The Center for Adoption Support and Education (CASE) elected David Bulitt to their Board of Directors on August 7, 2023.
CASE is a nationwide organization that offers mental health services and educational resources for all members of the adoption and foster community. For more information about CASE can be found on their website www.adoptionsupport.org
JGL was recognized as one of the Maryland law firms that has 100% participation in membership.
Suit filed in federal district court this week by Joseph Greenwald & Laake, P.A. on behalf of plaintiffs
Joseph Greenwald & Laake, P.A. (JGL) today announced that it recently filed a lawsuit in federal district court (District of Columbia) against the United States Secret Service and U.S. Park Police – including their leadership – alleging numerous egregious violations of the Fourth Amendment rights of their clients, Yasmeen Winston and India Johnson. Winston and Johnson are represented by JGL partner Tim Maloney, senior counsel Drew Laframboise and associate Bridget Cardinale.
The lawsuit arises from an incident at the National Mall during the summer of 2020 in which Secret Service officers rammed Ms. Johnson’s car, detained her and Ms. Winston unlawfully, and pointed loaded rifles at their heads, all predicated on a faulty belief that they had stolen a car. The complaint alleges severe violations of the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures, and includes several accusations of excessive force, as well as practice and pattern violations and a history of excessive force by both agencies.
“Beyond the physical assault our clients experienced, there’s a profound emotional impact that accompanies such an outrageous violation of personal rights and dignity,” explained Tim Maloney and the lead litigator on the suit. “No person should ever be subjected to such wanton disregard for their constitutional rights. We intend to shine a light on these egregious abuses, with the hope that no other individuals will ever have to experience such deep-seated trauma at the hands of those who are supposed to protect us.”
More details and a PDF copy of the complaint are available here (PDF). To schedule an interview with Maloney and the plaintiffs, please contact Barbara Lauterbach at blauterbach@jgllaw.com with your request.
Joseph, Greenwald & Laake, P.A., is one of the most trusted law firms serving Washington, DC, and the suburban Maryland area. For more than 50 years. The firm has represented a variety of clients, including individuals, small businesses and multimillion-dollar corporations. From simple to complex legal needs, JGL is prepared to deliver strategic solutions with high standards. For more information, please visit the firm’s website at jgllaw.com.
Meet the 11 JGL attorneys named Super Lawyers for 2024:
Jay P. Holland – Employment & Labor, Business/Corporate Civil Litigation, Class Action/Mass Torts. Health Care
Timothy F. Maloney – General Litigation, Civil Litigation, Criminal Defense, White Collar, Personal Injury – General, Appellate, Employment & Labor
Steven M. Pavsner – Personal Injury – Medical Malpractice, Business Litigation, Professional Liability
David M. Bulitt – Family Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Business Litigation, Personal Injury – General
Patrick W. Dragga – Family Law
Jeffrey N. Greenblatt – Family Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution
Lindsay Parvis – Family Law, Listed in the Top 100 Super Lawyers for MD and Top 50 Women Super Lawyers in MD
Christopher R. Castellano* – Family Law and Civil Litigation
Bridget Cardinale* – Civil Litigation
Drew LaFramboise* – Personal Injury- Products, Civil Litigation, Civil Rights, Consumer Law, Personal Injury – General
Alyse Prawde* – Civil Litigation
JGL Partner Erika Jacobsen White will work at a fundraiser entitled “ELEVATE: A Benefit for ATLAS’ City at Peace,” hosted by Foundation for Creative Cultural Expression on August 5, 2023 from 1-9pm.
City at Peace is a youth development program rooted in social justice for teens and young adults ages 14-24, which provides a safe, collaborative and nurturing space outside of school and other environments where they can examine issues and conditions that divide them. City at Peace uses performing arts as a learning tool to develop skills in dance, theatre, voice and state production, as well as skills in conflict resolution, personal storytelling, empathy, understanding and leadership.
Reversing the district court’s grant of motions to dismiss in five cases in favor of defendant lenders in Real Estate Settlement Procedures (RESPA) and reviving consumer plaintiffs’ claims of fraudulent kickbacks in real estate settlements. Edmonson v. Eagle Nat’l Bank, 922 F.3d 535 (4th Cir. 2019) (PDF)
JGL Senior Counsel, Michal Shinnar, spoke at the 2023 National Employment Lawyers Association Annual Conference panel “25 Years Since Faragher-Ellerth” with Allegra Fishel and Phillip Kitzer, taking an in-depth look at the standards for employer liability for harassment in the 25 years since these seminal Supreme Court cases were decided.
JGL Associate Virginia “Gia” Grimm, has been heavily involved in the recent passage of HB 16, and recently attended the bill signing.
HB 16 requires Maryland public schools to inform students, parents and families about how they can file sexual misconduct complaints, what supports are in place for people who file complaints and who serves as the institutions’ Title IX coordinator.
A Prince George’s County Jury awarded $1.19 Million in a case where a Maryland state trooper pulled over a Prince George’s county police lieutenant for talking on her cell phone, arrested her, and filed false charges against her.
Principal Tim Maloney was quoted in the Washington Post article “Pr. George’s Police Office Acquitted in Alleged Traffic Stop Assault.”
JGL principal Tim Maloney was awarded the James H. Taylor Award at the Prince George’s County Bar Association Annual Meeting on June 13, 2023.
Taylor was the first black circuit court judge in Prince George’s County, and the award in his honor is given for Maloney’s years of dedication and commitment to the law, the courts and the community. The evening event was held at the Newton White Mansion, and included Gavel Passing to Michael H. Adams, Esq. Nearly twenty JGL attorneys attended.
A Prince George’s County jury this morning awarded $1.19 million in damages in a case where a Maryland state trooper pulled over a Prince George’s county police lieutenant for talking on her cell phone, arrested her, and filed false charges against her.
On May 15, 2019, Trooper Shareef Lewis of the Prince Frederick Barracks of the Maryland State Police pulled over Prince George’s County Police Lt. Alita Gaskill in National Harbor for speaking on her cell phone without using Bluetooth. Maryland law permits police officers to speak on their cellphones for police matters. Trooper Lewis was off-duty and outside of his regular patrol area in Calvert County.
In a lawsuit filed in the Circuit Court, Lt. Gaskill alleged that Trooper Lewis wrongfully arrested her, used excessive force, and filed false criminal charges against her, including failure to obey a lawful order and resisting arrest. The charges were later dismissed by the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office. Lt. Gaskill retired from the County police department in 2020 after 25 years of service.
The jury this morning found Trooper Lewis and the State of Maryland liable for violations of Lt. Gaskill’s state constitutional rights, and it found Trooper Lewis liable for false arrest, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, and gross negligence. The jury awarded Lt. Gaskill $215,000 for compensatory damages and $975,000 in punitive damages, for a total verdict of $1.19 million. The case was tried before Prince George’s County Circuit Court Judge Dwight D. Jackson.
Trooper Lewis and the State of Maryland were represented by the Office of the Maryland Attorney General. Retired Lt. Gaskill was represented by attorneys Timothy F. Maloney and Matthew M. Bryant of the firm of Joseph, Greenwald and Laake, PA in Greenbelt.
“Lt. Gaskill feels vindicated by today’s verdict,” said Maloney. “This was a trooper out of control and he testified that he would do it again. During this same time period, in 2019, he also ripped out another driver’s window in a traffic stop in Calvert County in a widely publicized video1. But just like this case, the State Police took no action. Today’s jury verdict sends a strong message that the Maryland State Police need to get their house in order.”
