Maryland Lawyer Blog

A good landlord is a blessing, but a bad one can really cause you financial damage and a lower quality of life. Landlords have used ambiguous leases and a lack of knowledge of tenant rights to extort a lot of money from their tenants for repairs. They may even threaten to report you to collections if you don’t pay up, …
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Unfortunately, more than half a million of people become victims of identity theft every year. In the age of computers, cell phones, ATMs, etc. we do most of the things on our computer: our banking, chatting, skyping, paying bills, even cyber relationships with our friends and loved ones. We share a lot of information with various online sources that we …
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Maryland Appeals Court Okays Same Sex Divorce A new story recently emerged in the heated debate over gay marriage. Last week, Maryland’s highest court held that courts in that state must apply divorce laws equally, and grant a divorce, for gay marriages that were legally formed in another state. Jessica Port and Virginia Cowan were legally married in California in …
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Although the country is showing signs of recovery from the economic crisis of 2008, many Americans are still feeling its effects. One wide-spread problem concerns the large number of “underwater homes”, or homes as to which the homeowner owes more on the mortgage than the property is worth. Tragically, many of these homeowners have had their financial worlds turned upside-down, …
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On Monday, as reported by CNN, a federal appeals judge (J. Jerry Smith, 5th Cir.) questioned a lawyer for the United States, on the record during a court proceeding, concerning political comments made by President Barack Obama on an unrelated matter. To be clear, Judge Smith brought the topic up on his own, out of the blue. Background As most Americans know, …
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In a recent decision, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland (J. Motz), allowed a Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) claim to proceed against a law firm that attempted to collect a debt after the debt had been discharged in bankruptcy.  The case is Gamble v. Fradkin & Weber, P.A., No. JFM-11-1779, 2012 WL 115423 (D. Md. Jan. 13, …
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For weeks now, most State Attorneys General have been touting the $25 Billion mortgage settlement as a huge win for consumers.  Wrong! Neil Barofsky, former Special US Treasury Department Inspector General, explains in detail how the settlement is a “bad deal” for consumers, and nothing but “games and fluff”.  Here is the video. How is the settlement games and fluff?  The …
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The Maryland Consumer Protection Act (CPA) is codified at Md. Code, Com. Law § 13-101 et seq.  The CPA is very broad, and covers virtually any form of fraud that a business might commit or attempt against a consumer.  The main differences between the CPA and a common law fraud claim are: The CPA does not require any reliance by the …
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Bank of America announced last week its plans to impose a new $25 monthly fee on its customers.  But, even Forbes.com questions whether imposing a new, arbitrary fee is the right approach. There are many reasons why Bank of America should show greater respect for its customers, rather than just believing it is “entitled” to a certain amount of profit: BofA was one of …
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Another lawsuit has been filed against Wells Fargo for illegally denying a loan modification under the Obama Administration’s Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP).  The lawsuit charges Wells Fargo with making misrepresentations in connection with the homeowner’s HAMP application, and claims $4,000,000. The plaintiff, a Baltimore County consumer, turned to Wells Fargo for help when she incurred financial hardship.  From 2001 …
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