General Business

Feb 22, 2023

RODNEY SPARKS v. MICHAEL TRUMBULL

Business law — Tortious interference — Unlawful business In the Circuit Court for Frederick County, Rodney Sparks, appellant, filed suit against his neighbor, Michael Trumbull, appellee, asserting a claim for tortious interference with prospective business advantage. Trumbull moved to dismiss the second amended complaint. Following a hearing, the circuit court granted summary judgment [...]

Feb 8, 2023

REPUBLIC – FRANKLIN INSURANCE COMPANY d/b/a UTICA NATIONAL INSURANCE GROUP, ET AL v. EWING OIL COMPANY, INC.

Insurance — Subrogation — Gas station explosion This is an appeal from an order of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, granting summary judgment. Appellant, Republic-Franklin Insurance Company, filed a subrogation complaint against Appellee, Ewing Oil Company, to recover insurance proceeds it paid as a result of an explosion at a gas station owned by […]

Nov 29, 2022

KELLIE BALLARD v. MARYLAND INSURANCE ADMINISTRATION, et al.

Insurance law — Umbrella policy — Non-renewal The Appellant — Kellie Ballard (“Ballard”) — was a named insured under a personal liability umbrella policy (“PLUP”) with State Farm Fire & Casualty Company (“State Farm”) from 1993 until November 1, 2013 when State Farm declined to renew the policy. Ballard filed a complaint with the Maryland […]

Oct 11, 2022

SOUTH MIAMI PENSION PLAN v. STARWOOD WAYPOINT RESIDENTIAL, TRUST, et al

Business law — Stockholder ratification — Fully informed vote This appeal arises from a stock-for-stock merger between Starwood Waypoint Residential Trust (“SWAY”) and Colony American Homes, Inc. (“Colony”), which was conditioned on SWAY’s acquisition of its external management company, SWAY Management LLC (the “Manager”). The proposed merger and SWAY’s internalization [...]

Sep 20, 2022

JEFFREY CAHALL, ET AL. v. TYLER DONEGAN DUNCAN REAL ESTATE SERVICES, INC., ET AL.

Business law — Contracts — Piercing the corporate veil This is a consolidated appeal from a judgment of the Circuit Court for Frederick County entered in favor of Tyler Donegan Duncan Real Estate Services, Inc. (“TDD” and TD Healthmed Realty Partners, LLC, against Jeffrey Cahall, Jacqueline Pieterse, HMRP, Inc., and TD Healthmed Realty Partners – […]

Jul 25, 2022

QI FENG ZHENG, ET AL v. RICHARD KE

General business– Threat of dissolution — Right of election Foobao USA, Inc. is a Maryland close corporation formed for the purpose of operating a restaurant. The stockholders in Foobao include Richard Ke, Qi Feng Zheng, and Rong Zheng. Read the opinion    

Mar 16, 2022

MELISSA CANDOLFI v. ALLTERRA GROUP, LLC

Business law — Employment discrimination — Pregnancy This appeal challenges an order granting summary judgment on a wrongful discharge complaint and an order of direct civil contempt. Melissa Candolfi alleged that her employer, Allterra Group, LLC (“Allterra”), terminated her wrongfully upon learning that she was pregnant, in violation of public policy. Read the opinion

Feb 28, 2022

JAMES T. WALKER v. CENTRE INSURANCE COMPANY

Insurance law — Homeowner’s insurance — Tornado This appeal arises from a complaint filed with the Maryland Insurance Administration (the “MIA”) in 2002 by James Walker, appellant, against Centre Insurance Company (“Centre”) regarding nonpayment of funds pursuant to a homeowner’s insurance policy (the “Policy”) on a home owned by Mr. Walker and his wife (the [&helli[...]

Jan 24, 2022

STATE FARM FIRE AND CASUALTY CO., ET AL v. SHARON MORELAND, ET AL

Insurance law — Uninsured/underinsured coverage — Reliance on agent In the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County, Sharon and John Moreland (“Plaintiffs” and Appellees in this court) filed an action against State Farm Fire and Casualty Company, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, and Marc Carella (“Defendants” and Appellants in this court), asserting that the [&helli[...]

Oct 4, 2021

PEDRO STEVEN BUARQUE DE MACEDO, ET AL. v. THE AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COMPANY OF HARTFORD, ET Al

Insurance law — Motor vehicle coverage — Effect on umbrella policy This appeal arises out of an automobile accident that claimed the lives of Michael  Buarque de Macedo, his spouse Alessandra Buarque de Macedo, and one of their children, Thomas Buarque de Macedo. Their remaining child, Helena Buarque de Macedo, survived but was seriously injured. […]

Sep 29, 2021

BETTY JEAN ROEBUCK v. GEICO CASUALTY COMPANY

Insurance law — Auto insurance — Additional driver This case involves the availability of uninsured motorist insurance coverage to a Delaware resident under a policy issued to a Maryland resident. The policyowner added her mother, a Delaware resident, to the policy as an “additional driver” of the covered automobile. The mother was subsequently injured in […]

May 6, 2021

KEVIN C. BETSKOFF, SR. v. STANDARD GUARANTY INSURANCE COMPANY

Insurance law — Failure to act in good faith — Common law negligence This case returns to us following our earlier remand to the Circuit Court for Carroll County. Claiming a collapsed underground pipe caused sewage to flow into his Westminster, Maryland home (the “Property”) in 2016, appellant, Kevin Betskoff, sought coverage under a force-placed […]

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