The Maryland and Federal Rules Differ in Significant Ways
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May 24, 2023
Published by Michael Berman at May 24, 2023
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The Maryland Standing Committee on Rules of Practice & Procedure (“Rules Committee”) met on May 19, 2023, and recommended a number of changes to the Maryland Rules. This blog is limited to proposed changes related to formal and informal discovery. MARYLAND IS ONE-STEP CLOSER TO ABANDONING THE “SAFE HARBOR” Maryland is one […]
May 13, 2023
Published by Michael Berman at May 13, 2023
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My proposal to replace Maryland’s “safe harbor” rule with a rule that more closely parallels Fed.R.Civ.P. 37(e) has moved forward. See Madeline O’Neill, Judiciary panel weighs replacing ‘safe harbor’ rule for electronic discovery | Maryland Daily Record (thedailyrecord.com)(May 12, 2023), and Maryland Rules Committee agenda.pdf (state.md.us). The newspaper reported that: The [“safe […]
May 6, 2023
Published by Michael Berman at May 6, 2023
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The Supreme Court of Maryland has approved a proposal to eliminate judicial disappearing ink. However, Maryland has not followed the approach of the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure. Those differences may present an unresolved issue if an unreported federal decision is cited to a Maryland State court. Until now, Maryland Rule 1-104 […]
April 9, 2023
Published by Michael Berman at April 9, 2023
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A conviction for a sex offense was reversed in Mondragon v. State, 2023 WL 2806288 (Apls. Ct. Md. Apr. 6, 2023)(unreported), because the trial court erroneously denied a “missing evidence” instruction. This blog addresses the holding that negligent loss of important evidence was sufficient to sustain a sanction. The history of, and […]
April 7, 2023
Published by Michael Berman at April 7, 2023
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Like most courts, the District of Maryland requires that attorneys confer regarding a discovery dispute to resolve their differences. Local Rule 104.7 provides that the Court “will not consider” any discovery motion that does not contain a certificate of compliance. Two amendments have been proposed. First, instead of a requirement that counsel […]
March 23, 2023
Published by Michael Berman at March 23, 2023
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A order granting summary judgment was reversed because the plaintiff was unable to take depositions of relevant witnesses: Several claims by a former Newark, N.J., municipal court judge’s alleging disability bias and other abuses fueled her discharge were wrongly dismissed because she didn’t get a chance to collect potentially helpful evidence, a […]
March 18, 2023
Published by Michael Berman at March 18, 2023
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Paul Mark Sandler has written an excellent summary, Here’s what to expect with changes to the federal expert witness rule | Maryland Daily Record (thedailyrecord.com)(Mar. 13, 2023). Paul’s article explains the “two important amendments” to Fed.R.Evid. 702 that are “expected to take effect” in December 2023. He wrote: The pending[1] amended rule […]
February 4, 2023
Published by Michael Berman at February 4, 2023
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The January 30, 2023, 214th Report of the Standing Committee on Rules and Practice proposes an important update of Rule 1-104 regarding unreported opinions. It deletes the provision that, with very limited exceptions, prohibits their citation as precedential or persuasive in any court. If the proposal is approved by the Supreme Court […]
December 23, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at December 23, 2022
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Fed.R.Civ.P. 26(g) has been called the “stop and think” rule. The Rule is “designed to curb discovery abuse” and to “impose an ‘affirmative duty’ on counsel to behave responsibly during discovery….” The Hon. Paul W. Grimm, et al., “New Paradigm for Discovery Practice: Cooperation” 43 Md. Bar J. 26, 29-30 (Nov./Dec.2010), quoting […]
December 15, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at December 15, 2022
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It was a pleasure to participate yesterday in an MSBA program on “Social Media as Evidence” for the Young Lawyers Section. After an introduction by T.J. Keilty, I provided an overview of what constitutes social media. The Hon. J. Mark Coulson discussed discovery issues, including His Honor’s decisions in Allen v. PPE Casino […]
November 8, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at November 8, 2022
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UPDATED Nov. 11, 2022 The Maryland State Bar Association published a white paper, Michael D. Berman, “It is Time to Replace Maryland’s ‘Safe Harbor’ Rule” (Oct. 2022). A download link is provided below. In the paper, I argue that Maryland’s 2008 “safe harbor” rule, Rule 2-433(b), is obsolete. It was patterned on […]
August 4, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at August 4, 2022
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The Maryland Standing Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure has issued its 211th Report and proposed rules changes. One of the most significant proposals is to modify Rule 2-402 to follow the 2010 amendments to Fed.R.Civ.P. 26 regarding expert discovery. The Committee explained: In 2010, the Federal Rule was amended to […]
July 16, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at July 16, 2022
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In Markel Ins. Co. v. Sumpter, 2022 WL 2703832 (D. Md. July 11, 2022)(Hazel, J.), the Court denied a request for discovery to oppose a motion for summary judgment. Markel Insurance defended an alleged auto tort under a reservation of rights. It then filed this action against both drivers for a declaration […]
April 29, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at April 29, 2022
An excellent article by Brian A. Zemel, All Things Errata (americanbar.org)(ABA Apr. 19, 2022), addresses the scope of changes a deponent may make to an errata sheet. He explains: If the deponent’s submission is procedurally valid, counsel should then determine whether the witness’s changes were substantive and whether the jurisdiction permits such changes. […]
April 3, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at April 3, 2022
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In several recent blogs, I have highlighted many of the differences between the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Maryland Rules. Those blogs are listed in Maryland v. Federal Rule Regarding a Mandatory Conference of the Parties. The Maryland Rules regarding the scope of discovery and proportionality limits contain significant differences […]
April 2, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at April 2, 2022
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I have written about several differences between the Maryland Rules and the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. See Maryland v. Federal Rule Regarding a Mandatory Conference of the Parties, Maryland v. Federal Summary Judgment Rule, and M. Berman & A. Shelton, “Commentary: With ESI, difference between federal, state rules,” The Daily Record (June […]
March 31, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at March 31, 2022
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Although the ABA’s “technological competence” standard is a good “first step,” it could be improved. Simply telling attorneys “be competent” – – with no further guidance or implementation – – does little to advance the ball. Several articles make this point and suggest the need for additional specificity, education, and greater emphasis […]
March 28, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at March 28, 2022
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Unlike the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Maryland Rules do not generally mandate a conference of the parties. However, Rule 2-504.1(a)(4) provides a mechanism for a party to request that a State court order a “meet and confer.” The federal rule has a convoluted history. Rule 26(f) – – the conference […]
March 24, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at March 24, 2022
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After the December 2015 amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, I co-authored two publications noting some of the differences between the new Federal Rules and the Maryland Rules. M. Berman & A. Shelton, “Commentary: With ESI, difference between federal, state rules,” The Daily Record (June 17, 2016); M. Berman, et al., […]
February 6, 2022
Published by Michael Berman at February 6, 2022
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The Maryland Court of Appeals recently considered a proposed amendment of the voluntary dismissal rule. In rejecting the proposal, the State’s highest Court quoted my opposition to it and also quoted my suggested language for any needed clarification. The Court’s discussion begins at 1:55:29 of the video recording. Rule 2-506(a) currently permits […]
March 14, 2021
Published by Michael Berman at March 14, 2021
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In Giant of Maryland LLC v. Webb, __ A.3d__, 2021 WL 733828 (Md. Ct. Spl. Apls. Feb. 25, 2021), Maryland’s intermediate appellate court defined spoliation to require intent and recognized that negligence may suffice. The Court’s holding was that, because the moving party failed to provide an adequate factual foundation, no sanction […]
January 11, 2021
Published by Michael Berman at January 11, 2021
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Maryland courts have addressed spoliation since Love v. Dilley, 64 Md. 238 (1885). In a recent published decision addressing spoliation, Maryland’s intermediate appellate court wrote: Spoliation is a doctrine grounded in fairness and symmetry. The doctrine is premised upon the principle that a party should not be allowed to support its claims […]
May 12, 2020
Published by Michael Berman at May 12, 2020
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I am pleased to announce the publication by the Maryland State Bar Association of M. Berman, et al., eds., ELECTRONICALLY STORED INFORMATION IN THE MARYLAND COURTS (2020). This book is intended as a practitioner’s handbook addressing primarily – but not exclusively – how ESI is addressed in Maryland State courts, comparing and […]
May 24, 2011
Published by Michael Berman at May 24, 2011
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As of October 1, 2011, Maryland will permit custodians of public records to scrub unprivileged metadata from those records, apparently at the requestor’s cost, before producing those records under the State analog to the Freedom of Information Act. The statute, SB 74, Chapter 536 of the 2011 Laws of Maryland, amends the […]