JGL principal Tim Maloney was awarded the James H. Taylor Award at the Prince George’s County Bar Association Annual Meeting on June 13, 2023.
Taylor was the first black circuit court judge in Prince George’s County, and the award in his honor is given for Maloney’s years of dedication and commitment to the law, the courts and the community. The evening event was held at the Newton White Mansion, and included Gavel Passing to Michael H. Adams, Esq. Nearly twenty JGL attorneys attended.
A Prince George’s County jury this morning awarded $1.19 million in damages in a case where a Maryland state trooper pulled over a Prince George’s county police lieutenant for talking on her cell phone, arrested her, and filed false charges against her.
On May 15, 2019, Trooper Shareef Lewis of the Prince Frederick Barracks of the Maryland State Police pulled over Prince George’s County Police Lt. Alita Gaskill in National Harbor for speaking on her cell phone without using Bluetooth. Maryland law permits police officers to speak on their cellphones for police matters. Trooper Lewis was off-duty and outside of his regular patrol area in Calvert County.
In a lawsuit filed in the Circuit Court, Lt. Gaskill alleged that Trooper Lewis wrongfully arrested her, used excessive force, and filed false criminal charges against her, including failure to obey a lawful order and resisting arrest. The charges were later dismissed by the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office. Lt. Gaskill retired from the County police department in 2020 after 25 years of service.
The jury this morning found Trooper Lewis and the State of Maryland liable for violations of Lt. Gaskill’s state constitutional rights, and it found Trooper Lewis liable for false arrest, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, and gross negligence. The jury awarded Lt. Gaskill $215,000 for compensatory damages and $975,000 in punitive damages, for a total verdict of $1.19 million. The case was tried before Prince George’s County Circuit Court Judge Dwight D. Jackson.
Trooper Lewis and the State of Maryland were represented by the Office of the Maryland Attorney General. Retired Lt. Gaskill was represented by attorneys Timothy F. Maloney and Matthew M. Bryant of the firm of Joseph, Greenwald and Laake, PA in Greenbelt.
“Lt. Gaskill feels vindicated by today’s verdict,” said Maloney. “This was a trooper out of control and he testified that he would do it again. During this same time period, in 2019, he also ripped out another driver’s window in a traffic stop in Calvert County in a widely publicized video1. But just like this case, the State Police took no action. Today’s jury verdict sends a strong message that the Maryland State Police need to get their house in order.”
JGL partner and high-stakes divorce lawyer Reza Golesorkhi is recognized in the June issue of DC Magazine. You view his profile linked here.
Howard County, Maryland agreed to pay a Salvadoran man to settle his allegation of violation of his constitutional rights and their own policies by handing him over to immigration authorities.
JGL attorneys Tim Maloney and Drew LaFramboise represented the plaintiff. You can read the full article here (PDF).
Timothy Maloney was quoted in the article “Sykesville Working to Reclaim Ownership of 12 Historic Buildings in Warfield Development” featured in the Carroll County Times.
On May 17th, David Bulitt was interviewed on DC News Now during the Living Local DMV segment, covering his new book “The Secrets of Strong Couples.”
Maryland’s Governor Wes Moore signed HB 16 into law May 16, 2023. This necessary bill is also known as the Hear Our Voices Act.
The bill requires K12 public schools to provide students, faculty, staff, and parents with the following information: (1) who serves as the Title IX coordinator for the school; (2) the process in place for filing a sexual misconduct complaint; and (3) the support measures that are in place for an individual who files a sexual misconduct complaint and how to access those support measures.
This bill is necessary because Title IX, which is federal legislation, contains few requirements that schools must comply with regarding sexual misconduct complaints. In fact, how a school addresses Title IX sexual misconduct complaints is determined by each individual school. As a result, there is no uniformity across the State regarding the process/procedures. Hopefully, with this bill, students will now be equipped with information on how to report sexual misconduct and receive the necessary help they need after reporting.
The bill was sponsored by Delegate J. Lewis and is based in part upon Associate Virginia Grimm’s law school paper detailing Title IX sexual misconduct processes in Maryland and its shortcomings. Virginia Grimm is now an associate at Joseph Greenwald and Laake PA’s Greenbelt office.
May 13, 2023 – The Washington Post reported that U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte issued rulings allowing this Title IX, 1983 qualified immunity case against the Montgomery County School District to proceed to trial.
The case against the Montgomery County School District, has been brought by the victims and their families. Although a trial date was not set, the case will go before jurors in February if prior settlement cannot be reached. JGL partners Tim Maloney and Matthew Bryant, and Senior Counsel Alyse Prawde represent one of the families.
A civil jury in Anne Arundel County, MD awarded $8.5 million in damages to a Maryland woman who sued her former boyfriend for infecting her with genital herpes (HSV-2) after not being truthful about his own exposure to herpes. The woman is identified in court papers only as Jane Doe to protect her privacy. She sued her former boyfriend, Annapolis businessman Kim Sharps, alleging he misled her about his own genital herpes and his exposure to prior partners who also had genital herpes.
The case was tried for two days in the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County in Annapolis before Judge Richard R. Trunnell. Mr. Sharps was represented at trial by attorney Eric Haversack of Annapolis, MD.
The jury deliberated for nearly two hours on Thursday, May 11, 2023 before finding in favor of the Jane Doe plaintiff on counts of battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and fraud. The jury’s monetary award against Sharps was for compensatory damages suffered by the plaintiff as a result of the herpes infection.
Ms. Doe was represented by Timothy F. Maloney and Gary A. Mitchell II of the law firm Joseph, Greenwald, and Laake, PA in Greenbelt, MD. Mr. Maloney said “This verdict should send a strong message about personal responsibility. Persons who knowingly expose a partner to infectious diseases can be liable for significant damages. Everyone has a duty to use reasonable precautions and to warn their partners about prior exposures to sexually transmitted infections.”
Successfully obtained a judgment at the conclusion of a bench trial against a former trustee for $757,070.04 based on the trustee’s failure to account for his use of trust property and successfully defended the judgment on appeal.
Jeffrey Greenblatt and David Bulitt were featured in the FACES of Bethesda Magazine 2023 presented by MoCo360 Media.
Jeffrey was recognized as “The Face of High-Stakes Divorce Cases” (PDF) and David was highlighted as “The Face of A Top Divorce Lawyer and Author” (PDF).
The Fourth Circuit Court affirmed the District Court’s decision denying Schuster’s Rule 40(b) motion and upholding JGL’s $1.2 Million jury verdict on unjust enrichment in the Schuster class action case on Friday, April 21, 2023.
The JGL team representing the Appellant/Cross-Appellees included JGL partners Steven Michael Pavsner, Erika Jacobsen White, and Brian J. Markovitz. You may read the Order Affirming Judgment here (PDF). For more information regarding the underlying case click here.
