Author: JGL Law

In May, JGL attorneys Levi Zaslow, Maritza Carmona and Tim Maloney won nearly $260,000 in damages for their client, Mamoun “Mike” Ashkar, who faced ethnic discrimination within his community of Riverdale Park in Prince George’s County. The Washington Post has just published an article about this case as it has meaningful impact on not just the Prince George’s County town but also for broader communities.

Mr. Ashkar, a Palestinian-American, became the owner of Greg’s Towing in January of 2015. Greg’s Towing is the only tow company in the Town of Riverdale Park in Prince George’s County and, for 30 years, it was the exclusive tow service provider for the town and its police department. Once Mr. Ashkar took over Greg’s Towing, he contacted Town representatives, including the police dept., to continue the company’s long standing relationship with the Town, but he was denied the by the Town, its employees and the police department through numerous instances that included derogatory language, name-calling and discriminatory statements.

“My parents moved here because it’s supposed to be the land of the free,” Ashkar said. “It’s made up of a lot of people. We all live together and this is what makes this country up, people from all over . . . It’s a very normal life and I don’t know why they would think otherwise.”

When JGL’s Levi Zaslow was asked about proving his client’s case, he stated, “In court, the town asserted that it was their business decision to select an alternative towing company since Greg’s Towing was temporarily removed from a list of county-approved vendors as ownership was transitioning to Ashkar . . . We were able to systematically show that each purported business decision was actually a pretext.”

Joseph, Greenwald and Laake, P.A. is proud to continue its longstanding tradition of providing a voice to victims of discrimination, such as Mr. Ashkar.

To read the full story, click on The Washington Post logo below.

July 1^st marks the start of the 2018-2019 year for the Prince George’s County Bar Association and Joseph, Greenwald & Laake principal Jerry Miller has officially renewed his position as a member of the Board of Directors. The PGCBA has been dedicated to representing the legal profession and promoting justice and professional excellence in Maryland since its foundation in 1902. The PGCBA also affords its members extensive networking opportunities so Maryland-based lawyers can share their expertise and experiences with legal professionals from around the country.

Jerry Miller is a principal in JGL’s Business Services Group. For nearly 30 years, Jerry has guided clients through the legal challenges of owning and operating a business. He has helped both starting entrepreneurs and experience business professionals with a wide array of issues, ranging from selecting the proper corporate structure to helping entrepreneurs pass their businesses to succeeding generations.

In the 2^nd week of June, numerous Joseph, Greenwald & Laake attorneys joined fellow Maryland legal professionals at the 2018 Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA) Legal Summit and Annual Meeting. The summit was held in Ocean City, MD. and featured prominent guest speakers and workshops for attendees.

The meeting commenced with presentations by former US Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez and former US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara. Alberto, who also served as White House Counsel to President George W. Bush, discussed his work in creating national security policy within the Justice Department, while Bharara discussed his time prosecuting insider trading that resulted in The New York Times calling him one of “the nation’s most aggressive and outspoken prosecutors.”

After introductions, attorneys from Joseph, Greenwald & Laake were able to discuss their specific areas of expertise with their colleagues in small groups as well as general topics regarding how to improve law firms. Topics included increasing diversity and inclusion, ethics and women’s leadership.

Joseph, Greenwald & Laake enjoyed the summit to its fullest and enjoyed the opportunity to take part in a community-strengthening event.

Joseph Greenwald & Laake attorneys sponsored and attended the 2018 Prince George’s County High School Baseball/Softball Awards Event on June 13. The event, which recognized outstanding student athletes and community leaders, took place at the Kentland Community Center in Landover, Maryland. The event program featured guest speaker Jim Coleman, the president/CEO of Prince George’s County Economic Development, as well as a presentation of the Glenn Harris Lifetime Achievement Award to G. Steve Proctors, the president/CEO of G.S. Proctor & Associates, Inc.

JGL is proud to have sponsored this successful event. Over 95 percent of the honored student athletes chose to attend college, and many of these players are proud, first-generation college attendees. Honored athletes were selected based not only on athletic ability, but on academics and community service involvement. The program also honored community members who have contributed to youth development, allowing the student athletes to meet with individuals who can assist in internship and employment opportunities.

Joseph Greenwald & Laake principal Brian Markovitz recently shared his perspective about a U.S. District Judge’s ruling in a whistleblower case filed against Medtronic Inc. with Bloomberg Law’s Pharmaceutical Law & Industry.  

One of the key issues before the judge was whether to toss out the lawsuit under a doctrine known as the public disclosure bar, which prevents a whistleblower case from going forward if the information that he or she provides is already publicly known. In this case, the judge declined to dismiss the lawsuit on that basis, finding that the whistleblower provided considerable new information in addition to what was already known.

Markovitz is in agreement with this ruling. From his perspective, the whistleblower in the Medtronic case “was able to show she was an original source because she got policies, dates, and names.” Markovitz also says that the ruling is ‘‘definitely a win’’ for whistleblowers because, in his view, the judge was saying that a defendant facing broad allegations cannot just use the public disclosure bar to get additional allegations by new plaintiffs dismissed. ‘‘If the court follows this, cases are going to move forward,’’ Markovitz says. ‘‘That means a lot more money being returned for the taxpayers.’’

To read the article in its entirety, please click on the Bloomberg Law logo below.

Brian Markovitz is a principal in JGL’s Labor and Employment and Civil Litigation practice groups, and focuses on helping victims who have suffered severe injustices in the workplace. He represents individuals in complex employment litigation and appellate matters involving wrongful termination, retaliation by employers in response to reporting fraud or misconduct and discrimination on the basis on race, gender, age and sexual orientation.

Earlier this week Jay Holland, Joseph Greenwald & Laake principal attorney, was a speaker at an event sponsored by the Maryland Employment Lawyers Association (MELA) and the Maryland Association for Justice (MAJ). The event’s topic was “Proving Emotional Distress.” The two organizations partnered together to bring this important discussion to both members and non-members. Holland, along with other speakers, shared personal success stories in proving emotional distress in the courtroom. The presentation was held at the MAJ headquarters in Columbia, MD.

“It was great to be part of this session since emotional distress damages are often at the core of sexual harassment and discrimination cases,” said Holland.

Jay Holland is a principal in JGL’s Civil Litigation Group, and the chair of the firm’s Labor, Employment and Qui Tam Whistleblower practice. He is a renowned employment and qui tam litigator known for taking on tough cases and achieving exceptional results. 

Pro football player Colin Kaepernick has filed a grievance against the National Football League and Jay Holland has shared his opinion about it with Law360. Kaepernick claims that team owners schemed to keep him off the football field because of his protests against the national anthem, not his football ability.

Kaepernick’s legal team is reportedly expected to seek federal subpoenas in the next few weeks in order to get President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence to testify in the case.

Holland, known for his experience in employment law and civil litigation, said, “There are some significant hurdles even if it were an ordinary case with ordinary witnesses,” said Jay Holland, employment and civil rights attorney with Joseph Greenwald & Laake PA. “Obviously, this is an extraordinary case with extraordinary witnesses.”

“Just what is in the public domain, it seems pretty clear that the president, along with the vice president, sought to embarrass and politically damage the players who were engaging in and kneeling in protests during the national anthem and at times singling out Colin Kaepernick,” Holland said.

To read the full article, click on the Law360 logo below.

Jay Holland is a principal in JGL’s Civil Litigation Group, and the chair of the firm’s Labor, Employment and Qui Tam Whistleblower practice. He is a renowned employment and qui tam litigator known for taking on tough cases and achieving exceptional results.

 

Joseph, Greenwald & Laake principal Jay Holland was quoted in a Law.com article about the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The Court held in favor of a bakery owner who declined, on religious grounds, to provide a cake for a gay couple’s wedding. When asked what are the takeaways of this case for employment attorneys, he said, “I could see the tables being turned to say that in a parallel situation, where a plaintiff brings a discrimination case and a commissioner or judge shows hostility because of who they are and their claims,” Holland said. “At the least the Supreme Court recognized and determined in this case that an individual was entitled to a fair and unbiased hearing as it pertains to their claim of discrimination.”

To read the full article, click on the law.com logo below.

Jay Holland is a principal in JGL’s Civil Litigation Group, and the chair of the firm’s Labor, Employment and Qui Tam Whistleblower practice. He is a renowned employment and qui tam litigator known for taking on tough cases and achieving exceptional results.

The Daily Record recently published an announcement that Michael Joseck has joined the Estate and Trusts practice at Joseph, Greenwald & Laake. Michael Joseck will provide counsel to individuals on matters in estate planning, estate and trust administration, and estate and trust taxation issues.

Michael is a proud graduate of the Western Michigan School of Law. While in law school, he was a member of the Moot Court, the Tax Law Society, and he volunteered in preparing tax returns for low-income individuals through the VITA program. Before joining JGL, he was the Chief Auditor for the Howard County Register of Wills. While there, he oversaw the estate audit department and the unique Maryland Inheritance Tax. He has also worked for a Delaware trust company and an accounting firm.

To read The Daily Record article, please click on the logo below. 

On June 8^th, Joseph Greenwald & Laake was a proud sponsor of the Prince George’s County Bar Association 2018 Golf Classic. Held at the Oak Creek Golf Course in Upper Marlboro, the golf tournament benefited the Law Links Internship Program. Participants spent the day playing golf, networking and enjoying an awards luncheon.

Law Links, founded in Baltimore City in 1994, is a 7-week paid internship for high school juniors and seniors that places them in law firms and law related fields. It is designed to prepare students to work in a professional work environments, and provides students with on-site internships and educational seminars held at the University Of Maryland School Of Law. 

Maryland’s democratic primary election is quickly approaching but not without some interesting legal distractions. Valerie Ervin had been the running mate of Kevin Kamenetz in a tightly contested Democratic primary. When Kamenetz died unexpectedly, Ervin replaced him as a candidate for governor. In light of that, Ervin sought a court order requiring reprinted or altered ballots for the primary so as to have her name placed on the ballot as a gubernatorial candidate. A judge denied that request, and Ervin is considering an appeal. Joseph, Greenwald & Laake principal Timothy F. Maloney spoke with The Daily Record about this unusual situation.

Maloney, who frequently litigates election law issues, shared that lawsuits like Ervin’s face nearly insurmountable challenges. “These challenges almost always fail. The loser has to prove not only that a violation of election law occurred, but that the violation more than likely changed the outcome. That’s a big hill to climb,” states Maloney.

To read the article in its entirety, please click on The Daily Record logo below.

Maloney is a preeminent trial lawyer who has obtained millions of dollars in recoveries for his clients in a wide variety of matters, including civil rights, employment discrimination, whistleblower actions and high-stakes business litigation. He is a committed advocate for the public good who has held leadership roles with many civic and charitable organizations.

Joseph Greenwald & Laake principal attorney Brian Markovitz has made his perspective of the recent Supreme Court ruling on Epic Systems v. Lewis. known in a commentary for The Daily Record. This ruling allows employers to require workers to forgo the ability to pursue class actions by including class waivers in arbitration agreements that they must sign as an employment condition.

“From a legal perspective, the majority’s decision is an intellectually dishonest political grab,” Markovitz shares.  

Markovitz continues, “The court’s holding now makes it likely that more corporations will include these arbitration requirements as part of their conditions for employment, if they did not already do so.”

To read the rest of the article, click the image below. 

Brian Markovitz is a principal in JGL’s Labor and Employment and Civil Litigation practice groups, and focuses on helping victims who have suffered severe injustices in the workplace. He represents individuals in complex employment litigation and appellate matters involving wrongful termination, retaliation by employers in response to reporting fraud or misconduct and discrimination on the basis on race, gender, age and sexual orientation.