To update a previous post dealing with the application of the pollution exclusion in a Chinese drywall case, in Travco Ins. Co. v. Ward, No. 10-1710 (4th Cir. March 1, 2012), an insured had appealed from an order granting summary judgment to his homeowner's insurer in a Chinese drywall case. The District Court found th… Read More

In First American Title Insurance Company v. Western Surety Company, No. 111394 (March 2, 2012), the Virginia Supreme Court addressed three questions of law certified by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. The Court held: (1) that the Virginia Consumer Real Estate Settlement Protection Act (“CRE… Read More

In Christy v. Mercury Casualty Company, No. 102138 (March 2, 2012), the Supreme Court of Virginia held that an exclusion in an automobile insurance policy barred the insured from receiving any payment for medical expenses where a portion of medical expenses had already been paid by workers' compensation benefits. The p… Read More

Jordan Coyne & Savits, L.L.P. was named to the 2011-2012 U.S. News list of Best Law Firms. For 2011-2012, Jordan Coyne & Savits, L.L.P. was recognized as a Tier 1 firm for Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants, and Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants. Read More

In Garrity v. IWIF, No. 1185, September Term, 2010 (Md. App. February 9, 2012), appellant was a part-time bailiff at the District Court for Baltimore City, where he was involved in an automobile accident as he was returning to the courthouse. Appellant had already arrived at work earlier in the morning but realized the tie… Read More

While the District of Columbia possesses discretion over the imposition of punitive damages, the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment prohibits the imposition of grossly excessive or arbitrary punishments on a tortfeasor (although because the District of Columbia is not a state, the analysis is under the Due Proce… Read More

On February 7, 2012 the U.S. District Court of Maryland issued a memorandum opinion granting summary judgment to the defendant police officers in a civil lawsuit alleging liability for unlawful arrest (allegedly due to racial considerations). Santos v. Frederick County Board of Commissioners, No. L-09-2978 (D. Md. Feb. 7, 2… Read More

In Murray v. Transcare Maryland, Inc., No. 1791, Sept. Term 2010 (Feb. 9, 2012), the Court of Special Appeals held that a private for-profit ambulance service is not subject to Maryland’s Good Samaritan Act (Md. Courts and Jud Code Ann. § 5-603) or to the Fire and Rescue Act (§ 5-604). Both statutes are desi… Read More