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Ravenell, Snyder cases to go before 4th Circuit in January
Two criminal cases involving Baltimore lawyers are scheduled to go before a federal appeals court during the same oral argument session in January.
4th Circuit requests additional facts in cell site simulator case
A federal appeals court remanded a Baltimore man’s lawsuit over the use of a cell site simulator to locate him, ordering the trial court to make more factual findings about the device. Kerron Andrews filed suit arguing the Baltimore Police Department violated his Fourth Amendment rights when it used the device, known as Hailstorm, to track him in […]
4th Circuit affirms remand of Baltimore climate change lawsuit
A federal appeals court ruled Friday that Baltimore’s lawsuit against fossil fuel companies over climate change was properly sent back to state court, marking a major victory for the city, which seeks to keep its pursuit of damages from the defendants in front of a local court. Acting City Solicitor Dana P. Moore praised the decision […]
City and protester settle suit over 2010 arrest outside circus
A lawsuit dating to 2013 over a Baltimore Police Department policy regarding protests during circus performances has tentatively settled. Kenneth Lucero’s constitutional challenge to the city’s “buffer zone” restriction on leaflets and protesters near the Royal Farms Arena is currently before the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the third time after a judge […]
Federal prosecutors seek rehearing on law firm search ruling
Federal prosecutors are seeking review of an appellate decision that invalidated their method of searching potentially privileged law firm files last year. Prosecutors seized files and emails from Brown, Goldstein & Levy LLP last year as part of an investigation into one of the firm’s attorneys and a past client, Baltimore attorney Ken Ravenell. The 4th U.S. […]
4th Circuit declines to stay remand order in Baltimore climate change suit
Fossil fuel companies will have to ask the Supreme Court to halt an order sending Baltimore’s lawsuit over climate change back to state court. Baltimore filed its lawsuit in Baltimore City Circuit Court last year alleging the companies concealed dangers and misinformed the public about climate change, but the defendants promptly removed the case to federal […]
City, ACLU spar over impact of executive order on ‘gag’ clauses
Baltimore will stop imposing “gag” orders on people who settle lawsuits with the city, Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young announced Monday, but the ACLU of Maryland called the step a “meaningless sham” that “changes nothing.” Young signed an executive order Friday declaring it the “policy of the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore that unreasonable[...]
4th Circuit sides with phone resale business in lawsuit with Sprint
Sprint’s terms and conditions do not clearly prohibit customers from reselling their phones, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling reverses a decision that had given the cell phone provider a win in its litigation across the country against businesses that buy upgraded phones from Sprint customers. U.S. District Judge Catherine […]
Judge blocks Md. from filing new motion on juvenile lifers
A federal judge will not allow state officials to file a new motion for summary judgment in ongoing litigation by “juvenile lifers” over Maryland’s parole system. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Baltimore in 2016, alleges the parole system does not offer a meaningful opportunity for release to individuals who were convicted for crimes they […]
After mediation fails, college segregation case returns to 4th Circuit
Litigation over segregation at Maryland’s colleges will return to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after six months of court-ordered mediation failed. The 4th Circuit in January ordered the parties, the Maryland Higher Education Commission and a coalition representing the state’s historically black institutions, or HBIs, to meet with a mediator. The court reasoned […]
4th Circuit: Baltimore police settlement ‘gag orders’ violated 1st Amendment
The Baltimore Police Department cannot impose broad “gag orders” limiting what plaintiffs can say about settlement agreements, a federal appeals court panel ruled Thursday. A three-judge panel for the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled by a 2-1 vote that the nondisparagement clause in a woman’s settlement “amounts to a waiver of her First […]
$15M verdict returns to 4th Circuit, could be reargued
A federal appeals court won’t adopt briefs and arguments already made in Baltimore’s appeal of a $15 million wrongful conviction verdict, issuing an order Tuesday and rejecting the city’s request to expedite matters. A three-judge panel for the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments from attorneys for the city and Sabein Burgess on […]
