Proposal to Lower Costs for Montgomery County Real Estate Developers Encounters Community Opposition
WhenMontgomery County developers build new projects, they are usually required to pay some portion of the cost of any road and transportation improvements needed to handle the traffic a project may generate. Total traffic is estimated by combining existing traffic figures with the expected traffic from planned, though not-yet-built, projects.…
Maryland High Court to Decide Whether Insurance Companies Get Benefit of Doubt in Policy Disputes
When an insurance policy contains terms that are open to interpretation, whose opinion countsthe insurance company's or the policyholder's Since 1837, Maryland has given insurance companies the benefit of the doubt as long as the insurer is acting in good faith. The plaintiffs in a case currently before the Maryland…
Maryland’s Complex Rules, Regulatory Burdens Earn Low Marks in Small Business Survey
The results are in for nationwide survey of small businesses, and for Maryland, there is room for improvement. The Third Annual Thumbtack.com Small Business Friendliness Survey asked 13,000 entrepreneurs in 38 states, including 350 in Maryland, to rate the business climate in their state using 11 different criteria. While Maryland…
529 Plans Hidden Pitfalls for Grandparents Trying to Help College-Bound Grandchildren
For families saving for college529 Plans are extremely popular. These allow families to invest savings without taxation, as long as the proceeds are used for their children's education. Though 529 plan contributions are not federally deductible, Maryland allows state tax deductions of up to $2500 per beneficiary. A contribution to…
Broadcast CEO and Farmer Reap Harvest of Litigation in Land Dispute
You reap what you sow... usually. But, after planting 95-acres of land with corn, Maryland farmer Stephen Pieper has ended up with no crop other than a bitter lawsuit. The case pits the Baltimore and Harford farmer, who leases more than 1000 acres in Baltimore County, against David Smith, CEO…
Canoe Slalom World Championships Sponsorship
Canoe Slalom World Championships Sponsorship Longman & Van Grack was thrilled to be able to support the sport of whitewater slalom in the United States by sponsoring the 2014 Canoe-Slalom World Championships in Deep Creek, Maryland. Congratulations to all the great athletes who competed at the event, particularly to Men's Single…
Maryland Moves Forward With Crowdfunding as Feds Lag
In 2012, President Obama signed the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, allowing companies to issue debt or equity in small quantities to "micro-investors." At the time, the practice, known as crowdfunding, was hailed as an innovative tool for new businesses in need of capital. Two years later, there are still…
Maryland Live! Casino Sues to Stop Poaching of Its Customers
Information is often a business's most valuable asset. A recent lawsuit is a reminder of what can happen when an ex-employee shares a customer list with a competitor. According to a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Maryland Live! Casino host, Helena Wong, resigned from…
New Jersey Inheritance Tax Reform! A Message for Maryland
Like many states, Maryland has adopted legislation gradually increasing the states estate tax exemption. By 2019, Maryland's exemption will be identical to the federal exemption$5 million, indexed to inflation. But there is a catch. Even if a beneficiary owes no estate tax, he or she may still owe a separate"inheritance"…
Homeowners Sue to Save Their Trees
Trees provide leafy shade and sometimes bear fruit for generations. But they can also be a huge source of litigation. Often, the cases pit neighbor against neighbor in a battle over tree-related damage. A recent lawsuit in Potomac, Maryland, however, has united a community against a common foea utility company…
Maryland Appellate Court Rules on Potomac River Property Dispute
Potomac River Property Dispute "Rising in the Appalachian Highlands of Maryland and West Virginia, the Potomac River (River) flows nearly 400 miles before emptying into Chesapeake Bay. For the lower part of its course, it forms the boundary between Maryland and the District of Columbia on the north, and West…
Objectives of Lawyer’s High Ethical Standards
The Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings are an objective indicator of a lawyer's high ethical standards and professional ability, generated from evaluations of lawyers by other members of the bar and the judiciary in the United States and Canada. Longman & Van Grack Attorney Robb Longman has recently received an AV…
