Under Maryland law, pit bulls are "inherently dangerous" and those allowing them on the premises face increased liability for injuries.

Once every four years, the Baltimore County Council allows county residents and businesses to file a petition for zoning reclassification on their property in the county. The open filing period has commenced, and this is your best opportunity to have your property reclassified. Anyone can file a petition for zoning reclassification during the open filing period which expires October 14, 2011. If you fail to file your petition during the open filing period, no reclassification can be made without the planning staff, director, or a member of the Baltimore County Council initiating the procedure, although you can apply for variances or exceptions outside of the reclassification period. New Baltimore County Comprehensive Zoning Maps will be finalized in November 2012.

The Maryland Court of Appeals recently held that lenders can’t skirt foreclosure requirements by making borrowers sign a deed in lieu of foreclosure at the closing, before the borrower has even defaulted.  In that case the lender required the borrower to execute both a deed of trust and a deed in lieu of foreclosure as security for the loan at closing.  The deed in lieu of foreclosure stated that if the borrower defaulted, the lender could immediately take title without a foreclosure proceeding.  After the borrower defaulted, the lender recorded the deed in lieu of foreclosure to take title to the property without a foreclosure proceeding. The Court of Appeals called it a “‘heads I win, tails you lose’” arrangement, requiring the borrower to give up its right to a foreclosure proceeding at the outset, before the borrower had even defaulted.  The Court held that the deed in lieu of foreclosure did not convey the title to the lenders – rather, the Court treated it as a mere mortgage, which requires the lender...

Your small business wants to refinance a mortgage that is about to mature, but can’t refinance in the private market because the economic meltdown has left your business with real estate worth near the amount of your existing loan, or less.  If this sounds like you, the SBA’s new program may help your business stay afloat.

Effective October 1, 2010, the Maryland Legislature enacted the Maryland General and Limited Power of Attorney Act (Act).  The Act creates a statutory form power of attorney and provides that no one can require an additional or different form of power of attorney for any authority granted in the statutory form power of attorney (this includes anyone -- banks, insurance companies, title companies, and anybody else dealing with a power of attorney).  Failure to accept an appropriate acknowledged statutory form power of attorney may subject you to liability for attorneys’ fees and costs incurred in an action or proceeding to confirm the validity or mandate acceptance of the statutory form power of attorney.  To avoid liability for noncompliance with the Act, be familiar with and able to recognize the new statutory form power of attorney and be sure to accept it.

For more information on the Act, see Maryland’s Statutory Power of Attorney – Learn It, Accept It, or Get Ready for Liability. ...

In July, the Department of Justice ("DOJ") issued wide ranging regulations under the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA").  Now, the DOJ will hold public hearings on potential additional rules relating to electronic resources, such as web sites, used by places of public accommodation such as hotels, shopping centers, hospitals, and entertainment venues.