New Jersey Inheritance Tax Reform! A Message for Maryland
Like many states, Maryland has adopted legislation gradually increasing the states estate tax exemption. By 2019, Maryland's exemption will be identical to the federal exemption$5 million, indexed to inflation. But there is a catch. Even if a beneficiary owes no estate tax, he or she may still owe a separate"inheritance"…
Homeowners Sue to Save Their Trees
Trees provide leafy shade and sometimes bear fruit for generations. But they can also be a huge source of litigation. Often, the cases pit neighbor against neighbor in a battle over tree-related damage. A recent lawsuit in Potomac, Maryland, however, has united a community against a common foea utility company…
Maryland Appellate Court Rules on Potomac River Property Dispute
Potomac River Property Dispute "Rising in the Appalachian Highlands of Maryland and West Virginia, the Potomac River (River) flows nearly 400 miles before emptying into Chesapeake Bay. For the lower part of its course, it forms the boundary between Maryland and the District of Columbia on the north, and West…
Objectives of Lawyer’s High Ethical Standards
The Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings are an objective indicator of a lawyer's high ethical standards and professional ability, generated from evaluations of lawyers by other members of the bar and the judiciary in the United States and Canada. Longman & Van Grack Attorney Robb Longman has recently received an AV…
Maryland Pharma Company Could Reap $500 Million in Damages for Breach of Licensing Agreement
A six-year battle over an anti-viral drug has ended in a victory for Annapolis, Maryland-based PharmAthene over Siga Technologies Inc. Now it is up to a judge to decide how much the winner should receive in damages. The calculation depends heavily on the legal theory the court relied on to…
One of Maryland’s Oldest Family-Owned Businesses Sold to Competitor
Southern Maryland Oil has purchased heating oil company Hein Bros., a family-owned business founded in 1921. Southern Maryland Oil will retain 14 Hein Bros.employees, though President Carl Hein and Vice President Frank Hein, the 80-year old brothers who have run the company, will leave, as will other family members. Southern…
Study Finds Parents and Adult Children at Odds on Estate Planning
Parents and their offspring often have different perspectives on everything from music to clothes to cellphone use. A new study suggests that the generation gap is alive and well in another area of estate planning. The 2014 Fidelity Investments Intra-Family Generational Finance Study showed that almost two-thirds of parents and…
Lawsuit Over Green Building Gets Green Light
A federal appeals court has allowed the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to move forward in its litigation against Weyerhaeuser Company over construction flaws at the Foundation's Annapolis headquarters. Two years ago, a lower court granted a summary judgment to Weyer haeuser on the grounds that the suit, filed almost ten years…
Software Developer Acquires Maryland Data Protection Company as Industry Battles Hackers
With hacking incidents on the rise, data protection has become a critically important area for companies worldwide. Gemalto NV's acquisition of Belcamp, Maryland's SafeNet Inc. is part of this ongoing trend. The Amsterdam-based company will pay $890 million for Safenet, which forecasts revenue of $370 million and profit from operations…
Bethesda Low-Rise Site Generates Towering Pile of Litigation
After several legal actions against a neighboring project in Bethesda, Greenhill Capital has proposed plans redevelop Woodmont Triangle. In a public meeting, the property-owner announced its intention to build a low-rise, retail-only "retrofit" on the site. But the project is contingent on the outcome of ongoing lawsuits. The site was…
Orioles Score a Run in TV Rights Lawsuit, But the Game Isn’t Over
The Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals are both in first place in their divisions, but the Orioles have taken the lead in their legal battle with the Nationals over?broadcast rights. A New York judge has temporarily blocked Major League Baseball (MLB) from giving the Nationals tens of millions of dollars…
Oculus VR Rejects ZeniMax Claims in Acrimonious Litigation
Virtual-reality startup Oculus VR has responded to a lawsuit by Rockville, Maryland-based ZeniMax Media Inc., owner of Bethesda Games Studios. In May, ZeniMax had sued Oculus, and its founder, Palmer Luckey, claiming that Oculus's key product, the "Oculus Rift" head-mounted virtual reality display, was based on stolen technology. In its…
