Litigation News March 2018

This month in litigation news, our Attorney, Mr. Kevin Ruby, tried a case where liability was not being accepted and the defendant was a judge for the State of Maryland Court of Special Appeals. The case ended up in litigation because the defendant was stating our client had caused to the accident. Our firm tried several times to set a court date for our client, however other judges in the state would not hear the case due to conflict of interest, stating they knew the defendant and therefore, would not hear the case. It was not until we made a request to specifically set our client’s case to be heard before a visiting judge. That judge found in our clients favor, and ruled the defendant 100% at fault for the accident. This just proves that Portner & Shure is willing to litigate any case, no matter who may be involved.

What Clients are Saying March 2018

Excellent service! Honestly if I ever get into an accident again they will be the first to call! My paralegal, Christine Airey helped me with everything I needed and answered my million questions! In busy times it's nice to know this was something I didn't have to stress to dearly in my recovery. Everything was handled and I am able to recover without the hassle of the messy details! I highly recommend the law firm I used!

This case was handled out of our Columbia, MD office by our paralegal, Mrs. Christine Airey

Employee Spotlight March 2018

Please join us in welcoming one of our newest attorneys, Ms. Molly Cross. Ms. Cross graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 2016 with a concentration in Litigation and Advocacy. While attending law school, she was inducted into the Royal Graham Shannonhouse III Honor Society and served as a Rule 16 Student Attorney for the Saul Ewing Civil Advocacy Clinic, where she represented clients in administrative and district court proceedings. Ms. Cross was also a co-captain and competing member of the National Trial Competition team. Ms. Cross continues to volunteer her time as an assistant coach for the team.  Before law school, Ms. Cross graduated Cum Laude from Clemson University where she studied Political Science and Japanese.

Prior to joining Portner & Shure, Ms. Cross gained experience clerking at a law firm in Baltimore City focusing on civil rights litigation. She later served as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Hon. Cathleen M. Vitale of the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County. 

Ms. Cross is admitted to the Maryland State Bar and is a member of the American Inns of Court. Her areas of practice include personal injury and criminal defense. We are more than excited to have Ms. Cross as a part of our team.

Maryland has been Ranked Third WORST State to Drive in

Have you ever felt that some states are easier to drive in than others?

Well you may be right—a new study ranking states driving favorability from best to worst was just released, and Maryland was ranked third worst.  

Factors that the study considered included traffic congestion, number of accidents, drivers' aggressiveness, among others

More specifically, Maryland was found to have the second worst rush hour congestion and third worst overall traffic

With severe traffic congestion comes a higher risk of rear-end and lane change accidents as drivers become distracted when sitting in their car not moving

If driving through the state of Maryland, stay alert, keep a greater following distance, and always be aware of others on the road.

What Happens When You’re the Victim of a Hit-and-Run?

You are always told to get the information from the driver that hit us in an accident, which includes their name, address, insurance information, and driver’s license information. But in a hit-and-run, you are left with no information and no one to call.

Actually, in situations where you are injured in an accident and have no information for the driver responsible, you do have another option to recover compensation

Your own car insurance policy includes something called uninsured motorist coverage. First, the accident should be reported to the police so it can be verified that there was an accident and the other driver had no insurance.

Second, when the responsible party’s information is unknown, you have the recourse available to set up an uninsured motorist claim, or UM claim to recover compensation for your injuries.

Complicated accidents like hit-and-runs require you to have an experienced attorney like those at Portner & Shure, to help you get the compensation you deserve.

What makes a vehicle a lemon?

·         Maryland lemon law provides protection to consumers of brand new vehicles who spend more time in the repair shop than on the road.

·         Maryland Lemon Law applies to defective new or leased cars, light trucks, and motorcycles.

·         To qualify under the protection your vehicle must be registered in Maryland, have less than 18,000 miles and owned less than 2 years.

·         A dealer or manufacturer is required to correct the defect after they have notice of the problem.

·         If the dealer or manufacturer is unable to fix the problem, you may be entitled to a refund or replacement vehicle if your car has one of the following defects:

1.      A brake or steering failure that was not corrected after the first repair attempt and causes it to fail Maryland’s safety inspection.

2.      Any one problem that substantially impairs the use and market value of the vehicle that was not corrected in FOUR attempts

3.      Any number of problems that substantially impairs the use and market value of the vehicle that have caused it to be out of service for a cumulative total of 30 or more days.

·         When your dealer sells you a lemon, let Portner & Shure help you make lemonade.