A jury awarded more than $5 million to a man who suffered severe injuries when the ceiling of a rented storage unit collapsed on top of him, trapping him inside. The plaintiff in Wolkoff v. Sunshine Storage, Inc., et al, No. CACE09014543 (Fla. 17th Cir.), claimed that the defendants failed…
Articles Posted in Premises Liability
Complicated Web of Potential Liability in Undetected Carbon Monoxide Deaths at Hotel
A series of two separate occasions of death by carbon monoxide poisoning in a hotel room provides an overview of a complicated web of potential liability. While it appears as though lawsuits have yet to be filed on behalf of an older couple and young boy who both died on…
Punkin Chunkin Considers Move Due to Liability Concerns
The organizers of the popular Fall related event “Punkin Chunkin” are considering relocating out of Delaware due to concerns related to liability insurance and related costs. The president of the Punkin Chunkin, which is a nonprofit organization, has begun to reconsider its location, taking into account its costs for services…
Baseball League Faces Lawsuit over Allegedly Dangerous Bleachers
A youth baseball league in Preston County is facing a lawsuit, brought on behalf of the estate of a man who died seven months after he allegedly fell off of the top row of bleachers at a little league baseball game. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the man’s…
Maryland Drinking Water Found to Contain Pollutants
The discovery of contaminated drinking water in Salisbury, Maryland last year reportedly led to a quick response by both the state and federal governments. Households in the area have received bottled water and filters, in the hopes of making the water safer for consumption. Investigators are still trying to determine…
Maryland Supreme Court Reconsiders Contributory Negligence Doctrine
An injury caused by a collapsed soccer goal has led the Maryland Supreme Court to reconsider the state’s longstanding doctrine of contributory negligence. Four states and the District of Columbia still follow this doctrine, which holds that plaintiffs may not recover damages in a lawsuit if their own negligence contributed…
Penn State Prepares for Sexual Abuse Lawsuits After Sandusky Verdict
Penn State University is reportedly seeking to settle the civil lawsuits filed by victims of former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky after a Pennsylvania jury convicted Sandusky on forty-five counts of sexual abuse. This reported intent includes lawsuits that were already filed against the university, and those that are sure…
Fourth Circuit Apportions Damages Pro Rata in Maryland Lead Poisoning Case
A Baltimore girl’s $2 million jury verdict for toxic exposure to lead paint suffered a setback last month, when the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the insurance company for the realty company that owned the house where she lived would only be obligated to pay forty percent of…
Lawsuits Seek to Hold Maryland Company Liable for Death at West Virginia Festival
After a summer music festival in West Virginia turned tragic, a South Carolina man filed a lawsuit in federal court against the festival’s organizer, Maryland-based Walther Productions, and others. The man’s daughter, 20 year-old Nicole Miller, was killed while sleeping in a tent at the festival when a pickup truck…
4-Year-Old Shot and 1 Man Fatally Stabbed During 4th of July Baltimore Fireworks Festivities
4th of July festivities in downtown Baltimore turned violent yesterday when one man was fatally stabbed and a 4-year-old was shot during the event. Thousands attended the celebration—almost twice as many attendees as last year—that was manned by almost 600 state and city officers. On Monday, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake condemned…