Sign In
Free Newsletter
Michael Hayes: A lesson the Supreme Court should remember
Services must always be paid for. It’s a fundamental truth that I never forgot, and it’s one that the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court should embrace as they decide Janus v. AFSCME District Council 31.
Keeping what’s yours: Fund investing has never been cheaper
Being cheap pays off when it comes to fund investing, and more investors are heeding the call.
Supreme Court justices clash over mandatory union fees
Members of the U.S. Supreme Court clashed sharply Monday over the right of public-sector workers to refuse to pay union fees, while the justice who will cast the deciding vote kept silent during an hour-long argument. Justice Neil Gorsuch, President Donald Trump’s appointee who is serving his first full term, is poised to break the […]
BGE ordered to reduce charge for opting out of smart meters
Maryland’s Public Service Commission has ordered BGE to cut in half its monthly fee to customers who opt out of having smart meters installed in their homes or small businesses. The monthly opt out rate will be reduced to $5.50, from $11, beginning in January, the commission said Tuesday in a news release. The PSC […]
Hogan announces reduction, elimination of fees
ANNAPOLIS — Gov. Larry Hogan announced he will eliminate or reduce 100 fees across state government that he said Maryland residents were unnecessarily paying or being overcharged. The fee reductions, totaling about $10.2 million annually, will come from reductions or elimination of fees including those charged to the homeless, businesses, vehicle emissions test fees, state […]
Lawsuit alleges utility fees violate Pickwick leases
Tenants of a Northwest Baltimore apartment complex have filed a potential class-action lawsuit against their landlord, alleging they have been assessed three times the amount of utilities fees than spelled out in their lease agreements. Pickwick Apartments also uses “vastly different and highly unfair formulas” to prorate the utility charges, giving discounts to units with […]
On retainers and payment plans
When potential clients first meet me for their consultation, they are typically desperate for help and willing to make any promises necessary to obtain that help. They commonly want to pay as little up front as possible and scoff at what I ask for as a retainer. I generally estimate my retainer amount based on […]
Clear Channel: City ‘billboard tax’ passed only to prevent arts budget cuts
A Baltimore law imposing an annual regulatory fee on outdoor ads was passed by the City Council in order to prevent funding cuts for arts and culture programs, according to the company alleging it is being specifically targeted by the law. Clear Channel Outdoor Inc. has paid the city $1.5 million annually since the law went into effect in July 2013. City budgets for fiscal years 2013 and 2014 inc[...]
Baltimore proposes changes to business fees
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s administration announced plans to eliminate or reduce some fees the city charges businesses.
O’Malley looks to the past and future
With his second term about to expire, the governor shares his plans -- and his regrets. "There are things I wish we could have gotten to sooner," O'Malley says.
Attorneys’ fees in $190M Levy settlement challenged again
The class counsel representing former patients of Nikita Levy have "placed themselves in irreconcilable conflicts" by preferring their 4,000 direct clients over the the entire 8,000-plus plaintiffs who will share in a $190 million settlement, according to a memorandum filed last week challenging the proposed attorneys' fees.
Law firm, replacement agree to 50-50 fee split
Attorneys have evenly split fees in a dispute stemming from a sexual discrimination lawsuit filed in federal court in Greenbelt.
