Poor reasons offered for civil law change in Maryland courts
George Russell's argument in his letter to the editor against comparative negligence is flawed for several reasons. ("Change in tort law would add to the load of clogged courts," March 12).
First, it is bad policy to weigh the merits of any issue on the basis of whether our system of justice is capable of providing access for redress. Whether comparative fault is preferable to contributory negligence should be debated on the strengths and weaknesses of the two standards.
Second, the fear of opening the floodgates to more suits is misplaced. Those sluices were opened long ago when advertising became prevalent among lawyers whose practices are dedicated to such burning issues as "who had the red light?" and "how many physical therapy visits are reasonable when the property damage to the vehicle is only $100?"
Third, in many cases, juries already apply a comparative negligence standard in their deliberations, despite the courts' instructions to the contrary. It is not unusual to see a plaintiff awarded a lesser amount in damages in a serious case even when there is strong evidence of contributory negligence.
Fourth, the civil side of the docket in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City is operating better than at any time during my 20 years at a the bar. The system of differentiated case management has been effective in classifying cases by complexity. The higher threshold for invoking the right to trial by jury and increased discovery available in the District Court has helped absorb the overabundance of auto torts. In fact, the District Court is still underused in civil cases. When necessary, the practice of assigning complex, multiparty cases to a single judge puts the Circuit Court on a par with the federal courts and ensures that serious cases are well-prepared, well-tried and carefully decided.
Tying opposition to comparative negligence with the inability of the courts to function is unfair to the public and inaccurate in its characterization of civil practice before the Circuit Court for Baltimore City.
Andre R. Weitzman
Baltimore
Senator Stone ignores clear ethics conflict
Isn't it thoughtful of Sen. Norman R. Stone, an attorney, to ignore the Legislative Ethics Committee's ruling that he has a clear conflict of interest, so he votes his "conscience" on the bill to raise limits in asbestos cases.
Senator Stone's boss is Peter G. Angelos, who stands to make millions if the bill passes. Senator Stone would have us believe that victims would be the major recipients of the money that this bill would allow juries to award.
The fact is, these suits are almost always class-action suits in which attorneys recruit large numbers of people to join in so they can try all of them as one case. In these actions, the victims usually receive small settlements (in the thousands of dollars) and the attorneys collect one third of each settlement. When you multiply this by the hundreds of people in the suit, it becomes a substantial amount of money for the law firm.
While America is crying for tort reform, Senator Stone becomes the poster child for trial lawyer greed.
C. S. Bice
Bel Air
Hotels don't need city tax breaks
We agree with your Feb. 12 editorial that the city needs more hotel rooms. We want to support the expanded Convention Center.
We do not agree that to have more hotel rooms, we need the emergency legislation introduced into the General Assembly recently that would give the city the authority to forgive or reduce property taxes to developers of most large projects in downtown and Inner Harbor East ("4 developers wait to land tax breaks with PILOT bill," March 13).
What kind of a message does it send to our taxpaying citizens, many of whom consider leaving the city because of high taxes, when we give enormous tax breaks such as the $75 million over 25 years to the proposed Wyndham hotel. Can we trust our city government to use this power wisely?
The General Assembly should not be in a rush to pass such far-reaching legislation. If the city needs new development incentives, let's look at other options. Property taxes should be applied uniformly and fairly.
Carolyn Boitnott
Baltimore
The writer is a member of the Waterfront Coalition.
Credit preservationists for city revitalization
Gilbert Sandler's Opinion Commentary column "West downtown just latest neighborhood to get a face lift" (March 16) reveals a lopsided view of Baltimore's recent past.
Fells Point and Federal Hill were rehabilitated in spite of the city of Baltimore, which proposed multilane interstate highways through both neighborhoods. The pioneers bought houses in the condemnation line and said no to the city and state. People of all ages fought the highway.
When my husband and I bought our house in 1978, Federal Hill was redlined by all but two banks.
If Mr. Sandler wants to see the true achievements of city rehabilitation, he should look to Howard and Lexington streets. The city-sponsored rehab of the mid-1970s did not lead to a revitalized retail district. It led to demolition and continued deterioration.
The preservationists, determined individuals in the private sector, have the positive track record for revitalizing Baltimore.
Nancy Schamu
Baltimore
Give students challenges that will help them succeed
Regarding the article "At year's midpoint, most of class reads" (March 14), I hope the success of learning to read that the first-graders are experiencing in one Baltimore County elementary school in Reisterstown is being replicated countywide. Anything less is no longer acceptable. We finally know better.
The rewards that build precious self-esteem, the foundation for success in school, are intrinsic. They're not feel-good pieces of paper that intelligent children grow to discover have little worth. Now the children know that with effort comes success. They'll try harder because they will know that it works.
When one of my sons was in fourth grade, his teacher sent him home with instructions to put his vocabulary words in ABC order. I phoned her to suggest that it was about time to spring the word "alphabetical" on the class. She thought a moment and then agreed that my son was "bright" enough. But most of the children would have a problem with that word.
We kept that son at home for sixth grade to give him a boost before entering seventh. Upon his return to school, the pupil personnel worker said to him, "Be prepared to be bored."
I certainly hope that while the Baltimore County Public Schools successfully push forward with the teaching of reading they don't forget to train the teachers in the next 11 grades to get ready for "brighter" kids who need greater challenges. Children never need to be prepared to be bored. Nobody working in the school system should ever tolerate it.
Patricia M. Williams
Baltimore
A rose for Jagger capped Stones show
Kevin Cowherd is dead on when he asserts "there's no show on earth like a Stones show . . . and no audience like a Stones audience" ("The ageless ones," March 9). In 10 years, I've seen the Stones 13 times in six states, Washington and two countries. It's been worth it every time.
I finally won my moment with Mick Jagger at the concert here. My plan was to throw him a rose during "Honky Tonk Women." I anxiously waited until he strutted over. I walked down and gently tossed the rose at his feet.
He saw me, picked up my rose and, while looking straight at me with those evil, devilish eyes, savagely bit off the flower and tucked it in his skin-tight pants.
Hey, it's only rock and roll, but I love it.
Kristi Fletcher
Greenbelt
It's the end of world without your cell phone
The fear seen in some of the religious community over the Y2K problem is symptomatic of just how immersed part of that community is in money and consumerism ("Y2K problem a test of faith, religious leaders contend," March 14).
The fear of being temporarily deprived of a few baubles (microwaves, cell phones, airline tickets) is so traumatic, it conjures up images of the end of the world.
Herman M. Heyn
Baltimore
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Pub Date: 3/21/99