Vacancy on the Baltimore City District Court
There’s currently an opening on the District Court of Maryland for Baltimore City, as a result of the retirement of the Hon. Charlotte M. Cooksey. It will be interesting to see who is appointed to fill this seat. Judge Cooksey primarily heard criminal cases, but it’s always possible that her retirement may result in some shuffling around of the judges among the various Baltimore City court locations.
The makeup of the District Court bench is always a topic of conversation among Baltimore injury lawyers. That court has the reputation of being a very conservative court on damages issues. Most of the lawyers I know agree that trial verdicts in the Baltimore City District Court tend to be lower than in other jurisdictions.
When I am handling a Baltimore injury case, I generally pay close attention to venue issues. Often, there are several jurisdictions where the case can be filed. Just because a truck or auto accident happened in Baltimore City doesn’t necessarily mean the case must be filed there. Venue is proper where any defendant resides, or has its principal place of business. This allows some flexibility in selecting venue, and one of the considerations any injury lawyer must look at is the likelihood of obtaining a favorable damages award.
