlawful possession of a regulated firearm by a person who had previously been convicted of a predicate offense, holding the indictment…
Date: April 24, 2020
Docket Number: 52/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals held that, under exhaustion of administrative remedies jurisprudence, a landowner may not withhold a claim alleging an unconstitutional taking arising from the application of a zoning regulation from…
Date: April 24, 2020
Docket Number: 51/19
Justia Opinion Summary: In these two cases arising from two instances of police misconduct the Court of Appeals held that the police officers were acting within the scope of their employment, and therefore, the City of Baltimore was responsible…
Date: April 20, 2020
Docket Number: 38/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals held that the statute of limitations begins to run on an underinsured motorist claim when the insurer breaches the contract to provide underinsured motorist benefits by denying the insured's claim,…
Date: April 3, 2020
Docket Number: 24/19
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case brought against an insurer in Plaintiff's attempt to collect on a judgment in his favor in a strict liability and negligent failure to warn action, the Court of Appeals held that damages from a continuous…
Date: April 3, 2020
Docket Number: 25/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment of the court of special appeals reversing Defendant's conviction of second-degree murder, holding that non-mutually admissible evidence was admitted at trial, prejudicing…
Date: March 31, 2020
Docket Number: 14/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment of the Court of Special Appeals affirming the ruling of the circuit court denying both Appellant's request for post-conviction relief under the Post-Conviction Procedure Act…
Date: March 31, 2020
Docket Number: 32/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals reversed the judgment of the Court of Special Appeals reversing the order of the circuit court declaring that Defendant, who pled guilty to sex trafficking, was not required to register as a Tier II…
Date: March 26, 2020
Docket Number: 1/19
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case concerning the discretion of a court to dismiss a probation violation petition and to terminate probation the Court of Appeals held that the circuit court had discretion to terminate Defendant's probation…
Date: March 26, 2020
Docket Number: 34/19
Justia Opinion Summary: In this summary ejectment proceeding, the Court of Appeals reversed the judgment of the circuit court affirming the judgment of the district court precluding Tenant from asserting and litigating defenses under the…
Date: March 3, 2020
Docket Number: 16/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment of the court of special appeals reversing the circuit court's decision determining that it had personal jurisdiction over Defendant and entering a judgment in favor of…
Date: March 3, 2020
Docket Number: 33/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals vacated the judgment of the court of special appeals and remanded with directions to reverse the judgment of the circuit court certifying a settlement class and approving a settlement reached by the…
Date: February 28, 2020
Docket Number: 21/19
Justia Opinion Summary: In this appeal concerning whether a school board was liable for a judgment against its employee when the board was dismissed from the case prior to trial the Court of Appeals held that, under Md. Cts. & Jud. Proc. 5-518,…
Date: February 28, 2020
Docket Number: 9/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment of the court of special appeals affirming Defendant's convictions of volume possession of a controlled dangerous substance under Md. Code Crim. Law (CR) 5-612, holding that CR…
Date: January 30, 2020
Docket Number: 20/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals held that Md. Code Crim. Proc. (CP) 3-121(e), which sets forth the process for issuing a hospital warrant and recommitment pending a hearing on a petition for revocation or modification, does not…
Date: January 28, 2020
Docket Number: 5/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment of the court of special appeals reversing the decision of the circuit court entering judgment as a matter of law against Plaintiffs on their Consumer Protection Act (CPA) and…
Date: January 27, 2020
Docket Number: 3/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment of the circuit court, holding that a confessed judgment is not an enforcement tool that an homeowners association (HOA) has at its disposal when…
Date: January 24, 2020
Docket Number: 11/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals reversed the judgment of the court of special appeals affirming Defendant's conviction of first-degree murder and other offenses, holding that this Court's holding as to voir dire questions in…
Date: January 24, 2020
Docket Number: 22/19
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case involving application of Maryland's "implied consent" statute, Md. Code Ann., Trans. (TR) 16-205.1(b), the Court of Appeals held that Defendant was fully advised of his rights under TR 16-205.1(b)(1) despite…
Date: January 23, 2020
Docket Number: 13/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment of the Court of Special Appeals denying a motion to dismiss an appeal, holding that, to constitute an effective judgment under Maryland Rule 2-601 and start the thirty-day…
Date: January 16, 2020
Docket Number: 28/19
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals affirmed Defendant's conviction for murder and firearms offenses, holding that the administrative judge did not abuse his discretion in finding good cause for the continuance of the trial…
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