Companies waive arbitration when they sue, says Md. high court
Firms with consumer contracts containing arbitration clauses might be best advised not to sue a customer in court, lest they waive their right to an arbitrator.
Excuses abound when campaign finance reports are late
When it comes to getting out of late-filing fines, one state elections official has nearly heard them all.
Court of Appeals puts jury-waiver decisions to work
In a victory for state prosecutors, Maryland’s top court has vacated 10 intermediate appellate decisions that overturned the convictions of defendants who had waived their right to a jury trial. The court also vacated one decision that upheld a conviction.
Editorial: Waiver not at heart of BJ’s case
A case now being considered by the Court of Appeals has less to do with whether a shopping-weary parent signed a waiver for his son to enter a store’s play area than the standards to which such environments are constructed.
Details, details: Waiver of jury trial must be on record
Trial judges beware: Any conviction you hand down at a bench trial will be overturned if you fail to state on the record that the defendant’s waiver of the constitutional right to a jury trial was knowing and voluntary.
EPA turns down states’ request for ethanol waiver
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday denied requests from several governors to waive production requirements for corn-based ethanol. A renewable fuels law requires that 13.2 billion gallons of ethanol be produced by this year and 15 billion gallons be produced by 2015. That’s good for corn farmers, but it’s angered poultry, hog and […]
Va. grants license extensions, waives tax penalties because of storm
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia is granting people whose licenses or permits expire Oct. 31 some extra time to renew them without penalty because of this week’s storm. Gov. Bob McDonnell is also giving people and businesses harmed by the late-season hurricane that morphed into a mid-autumn blizzard in some areas a waiver on penalties or […]
Despite signed release, appeals court orders trial in suit against BJ’s
Parents cannot sign away their children’s right to recover for injuries they might sustain in a store’s play area, Maryland’s intermediate appellate court has held.
Maryland, 7 other states get waiver from No Child Left Behind
ATLANTA — Another eight states are gaining flexibility from the Bush-era No Child Left Behind law, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Tuesday. The Education Department has approved waivers for Connecticut, Delaware, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Rhode Island. Eighteen other states and Washington, D.C., also applied for a waiver and could […]
Maryland interested in No Child Left Behind waiver
Maryland may apply for a waiver from No Child Left Behind requirements after President Barack Obama announced that he is allowing states to request flexibility from the decade-old law in exchange for a more rigorous system that promotes college and career readiness. The Maryland State Department of Education is very interested in the waiver package, […]