The Baltimore County personal injury lawyers at Miller & Zois have a long and well-recognized record of getting big compensation awards for our clients in the County.
Our attorneys regularly handle major accident and medical malpractice cases in Baltimore County and consider it one of our home venues.
On this page we will look at the characteristics of Baltimore County as a venue for personal injury cases and how our firm has been so successful in this jurisdiction.
If you need a Baltimore County personal injury attorney, call 800-553-8082 or get a free consultation.
Baltimore County Trial and Settlement Compensation Payouts
Baltimore County has historically been considered a below average jurisdiction for plaintiffs pursuing personal injury claims. Juries in Baltimore County personal injury cases are more likely to issue defense verdicts compared to juries in other Maryland counties.
When juries in the County do find in favor of personal injury plaintiffs, they tend to award significantly lower damages than their counterparts in Baltimore City or Prince George’s County.
There is no doubt that Baltimore County is a less favorable venue for personal injury lawyers when compared to Baltimore City. This does not mean, however, that plaintiffs cannot get a fair trial or big settlements and verdicts in Baltimore County.
Baltimore County Personal Injury Lawyers With a Record of Success
The Baltimore County personal injury attorneys at Miller & Zois have established a remarkable record of success getting maximum compensation for our clients in the County.
One verdict our lawyers obtained in Baltimore County received national exposure in Lawyers Weekly USA based largely on Baltimore County’s known reputation for not giving plaintiffs in accident cases the benefit of the doubt (and there were some problematic facts in the case).
Our malpractice lawyers also just got a $1.5 million verdict a few years ago in a medical negligence case in which the insurance company made no settlement offer.
The secret to our success? There are a lot of things. But one strategy has been to spurn conventional wisdom that you should pick the “dumbest” jury you can get in a Baltimore County case and pick a smart, balanced jury that has the fortitude to wait to hear all of the evidence before reaching a conclusion.
Moreover, if you buy into this “this is a terrible place for tort claims” nonsense, you become a patsy that is an easy mark for the insurance companies to dictate the terms of a settlement. You have to fight back and believe you can win.
How Baltimore County Circuit Court Docket Works
In Baltimore County injury cases, the parties attend a settlement conference after the close of discovery. Settlement conferences are done at the courthouse in Towson and are typically conducted by retired judges. The judge acts as a mediator to resolve the case. These settlement conferences are often helpful in getting the parties to reach a resolution.
Until very recently, the trial date was set shortly after the lawsuit was filed. But in recent years, the court has struggled to get trials off as scheduled. The daily docket in Baltimore County is full, creating scheduling problems in personal injury cases for the accident lawyers, the injured victims, and the experts scheduled to testify.
The new plan – new being pre-Covid – for less complex personal injury docket is that the trial date will not be set until after a settlement conference, and the Court believes that all non-trial disposition possibilities – including mediation and arbitration – have been reasonably explored.
In more complicated personal injury accident cases, called civil extended standard cases, the practice of scheduling the trial after the filing of the lawsuit will continue, and you will get a trial date when the original scheduling order is issued. (Click here for a sample Baltimore County Circuit Court scheduling order in a personal injury auto accident case).
This county also has changed how attorney motions are heard and handled in all claims, including accident cases. Previously, all attorney motions filed without a request for a hearing were referred to the daily chambers judge.
Attorney motions filed with a hearing request were scheduled on the monthly motions docket on the last Monday of every month if the hearing was expected to take less than 15 minutes.
If the motions hearing was expected to last longer than fifteen minutes, it was scheduled on the daily docket. Now, all dispositive motions – motions that will end all or part of the lawsuit – need to be scheduled (regardless of the length of time) either on the civil or domestic daily dockets.
Accordingly, all attorney motions for summary judgment and motions to dismiss are now set for a hearing approximately 30 days from the at-issue date. At the same time, these attorney motions will be pre-assigned to a judge by the Central Assignment Office.
All non-dispositive motions filed in personal injury cases are referred by the Civil Assignment Office to the chambers judge. If the chambers judge believes a hearing on a motion is necessary, the Civil Assignment Office will schedule a motions hearing within 14 days.
Baltimore County Circuit Court Judges
Below is a list of the current judges on the Baltimore County Circuit Court with the year and governor that appointed them to the bench along with brief biographical information.
- Dennis M. Robinson, Jr. – County Administrative Judge appointed by the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals.
- Jan M. Alexander – Associate Judge with a background in the District Court and experience as an Assistant State’s Attorney.
- Sherrie R. Bailey – Associate Judge known for her work on both sides of the criminal bar as both an Assistant Public Defender and Assistant State’s Attorney.
- Vicki Ballou-Watts – Associate Judge who was promoted from District Court; has experience as a solo practitioner and president of the BCBA.
- Michael S. Barranco – Associate Judge who has been recognized for extensive legal experience and community service.
- Andrew M. Battista – Associate Judge with over 20 years as a successful solo practitioner in Towson.
- Robert E. Cahill, Jr. – Associate Judge with a longstanding partnership at a Towson law firm, specializing in criminal law and procedure.
- Colleen A. Cavanaugh – Associate Judge with experience as a litigation attorney at several prominent local firms and service as a Judge on the Baltimore County Orphan’s Court.
- Patricia M. DeMaio – Associate Judge with a diverse background including work in family violence, sexual assault units, and teaching legal reasoning and writing.
- Marc A. DeSimone, Jr. – Associate Judge with extensive experience in public defense.
- Judith C. Ensor – Associate Judge involved in various educational and community activities, and has served as past President of the Board of Trustees at St. Paul’s School for Girls.
- Wendy S. Epstein – Associate Judge who served as Family and Juvenile Magistrate for the Circuit Court before her judgeship.
- Michael J. Finifter – Associate Judge with experience in tax and business law, and a former member of the Maryland House of Delegates.
- Julie L. Glass – Associate Judge who served 14 years in the Baltimore City State’s Attorney Office, ending as Division Chief.
- Garret P. Glennon – Associate Judge with a long tenure as Assistant State’s Attorney for Baltimore County.
- Paul J. Hanley – Associate Judge who practiced privately in Towson before serving as Circuit Court Master in Baltimore County.
- Stacy A. Mayer – Associate Judge with a rich history in legislative and prosecutorial roles within Maryland’s government.
- John J. Nagle III – Associate Judge with previous experience as an insurance defense lawyer and head of a mid-sized Towson firm.
- Nancy M. Purpura – Associate Judge who served as public defender then 11 years as a District Court Judge.
- James L. Rhodes – Associate Judge with significant experience in civil litigation.
- Keith R. Truffer – Associate Judge with a long career as a litigation attorney at a Towson firm and former MSBA President.
- Paul J. Hanley – Associate Judge who practiced privately in Towson before serving as a Circuit Court Master in Baltimore County.
- Garrett P. Glennon – Associate Judge with a long tenure as Assistant State’s Attorney for Baltimore County, focusing on serious criminal cases and public safety.
- Stacy A. Mayer – Associate Judge with a rich history in legislative and prosecutorial roles within Maryland’s government, experienced in both the criminal and civil divisions.
Baltimore County District Court Judges
Sample Baltimore County Verdicts and Settlements
These are recent personal injury jury verdicts and settlements in Baltimore County. These suits were not chosen using any methodology. Some are Miller & Zois cases, others are cases handled by Baltimore County injury attorneys we know, and some were obtained from reported verdicts and out-of-court settlements.
Do these verdicts help you better understand the expected trial or settlement amount of your personal injury lawsuit? These verdicts might shed some light on the settlement value of your Baltimore County claim.
But keep in mind these Towson settlements and verdicts might also mislead you. How? It is impossible to summarize all of the relevant facts of a case in a single paragraph. The failure or success of these cases might have hinged on a fact completely unrelated to the facts set out in these descriptions.
- 2024, $314,000 Verdict. An 84-year-old double amputee patient while being transported in a medical transport vehicle operated by PLMD LLC fell from his wheelchair onto the floor of the vehicle during the trip. The patient, who was being transported to a family home, suffered a head contusion and later passed away. The plaintiff, the estate of the deceased, claimed that the transport company’s driver failed to secure the patient properly, did not follow safety procedures, and failed to act when the patient fell. The defendant admitted responsibility for the incident. A jury awarded $314,000 in damages to the plaintiff.
- 2024: $4,500,000 Verdict. A 30-year-old woman lost a kidney after surgeons mistakenly cut her ureter during surgery to remove her ovaries due to endometriosis. The surgeons failed to detect the injury during the procedure and did not perform the necessary follow-up tests that could have identified the problem. The woman, who experienced severe pain, nausea, and vomiting post-surgery, eventually sought a second opinion in 2020. A second surgery revealed the ureter injury, but by then, the damage to her kidney was irreversible, leading to its removal. The jury awarded her over $4.5 million, including more than $500,000 for past and future medical expenses and $4 million in noneconomic damages, though the latter will be reduced to just over $800,000 due to Maryland’s cap on such damages.
- 2023: $9,045,000 Verdict. A pastor in Baltimore County developed a severe and painful bedsore while residing at Stella Maris, one of Maryland’s largest nursing homes. Despite being required to turn and reposition patients every two hours to prevent such injuries, the staff at Stella Maris left him on his back for prolonged periods, causing the pressure ulcer to worsen into a life-threatening Stage IV wound near his tailbone. His medical records revealed that he was not regularly repositioned or cleaned, often being left in unsanitary conditions, which exacerbated the wound. After suffering significant pain and declining health, the man ultimately died from complications related to the infected bedsore. The man’s estate and family filed a nursing home bed sore lawsuit, alleging that the nursing home’s negligence directly led to his death. They argued that the facility failed to monitor and implement an appropriate care plan, neglecting basic standards meant to protect vulnerable residents. After a seven-day trial and nearly five hours of deliberation, the jury awarded $9,045,000. This number is a bit misleading -the recal recover will be significantly reduced due to Maryland’s cap on noneconomic damages.
- 2023: $3,000,000 Verdict. A 70-year-old man died after a doctor failed to properly manage his care following severe complications from a gastrointestinal bleed at Carroll Hospital in July 2018. The man, who had recently undergone surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation for Stage IIB esophageal cancer, was admitted to the hospital after vomiting blood. Despite continued episodes of vomiting blood throughout the night, the doctor in charge only ordered a single unit of blood and delayed requesting a surgical consultation until his shift was nearly over. The man eventually suffered a cardiac arrest due to blood loss, was placed on a ventilator, and never regained consciousness before being transferred to Shock Trauma. During the six-day trial, the defense argued that the man’s vital signs remained stable overnight and that his death was caused by other conditions, including a pulmonary embolism and right-heart failure. They also claimed that the bleeding was due to an untreatable condition called radiation-induced hemorrhagic gastritis. The jury did not buy it, clearly agreeing that the bleed was likely caused by an ulcer that could have been treated with timely intervention.
- 2020: $145,868 Verdict. Pedestrian struck in a crosswalk and suffers severe injuries. Case goes to trial with defendant asserting contributory negligence.
- 2020: $60,000 Verdict. Passenger suffers whiplash, chest bruising and pain in collision on Falls Road and jury awards $60k in damages.
- 2019: $300,000 Settlement. Our client is a passenger in a friend’s car. The car goes off the road to avoid an animal. He has neck pain and ultimately needs surgery before he is able to live a normal life again.
- 2018: $500,000 Verdict: Our client has gallbladder surgery. The surgeon cut his hepatic duct during the operation, requiring a subsequent operation. He immediately hired our medical malpractice lawyers. The doctor’s insurance company denies responsibility but finally made a tiny offer of $200,000. The jury sees it differently, awarding $500,000 for two months of agony.
- 2018: $1,209,734 Verdict: The plaintiff is performing construction work inside Sam’s Club when an employee of the store runs him over with a forklift. He suffers permanent injuries to his neck and back that disable him from continued work and required him to undergo a back fusion surgery. His injuries include a right shoulder rotator cuff and tendon tear; cervical, thoracic and lumbar strains; traumatic ulnar neuritis; and post-traumatic headaches. Jury awards $1.2 million in damages which includes only $12k in
pas medical expenses but $1,197,277 in pain and suffering.
- 2017: $465,000 Verdict: Patient dies from clear cell renal cell carcinoma that had metastasized to his lungs and bone. His estate brings wrongful death against Advanced Radiology alleging that they failed to properly read and interpret CT scan images that showed 2 masses on the patient’s kidney. The misinterpretation of the radiology imaging allegedly resulted in delay diagnosis and treatment. The jury awarded $465,000 in damages, which was likely lower because of issues regarding whether the patient’s outcome would have been much different had the masses been diagnosed sooner.
- 2016: $3,921,000 Verdict. A 28-year-old man is referred to the defendant cardiologist due to chest pain for the past year. He dies within a few months, due to untreated cardiac disease, of seeing the defendant doctor who fails to evaluate his unexplained chest pain. His family hired a Baltimore County medical malpractice lawyer and filed a lawsuit arguing that the defendant should have performed a stress test, prescribed medications, and followed him for cardiac problems. The defendant argued that the man presented with atypical heart disease symptoms and that he did an echocardiogram. A jury awards the Estate $3,921,000. The verdict is reduced to $1,058,500 per the statutory cap on non-economic damages.
- 2016: $1,272,300 Verdict. A 71-year-old man goes to Franklin Square Hospital with severe back pain, a history of back surgery, and a known history of abdominal aortic aneurysm. Defendants perform an angiogram, during which the man suffers a stroke and is left with permanent motor, speech, and memory deficits. The man claims that the angiogram was not necessary and that it caused the stroke. The defendant argued it was necessary to evaluate the abdominal aortic aneurysm enlarging. A jury awarded the plaintiff $1,272,300 which was later reduced to $1,239,429 per the statutory cap.
- 2016: $1.5 Million Verdict: A doctor fails to get informed consent for an ERCP. As a direct result of the ERCP, our 72-year-old client at the time, develops pancreatitis, requiring her to take digestive enzymes and insulin injections. The doctor’s insurance company refused to make any settlement offer. The jury deliberated late into a Friday evening and came back with a $1.5 million verdict. Miller & Zois handled this case.
- 2016: $80,000 Verdict. A man is driving his vehicle on Reisterstown Road through an intersection. He executes a left turn on a green light when he is broadsided by another vehicle. He suffers twelve rib fractures, a lacerated spleen, lung and cardiac contusions, and soft tissue injuries. He hired a Baltimore County personal injury attorney and files this claim against the other driver. The defendant did not dispute liability but did dispute the extent of the plaintiff’s injuries. A jury awarded the man $80,000. This is not a good verdict for the plaintiff given those serious injuries.
- 2016: $20,000 Verdict. A 52-year-old woman is stopped at a red traffic light when defendant rear-ends her. The woman suffers a torn rotator cuff as a result and she files this suit against the defendant for negligent operation of his vehicle. The defendant admitted liability but disputed the extent of the woman’s injuries. A jury awarded her $20,000 for non-economic damages.
- 2015: $1,000,000 Settlement. A pregnant woman is admitted to St. Joseph Medical Center a day after her water prematurely ruptures at 33 weeks pregnant. Her doctors believe she is 36 weeks pregnant despite an ultrasound performed twelve days earlier. The defendants deliver her infant, who is premature and suffers cerebral palsy. Her parents hired a birth injury lawyer who filed a lawsuit alleging the doctors did not realize the infant was born prematurely as they miscalculated the length of the mother’s pregnancy. They allege that the premature birth and failure to diagnose her true status immediately led to the development of cerebral palsy. After trial but prior to the verdict, the plaintiff’s accepted a settlement offer for $1,000,000. A jury returned a verdict for $2,000,000 against the doctor.
- 2015: $300,000 Verdict. A truck driver is driving his dump truck on a two-lane roadway. His truck is rear-ended by a Freightliner tractor-trailer that is loaded with watermelons being driven by the defendant. The man suffers a disc protrusion as a result. The defendant claimed that the accident occurred as the plaintiff changed lanes in front of him and then slammed on his brakes. The parties settled for $300,000.
- 2015: $150,000 Verdict. A 45-year-old woman is driving her vehicle on 695 with her ten-year-old son as a passenger. Her vehicle is struck by defendant’s vehicle, and she injures her neck, back, knee, and hip. Her son sustained injuries to his back and lacerations. The woman files this claim alleging that the defendant was negligent in rear-ending her vehicle, causing it to turn over and go into the jersey wall. The defendant argued that the plaintiff suddenly drove onto the shoulder and struck the Jersey barrier, was propelled back onto the road, and that he was unable to avoid striking her. A judge awarded the plaintiff the stipulated amount of $150,000.
- 2015: $59,037 Verdict. Plaintiff, a 69-year-old man, is driving his vehicle in the far left lane of 695. The side of his vehicle is struck by defendant’s vehicle, forcing it into the Jersey wall and his airbags to deploy. The man suffers a fractured sternum and the need for hernia surgery. He files a lawsuit alleging negligence in the failure of the defendant to maintain her lane of travel. The defendant admitted liability but disputed the man’s injuries. A jury awarded the plaintiff $59,037.
- 2015: $44,073 Verdict. A man in his 50’s is driving his vehicle on Route 4. Defendant attempts to make a U-turn in front of the plaintiff’s vehicle, causing a collision. The plaintiff suffered neck and wrist injuries, including the need for surgery. He files this lawsuit against the defendant driver alleging the failure to yield the right of way and failure to keep a proper lookout when making a U-turn. The defendant admitted liability. A jury awards the plaintiff $44,073.
- 2015: $37,686 Verdict. A 51-year-old man stops his vehicle at a red traffic light on York Road when he is rear-ended by the defendant. The force pushes his vehicle into the car in front of him and causes a herniation in the man’s back. The man filed this claim against defendant driver alleging negligence, and the defendant admitted liability and disputed damages. A jury awarded the plaintiff $37,685.66.
- 2014: $135,000 Settlement: A Baltimore County church parking lot was the location where Plaintiff, an elderly woman, was struck as Defendant drove around a blind corner. As a result, the Plaintiff suffered a severe right knee fracture and suffered an equally severe loss to her quality of life. Defendant denied that her vehicle came in actual contact with the Plaintiff, stating that she was able to stop before a collision. She hired our Baltimore County car accident lawyers. The case settled before trial, in mediation. Miller & Zois handled this case.
- 2013: $217,000 Verdict Defendant driver leaves St. Agnes Hospital emergency room just minutes before the car crash, and just after taking Oxycodone for a minor surgical procedure. He is told not to drive. He passes out and slams the Plaintiff’s small car into the jersey wall. Plaintiff suffers a shoulder impingement syndrome and undergoes arthroscopic shoulder surgery that includes a biceps tenotomy. MRI of the lumbar spine two months post-collision reveals two disc herniations and degenerative disc disease. State Farm fights on liability and Plaintiff’s past medical history that includes shoulder complaints, lower back complaints, and diagnosis of degenerative disc disease. State Farm offers $25,000.00 to settle the case, waiting four days before the case is set for trial. The Towson jury awards damage more than eight times the State Farm’s offer. Miller & Zois won this case. (Find more State Farm verdicts our firm has won here.)
- June 2013, Maryland: $90,000 Verdict: A 44-year-old ophthalmologist was riding his bicycle with three friends on Cold Bottom Road in Baltimore County. When the cyclists became aware of a vehicle approaching from behind, they formed a single file line with the ophthalmologist in the lead. When the vehicle approached the front of the line, the man’s bicycle went off the road. The fall from the bike resulted in the man needing treatment for a concussion, as well as injuries to his right shoulder, clavicle, right elbow, left wrist, and both knees. He sued the driver and his insurance company, Allstate, for motor vehicle negligence. Plaintiff claimed he had no recollection of the accident, but his fellow cyclists testified that as the defendant passed the bikers, he increasingly grew closer to each cyclist before ultimately running the plaintiff off the road. They were unable to state whether or not there was contact between the plaintiff’s bicycle and the defendant’s vehicle. The defendant denied running the plaintiff off the road and claimed that the plaintiff merely lost control of his bicycle, making him negligent as well. He hired our Baltimore County personal injury lawyers. We filed suit, went to trial, and a Towson jury found for the plaintiff and awarded him $90,000 for damages. Miller & Zois won this case.
- 2012: $761,782 Verdict. Plaintiff undergoes an emergency C-section. A routine CT scan four days later reveals a bowel obstruction. The Defendant doctor refers Plaintiff for treatment, but before treatment is received, the Plaintiff suffers a bowel obstruction requiring emergency surgery. Plaintiff claims the Defendant medical providers failed to provide timely treatment and the resulting surgery (and recovery time) deprived Plaintiff of vital bonding time with her newborn daughter. Defendants argue they did not breach the standard of care by referring Plaintiff to another physician. A Baltimore County jury finds for Plaintiff and awards $761,782.
- 2012: $1 Million Verdict. Plaintiff alleges medical malpractice after losing vision in both eyes while under the care of the Defendant doctor. Plaintiff suffers from diabetic retinopathy and argues that while the vision in her left eye could not have been salvaged, the Defendant failed to provide adequate treatment for her right eye for over one year. Plaintiff lost vision in her right eye during that time. Defendant argues that he provided adequate and conservative treatment, but that Plaintiff’s heart condition contributed to her blindness. A Baltimore County jury awards Plaintiff $1,000,000 plus interests and costs.
- 2010: $663,000 Verdict. An 18-year-old female pedestrian is struck as she is walking across the driveway entrance to a fast food restaurant on York Road in Baltimore County. Classic texting while driving case. The Defendant driver, insured with State Farm, is texting while leaving the restaurant. She does not stop to render aid and flees the scene. The defendant is later apprehended by the police. Plaintiff sustains various soft tissue injuries to her body, the most severe of which is a knee injury. She is treated by three different orthopedic surgeons. The last surgeon finally uncovers internal damage to her knee, and she undergoes knee surgery. Unfortunately, she then develops Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) – a condition resulting in damage to the sympathetic nervous system causing constant pain and burning in her leg. The Plaintiff undergoes a spinal cord stimulator implant to help relieve her pain. She will require subsequent operations to change the battery in the stimulator unit. Defendant admits liability. Pre-trial offer is $20,000. Plaintiff demands policy limits early in the litigation process. Defendant uses no experts of their own but calls one of the Plaintiff’s treating orthopedic surgeons to prove there is no objective knee injury. A jury in Towson awards $663,000. Miller & Zois tried this case for our very deserving client.
- Get more Baltimore County jury verdicts and settlements
Hiring a Baltimore County Personal Injury Lawyer
Our firm has recovered for our clients over $100 million settlements and verdicts. Our lawyers have successfully handled scores of cases for clients in Baltimore County, including Timonium, Towson, Cockeysville, Catonsville, Arbutus, Perry Hall, Dundalk, Essex, and Owings Mills. If you need a Baltimore County personal injury attorney, call 800-553-8082 or get a free consultation.
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